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Billy Bat
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Alternative Titles

Japanese: BILLY BAT

Information

Type: Manga

Volumes: 20

Chapters: 165

Status: Finished

Published: Oct 16, 2008 to Aug 18, 2016

Genres: Drama, Mystery, Supernatural

Themes: Detective, Historical, Psychological

Demographic: Seinen

Serialization: Morning

Authors: Urasawa, Naoki (Story & Art), Nagasaki, Takashi (Story)

Statistics

Score: 8.51¹ (scored by 17,396 users)

¹ indicates a weighted score.

Ranked: #148²

² based on the top manga page. Please note that 'R18+' titles are excluded.

Popularity: #245

Members: 65,257

Favorites: 2,214

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Reviews

Filtered Results: 19 / 21

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Jan 23, 2017

HayaK

Recommended

This is simply the best Manga i have ever read!

The Manga started pretty weird but we all know Naoki Urasawa. He is not just drawing Manga, his works are simply art with a way deeper meaning than it might appear at first glance.

Billy Bat is using historical information, known conspiracy theories and different aspects of life in a way.. it just simply blows your goddamn mind. I read his other works and many other seinen or just manga with deeper meaning but Billy Bat is just something else. And don't lemme start with the ending.

Give it a shot.
You might think it's weird or boring ...

Feb 15, 2015

Touka

Recommended

Preliminary (126/165 chp)

Billy Bat is an intricately woven mystery-thriller; it's a manga where twists and turns are around every corner and one which you will have to invest quite a bit of time into before any kind of revelation or payoff, but my is it gripping.

We begin with Kevin Yamagata; a Japanese-American cartoonist whose series Billy Bat - which follows the adventures of an anthropomorphic bat detective - is published by the reputable Marble Comics and adored throughout America. However, by chance Kevin learns of a manga which features a similar protagonist to his in Japan. Realising he may have unconsciously plagiarised the character whilst in Japan ... some years prior, he travels there hoping to meet with the author, but what he discovers is a web of conspiracies, murder, cover-ups and betrayal which all seemingly lead back to his bat character. Before long, however, it becomes evident that Billy Bat is something far beyond Kevin, as he's whisked into a mystery surrounding the bat's inception millennia ago and how - since the beginning of time - it has influenced history.

'Begin with' is an opportune phrase as - while Kevin is the protagonist - like much of Naoki Urasawa's work, the cast is impressively extensive, with Urasawa dipping in and out of different time periods and into the minds of numerous characters. The story is sinuous to say the least, but following it is never a chore. Urasawa nails the pacing, with much of the later content split into story arcs which usually consist of eight chapters (one complete tankobon). As a manga which portrays no less than fifteen different time periods - ranging from the 1st century to the 21st - it rarely comes across as confusing or disjointed, with Urasawa utilising sublime, almost cinematic transitions, along with many familiar faces in the form of characters based on real-life historical figures, which many readers will be able to pinpoint.

These characters - along with the inclusion of many real-life incidents, such the the Shimoyama affair, the JFK assassination, the falling of the Berlin Wall and even the 9/11 attacks - make the series feel as though it's grounded in reality. Billy Bat has a certain familiarity about it; it's an evocative series which balances fiction and non-fiction well, all the while displaying just how much planning and preparation Naoki Uraswawa and Takashi Nagasaki have put into the story.

It does require a certain amount of patience, however. Much like in 20th Century Boys - one of the authors' previous series - a hundred and one questions are proffered before only a handful are answered. Urasawa grips readers with frequent twists and startling cliffhangers at the end of every chapter - the story itself never sours - but readers of an impatient disposition may encounter some frustration with how long certain questions are held in limbo.

The characterisation is phenomenal, with both the fictional and non-fiction based characters portrayed immeasurably. Certain characters are more well-rounded than others, but for such a huge cast, Urasawa works wonders. I'm delighted to say, both the protagonists and antagonists are superbly crafted; with a heart, a soul, emotions and clear motivations. It's especially great to see the more villainous characters looked after, so to speak. One dimensional characters can cause a story to fall so utterly flat, but Urasawa deserves much praise. He has created a multitude of level-headed, layered, intelligent, intriguing, well-written, well-implemented characters sure to leave an impression.

