Ranked #345

Akumetsu (Manga)

Story[7/10] I was quite surprised by Akumetsu. The story is pretty standard. A masked man hopes to improve the lives of his countrymen by killing those that he claims are evil. Sort of a Death Note meets V for Vendetta, right? However, once you start reading you realize that this comic has the style and blood gushing violence to pull it off.

Art[9/10]The art very well done, and no matter what weird outfit Akumetsu decides to show up in it's gonna look bad-ass.

Character[10/10] Shou/Akumetsu's nonchalant and intentionally humorous approach to killing people makes him an enjoyable character who you soon realize is quite devoted to his quest. The focus of the comic is primarily on him, but with his wacky sense of humor that's not really a bad thing. Plus, while the villains tend to be over the top, it just makes you enjoy their deaths even more.

Enjoyment [9/10] I've found myself laughing with glee at some pretty violent stuff in this comic.

Overall[8/10] Yes, the basic storyline is a little generic but don't assume you know where it's going. This is a comic that has the potential to surprise, to shock, and to at some points go "WTF?" I'd say it's defiantly worth reading as long as the violence doesn't turn you away. I'm not generally satisfied simply by over the top violence, but Akumetsu's code of ethics and wacky even game show-like executions make this an enjoyable manga about self-sacrifice. read more

To me. Akumetsu is everything Death Note should have been (in terms of Death Note's story). I hope I haven't angered anyone by saying that. I consider Akumetsu's story-telling to be wonderful.

The entire philosophy of "What is good? What is evil?" is something that alot of series integrate into their plot.

And so Akumetsu might seem to follow that, it takes a contemporary approach. Featuring science-fiction as opposed to magic.

Story: The details keeps you intrigued. They can be essentially divided into three parts that are all developed as the story progresses.
1. Akumetsu actions and political background of Japan
2. The people trying to understand Akumetsu and/or stop him
3. The revelation of who/what is Akumetsu and how he came to exist.

The first part makes up the most of the story. The 2nd part humanizes the story, and the third part keeps you interested.

I give the story a 9/10. I personally never tired of it. But I can imagine that some people will find the repetitive nature alittle annoying

The art is very cool. It reminds me of a a more artistic sin-city. You shouldn't try to find "moe" in this series, but the female characters are still quite beautiful. (10/10)

Characters get 10/10 from me because for the most part they were all hunanized, made sympathetic, and thus had "depth".
-Shou's anger at the system yet his realization that what "he" is doing is evil
-Shiina's sadness that Shou has put himself up to this task
-A police officer who's sense of justice puts him at odds with Akumetsu, but also puts him against his administration.


Enjoyment. I give enjoyment an 8/10 because the mid part of the story is alittle hard to get into. However overall Akumetsu is a manga that will remain with me as one of the peaks of seinen manga.

I
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