Usogui

Usogui is an amazing manga series full of exciting story telling and psychological trickery. There were times I found myself reading Usogui and feeling so lost in the atmosphere and intensity. The art is so unique and amazing in its own ways. The expressions displayed by the characters and the brutal fight scenes depicted in the art are awesome. The symbolism and inferences portrayed are so deep and subtle, you get lost in the plot. The gambling tricks and crazy scenarios are reality shattering. This is one manga i could never put down because of how exciting it was and how hooked, just like ifyou were gambling, I was to the story. I definitely recommend any manga reader to check this book series out cuz its insane!

*I'm not a native speaker, thus I apologize for any grammatical errors that might appear in this review* Usogui is a criminally underrated piece of work in the West, sadly. It was serialized in the popular seinen magazine Young Jump (Tokyo Ghoul, Kingdom, etc) throughout the time span of eleven years, and is nothing short of a masterpiece. I'd say that anyone with an interest in the world of gambling or in the psychological genre should absolutely read it. Although Usogui's premise may not seem very creative at first, the manga actually delivers a masterwork in storytelling and world building. Gambling and fighting is just such anunexpectedly good mix, and the way both of these elements are implemented in the narrative is just perfect. With the exclusion of the first arc, I'd say that every arc is very well written, with the last ones being absolutely flawless. No overstatement here. The characters are also really good and have a great sense of depth to them. Almost every single character gets proper attention and development from Toshio. Baku and Kaji's extravagant personality contradictions make up for a great MC duo, and all presented antagonists have real purposes and ambitions. I do need to say, though, that this is nothing like other psychological series such as Kaiji. This isn't a deep analysis of the human psyche, where gambling is used as a pretext in order to analyse the state of mind of people submitted to extreme circumstances. Sometimes Baku is way too perfect for his own good, but that makes sense from a storytelling standpoint and is also the factor that makes him unique (making another parallel with Kaiji, the thing that makes it's titular protagonist stand out are his glaring flaws. In Usogui, it is exactly the opposite). As for the artwork, it's just godlike. Seriously. Well, I must admit that the early art style is really awful, but it's just for the first 50 or so chapters. It keeps on evolving from time to time, and each story arc features it's own, unique style, giving Usogui a sense of variety that's not usually seen in the media. The latter panels are INSANELY detailed. In the end, I can't stress how much I love this piece of work, and I hate the fact that my man Toshio isn't getting the recognition he deserves, since he's an incredible writer and artist.

*What a gift it is to read this manga!! I am beyond grateful for having had the opportunity to read 'Usogui'. And I'd recommend it to anyone interested in Seinen *CHARACTERS: The characters are each brimming with personality. I've personally never been so attached to a fictional character's story. There is a metric ton of adrenaline pumping action in this series and three metric tons of suspense. Baku-sama is a god among men and his story is one for the record books. *ART: The art is beautiful and it evolves to an outstanding degree throughout the length of the series. * PLOT: The path tothe end is a spiral road of chaos and death that could only be navigated by a miracle.The plot is perfect, to the point that in the end of it all, no matter what happens, it's a win/win for the reader. *Thank the heavens I was able to read the series at my own pace instead of having to wait for weekly/monthly releases. I would not have been able to tolerate the suspense. *Possibly my favorite manga I've ever read

Greatest of all time. Zenith of the medium. Hallmark of media. Gold standard of storytelling. Apogee of creativity. Vertex of invention. Crest of ingenuity. Acme of imagination. Pinnacle of innovation. Epic of epics. Legend among legends. Peak fiction. One above all, peak creation, lonely at the summit, goats above goats, grandiose masterpiece, impeccable perfection, too exquisite to exist, unbelievably marvelous creation, spectacularly bewildering and stupendous imagination, work of god. Groundbreaking and foundational, his sense of development is a deconstruction of employment segregation and the powerful performances are truly comprehensive of their poignant themes while the nuance in the direction complements a layered screenplay. Pure elegant,exquisite, endeavor. I can't put my finger on what's wrong because there isn't anything, masterful character-making from a masterful person. Top of the decade. Top of the century. Top of my life