Urasawa's handiwork continues in the art, which rarely misses the mark. Certain panels could do with a little more detail, but all-in-all, the characters are appropriately differentiated and well-drawn, the backgrounds are stunningly detailed - especially in the page spreads - and, as before, Urasawa's use of transitions from one scene to the next is second to none. Urasawa utilises a different style for the comic-in-a-comic sequences of Billy Bat - it's more cartoonish and Americanised - which works exceedingly well and adds yet another flavour to an already appetising manga. The flow of his artwork and panel placement is admirable, with the dramatic beats hitting their mark and the action sequences thrilling to follow.

Ultimately, Billy Bat is a precisely planned and efficiently presented manga; it's clear to see how in control Urasawa is. Despite such a gigantic cast and involved plot, he never loses his way. The story is well-rounded and confidently written, with the characters consistent and appealing. Additionally, the drama is realistic and attentively developed, with many of the story arcs able to garner substantial emotional investment. Overall, Billy Bat is an immersive, gripping and highly stirring read; among Urasawa's best.

Jun 11, 2010

Kikiko

Recommended

Preliminary (31/165 chp)

When I heard Naoki Urasawa was making a new manga I was extremely excited. I am a massive fan of his works, so it was amazing when I first found out about Billy Bat.

The first couple of chapters I was a little confused by the comic in a manga idea and how we were introduced to the comic bofore the characters in the manga. Also when I first read it I was a little unsure whether it was actually a manga by Urasawa, because of the style the manga had begun. But all my doubts where removed when I we were finally introduced to the ...

Sep 23, 2020

AshishSubedi

Recommended

Don't be deceived by the title that seems childlike; it seems so at first glance but when you take the initiative to learn it you shall realize how the entire melody of the comic is paced by the title itself.
The story seems to be a simple mystery initially, but as you move on you realize that it is much more than that.The story starts from one point and then diverges through several roots and later the network of these roots of story lines converge once again to convey the theme. The narrative is rather adventitous.
The anti-climatic ending itself justifies the greatness of the comic.
Several anecdotes ...

Dec 13, 2018

WitchJacqueline

Recommended

Running from 2008 to 2016, Billy Bat is the next mystery-thriller from Naoki Urasawa, though this time written in combination with Takashi Nagasaki. People discussing Urasawa usually tend to solely mention Monster, 20cb, and Pluto, giving Billy Bat a pass. Is this due to a lack of quality? Is it simply too new? Let’s Rock.

PLOT: We begin in 1949, comic artist Kevin Yamagata is semi-successful with his comic “Billy Bat” (which the first chapter and a half simply are). However an investigator looking into some soviet spies drops by his office. The investigator comments that he’s seen the Billy Bat character before as a manga ... in Japan. Yamagata, feeling like he may have unintentionally plagiarized the character. sets off to Japan. However what he finds isn’t simply a manga with a bat, but a multi-thousand year conspiracy about prophecy, power, and the icon of god. I say “begin” because the plot will move a lot in both directions, looking into the past, and progressing into the future. It’s intricate and intriguing, and in my opinion one of Urasawa’s greatest plots. Not only does it span a good amount of time, it heavily involves real world conspiracies. To avoid _too many_ spoilers I’ll only mention the JFK Assassination, Disney’s ghost writer, and Nazi spies. I find that the use of reality adds more weight and impact to everything. No matter what it does, it makes it connected and always comes with an interesting twist, being plenty surprising. The ending will be hit or miss depending on the person. I wouldn’t say it’s the most narratively satisfying but it’s incredibly thematically satisfying. Which party you lean towards will decide how you feel about it. I personally enjoyed it. Back to the main plot however, it’s a lot of different conspiracies over time, all involving the bat. They can feel episodic as it’s heavily arc based, but they all build into the larger narrative. Nothing is unimportant, even what seems irrelevant at first.

9/10, it’s crazy cool and uses real world elements for great effect.

CHARACTERS:With that much plot detail something had to give, and that sadly was characters. Kevin Yamagata just isn’t as interesting as some other Urasawa protagonists. I think the epitome of this problem is when Kevin hooks up with a girl in early volume 2. It’s so focused on tying the plot in that the girl is completely devoid of anything interesting and her exit from the story has little impact. There’s not a lot of flesh given to a lot of characters save for some more character focused arcs. I rarely found myself connecting to anyone (notable exceptions were Kiyoshi Kurusu and Diane Goodman, who to the end of both of their arcs had become exceptional). Though there weren’t really any bad characters. Kevin(s) felt like typical leads, thrust into situations they don’t know and largely defined by their abilities and perception being based around those. They were simple, and effective for the plot, but with Urasawa I’ve come to expect more character writing. Takes on historical figures were interesting to see however. Lee Harvey Oswald was quite interesting in contrast to the usual public image of him. Adolf Hitler was also a surprise. A lot of characters were unique in manga for their natural existence in different time periods and locations, but I don’t think any of the characters will stay with me too long.

7/10, there wouldn’t be any real complaints if it weren’t for Urasawa. There’s nothing to write home about without comparison to external knowledge.

VISUALS:The art in Billy Bat is a unique topic, mostly for its varying styles. In being a manga about manga/comics there are many a times that things are told through the comics themselves, switching into the style of whatever in-series artist drew the comic. This keeps the manga visually interesting, and whenever the series focuses more on fiction it becomes quite intriguing to look at. I can still see in my mind Billy Bat walking on a flat plane consisting of his comics, and that’s a cool image. Urasawa’s ability to represent different art styles is also a nice little touch. The real world art is pretty standard Urasawa fare. Like with Monster I found the art to be largely not surpassing functional. All of the characters were visually different and nothing ever looked bad but there were only maybe 3 moments within the 20 volume manga that I ever found myself wowed at the art. After 20th Century Boys I expected to be wowed once more but I never found myself as impressed. Still not being the greatest is by no means bad, and there were still things I found myself quite impressed with. The depiction of JFK and his Wife just wasn’t that.

8/10, there’s a lot of smart design and varied/unique visuals. Just not a lot of uber-frameable moments.

FINAL SCORE: 8/10

Billy Bat is an interesting manga, a very interesting manga. I can see someone coming off of Monster and being disappointed that it doesn’t have Monster’s level of skilled character writing but it makes up for that in plot. I wouldn’t call myself Billy Bat’s biggest fan but it was an intriguing read that I think I’ll come to find I enjoyed more than I initially thought. For anyone into conspiracy stories and meta-narratives about art I’d definitely recommend Billy Bat. It’s not Urasawa’s best work but I do believe it holds to his standard of quality, and that’s a high standard.

Dec 21, 2011

irinthony

Recommended

Preliminary (64/165 chp)

Having felt curious because of a new manga series that got translated online, I started reading Billy Bat and realised how amazing it was. It was indeed very confusing at first because I thought it would be an Americanized comic about a detective, however I realised it was so much more.

Urusawa has definitely put a lot of work into this manga due to the fact that it has a lot of significant historical references such as the birth of Jesus and the assassination of J.F. Kennedy.

What I love the most is that it deals so much with racial discrimination and an actual insight of the ...

Feb 1, 2021

Jakuzure_Nonon

Recommended

The best manga I have ever read, and I've read a few. Even for Urasawa's standards, this was an absolutely phenomenal read.

Story: 10/10
Gripping yet heartwarming. The final message was beautiful, a critique of society but with a message of hope. The last chapter was absolutely amazing.

Art: 10/10
Beautiful art, but that's to be expected of Urasawa. The landscape panels, the character designs and how they aged. I thought the little billy bat segments were cute and felt like a standalone comic on it's own with it's unique art-style.

Characters: 10/10
All the characters are likable in their own way. They have depth, motivations, hopes, even the fictional ...

Dec 2, 2018

hexashadow13

Recommended

This manga was very suspenseful with a large host of interesting characters. It has a multitude of main characters, who may all begin their stories in different places or in different ways, but that have paths that come to intersect, even across generations. That's part of what makes this story so interesting, that it's being told at such a massive scale, but that it still seems to flow well and seem consistent, with characters coming up again and again in unexpected ways or places. The characters are also interesting, especially as it shows them in all sorts of circumstances as well as a at various points in their life, so it ...

Feb 24, 2023

Sage0_0

Recommended

Finished Billy Bat! what a pay off.
Never read anything like this before. a thriller mystery of highest standards, twists at every turn. Its astonishing to think a person came up with "monster", "20th century boys" and "billy bat" while many mangakas struggle to finish one off. And just like his previous work, excellent characters, perfectly built and supports the plot. The only complain would be they didn't explain the time travel which happened earlier in the series other than that cant find any short comings.
Highly recommended if you are a sucker for thriller mystery as you wont be disappointed picking this one.

Jul 1, 2022

Jtaro05

Recommended

Billy Bat isn't even close to being one of Urasawa's best works, it's a decent manga, but for the simple fact of being written by Urasawa you would expect it to be a decent work at least, but the truth is that 20th Century Boys, Monster and Pluto are far superior in plot construction, character development, mysteries, protagonist, villain, and every other aspect. In fact I would dare to say that Billy Bat is one of the weakest works of Urasawa. But as I said before, it's a decent piece of work, and it has some very good aspects. This manga keeps showing me that ...

Jan 6, 2024

TomokoAnon

Mixed Feelings

So I won't waste your time and give it to you straight: Billy Bat is not for everyone. This manga's story structure is nigh impenetrable to the average reader(at least I hope I'm average), the story itself has loads of ups and downs and story threads that take forever to pay off. You'll also have to tackle at least a dozen different characters at any give time, and many of them will just be kind of...irrelevant. Additionally, you'll never be sticking with any one character for very long, and the lines between where one ark begins and another ends will be blurred for large portions ...

Feb 5, 2024

nicotinergic

Recommended

É um ótimo mangá com um começo forte pra caralho e muito foda, mas que não mantém a complexidade consistente até o final do mangá. Então a história acabando desandando muito pro arco do Goodman, acho que o Goodman foi desenvolvido mas não o suficiente quanto o Yamagata. Tem alguns furos e inconsistências no roteiro, por exemplo, a questão politica de como as intuições governamentais se organizam (é bem amador). Além desses pontos, não tem nada a reclamar.
Um ponto muito legal são as questões sociais abordadas pela obra, o morcego ser um mistério, pena que broxaram um pouco isso porque os dialogos dele são bem ...

Jul 23, 2022

Shakedon

Recommended

Preliminary (135/165 chp)

Reading through the first few chapters of Billy Bat is a very confusing experience. The initial premise is fairly simple but intriguing: Japanese-American comic artist Kevin Yamagata travels to Japan in order to find out whether he has unwittingly plagiarized his most popular character, which starts him off on a long journey. However, expectations of the plot's direction are quickly subverted and it does not take long for the story to explode into a dazzlingly complex mosaic of interrelated narratives. Topically, this includes discussions of anything and everything, such as meditations on the aesthetics of visual media, conspiracy theories, American racism and even a rare ... exploration of the persecution of communist organizers in post-war Japan. The themes I have listed here are really just the tip of the iceberg and if this seems like a lot to get through, that's because it is. However, If I had to narrow down what Billy Bat is really about, I would argue that, at its core, this Manga is a meta-narrative about the power of storytelling that comes by way of a preposterously ambitious piece of speculative historical fiction.

Although the story is sometimes clunky and convoluted, given how enormous its scope is, Billy Bat manages to never become a slog. As we follow a diverse cast of characters who live through a seemingly never-ending series of both mundane as well as earth-shattering events, we become privy to the shadowy machinations of this alternate universe's numerous factions and actors that stand in our protagonists' way. With intrigue and mystery abound, Billy Bat is a truly captivating read that kept me on the edge of my seat for long periods of time. In no small part, this is due to Urasawa's unique ability to write characters that are immediately convincing and relatable. The story is routinely interrupted by seemingly unrelated, short vignettes that serve to introduce new characters. After an initial groan at the preceding cliffhanger, it rarely took more than one or two chapters for me to become fully invested in any of the numerous characters that appear over the course of Billy Bat's story. Moreover, when their relevance to the overall story is revealed, the payoff is huge, making this Manga a very gratifying read.

While the author's strong suits lie in writing relatable characters and spellbinding storylines, the art of Billy Bat deserves special mention. For a lot of people, Urasawa's at times utilitarian art style is an acquired taste, as he favors realism over the more flashy and experimental registers of some of his colleagues. For Monster, arguably his magnum opus, this is perfectly appropriate, as its story is very much grounded in the real world. With the bizarre twists and turns of Billy Bat, however, it's a completely different story. Whereas a similarly surreal narrative like Paprika is visually just as bonkers as its plot, the contrast between Billy Bat's narrative and its realist art style is frequently jarring, giving this Manga a fever dream-quality that sometimes had me questioning whether I was hallucinating what I was seeing on the page. Furthermore, Urasasawa uses his penchant for realism to great effect by occasionally incorporating elements into his panels that are stylistically completely incongruous, contributing greatly to Billy Bat's overall surreal vibe.

As is typical for Urasawa, Billy Bat seems to present its audience with more loose ends than the story itself can handle and leaves many questions unanswered. I cannot say whether this is due to a genuine commitment to crafting ambiguous stories or the author's inability to keep up with his own narrative's numerous mysteries. Whatever the case may be, if you are the kind of reader that gets discouraged by stories that do not neatly resolve every plot point, Billy Bat is probably not for you (and that's fine!). If that is not an issue and you are into (mystery) Seinen, I would highly recommend you give this Manga a shot. For me personally, this is definitely on the Mt. Rushmore of the genre.

Jan 3, 2023

jpxavowwgamer

Recommended

Billy Bat is a drama, mistery and supernatural manga by Naoki Urasawa and Takashi Nagasaki, a story that contains real facts mixed with ficcion in all the arcs of this master piece. Kevin Yamagata, a japanese-american mangaka created a detective manga called "Billy Bat", but he discorved that his creation and character already exist. Knowing about that, Kevin return to Japan to find the Billy Bat's original creator and seek permission to use his character, but he find out a really dark and twisted history of murders that somehow involve the character he thought he created.
Billy Bat transform the way of telling a story in ...

Jan 24, 2022

floob_

Recommended

Upon first completing Billy Bat i wasn't sold on in completely until i thought about it for a while. In retrospect i enjoyed this much more than I initially thought. I've noticed with all of Urasawas works after completeing them but he always manages to make me miss the cast and the world he's very carefully created. This happens a while after reading the story not right away. This was more so evident after reading Billy Bat which i want to talk about.

The story of Billy Bat is probably Urasawas most ambitious. Now if youve read anything else by the guy this seems like a ... strong statement but i think theres some truth to what i said. The plot follows our protagonist Kevin Yamagata, a comic book artist situated in New York who upon finding out the character he draws may be someone else's, goes to Japan to apologize for plagiarizing his work (bare with me). The character that he draws is called Billy Bat. This character since its inception (Which seems to be since the start of time...) has had many iterations. Upon finding one of the people who has seen the bat, Kevin is thrust into a world of conspiracy which spans generations and thousands of years. Urasawa enjoys going back and forth in time in basically all his works, whether its to flesh out characters, see how the plot affects the world he's created or to uncover more of the mystery he presents. There is no shortage of that here, perhaps even more of the back and forth which can be hard to follow at times but is tied together very well.

The characters are good but not some of the best he's written. There is a clear focus on plot with a little character development here and there, but mostly its held by its plot, which is quite good. The mystery/concept of "Billy Bat" is handled really well and has a pretty good build up maybe even the strongest but in terms of its payoff i think some people can come out disappointed. There are very nuanced ways Urasawa builds up his themes in this and unless you payed very close attention you might miss what the payoff means but if you get it i think it is very satisfying. The art as always has a very distinct style. In terms of his character design i think its some of the best in the industry, the way he makes distinct characters 4 manga in is mind blowing. I cant really give much insight into this aspect but i think this is really a culmination of his style till date.

In conclusion I think you should give this story a read. Its probably Naoki Urasawa's most underrated work and deserves some more attention . The way he writes a mystery is a delight in any story of his but it truly shows in Billy Bat.

Jul 14, 2022

drq

Recommended

Naoki Urasawa's outstanding creation Billy Bat is an example of what you can call "a letter of love" to the world itself. Combining an entertaining, complex and strong plotlines full of memorable characters with ability to maintain a solid conversation with it's reader, this manga blends into something very special and private for everyone.
You, as a viewer, can see pretty clearly what questions author wants to discuss and what answers he manages to came to as you progress with the story, leaving you with full ability to go find your own perspective. Whether its something fundamental about society, perception, morale. Or about personal questions almost ...

Nov 2, 2022

Joricardo

Recommended

Billy Bat is a great conspiracy thriller manga with a very engaging story, but stumbles along the way. However, let's go by parts:

The characters in the work are very good, they are very human with flaws and qualities that greatly influence the story.
The selfishness, cowardice or stubbornness of one directly impacts the plot being something that gives a good realistic layer within the work by making the characters humanly believable.
In addition, because there is no definitive protagonist in the story, following several good characters makes the reading gain new perspectives brought by them, which further instigates the reader to follow the story.

The story is very ...

Jan 22, 2022

OverlordBel

Recommended

Billy Bat is a story about a cartoon character, and how the history of humanity was affected by said character.
If this already interests you, then I recommend to just go read it right away. This is a amazing manga to read, but I know its probably not for everyone. The story is like a big mystery that creates more questions than it answers, which to me is the one problem I had with this manga.
I truly enjoyed the read all the way through, but lets say the answers I got in the end werent enough for me. I understood it, but I expected ...

Jul 28, 2021

Oxybuzz

Not Recommended

With the works of Urasawa that I’ve read, I can safely say I’m not a fan of his. To me it appears some of his works contain the same common ground of presentation—one slow, tedious, stretched-out slog of an endeavour—that I’m repulsed by. Billy Bat’s insidious nature too dictates improper planning and lack of direction.

There are some positives I can extract out of this manga. Billy Bat has a well-established premise that exudes intriguing mystery through a bizarre comic character. This peculiar entity maintains its mystique dimension throughout most of the manga. The manga is reliant on historical context that I find to be solid ... enough, though sometimes it can be a bit cheesy. And while being considerably slow, the first 90 or so chapters manage to enthrall with some gripping reveals and events.

The second portion of the manga which involves the second Kevin as the protagonist is certainly inferior to everything prior as it feels all over the place. The chapters with the first Kevin as the protagonist had elaborate self-contained storylines that felt significant and memorable; something I can’t say about everything after where nothing sticks out or manages to form a path encompassing clear direction.

Don’t you find it disappointing how the continuous deepening of the mystery only leads to an ending that feels so anticlimactic and underwhelming? When I take into consideration how some of Urasawa’s works were serialized simultaneously, I can’t help but think there isn’t a full-fledged picture in his mind (or the one whom he collaborates with). It clearly manifests in Billy Bat’s lack of cohesion. As a whole the story doesn’t really make any sense and feels too disjointed to determine a solid finalised impression of its overarching narrative. By the end it’s not clarified what Billy Bat is and how it came to be a universal entity. Implementing some symbolic purposes isn’t enough when the character or concept itself isn’t clear or doesn’t make sense. You can talk forever about the message conveyed through an idea and how it’s fascinating, but if it can’t secure a believable and consistent spot in the narrative, it’s bad writing.

And the message itself? I tried to piece together the scattered bits and came to the conclusion that Billy Bat is the manifestation of a two-sided coin of ideology or will. The "wrong" way to use Billy Bat is by dividing, corrupting and contaminating the world—a process that is done by people who fall into the category of: Having a desire to rewrite history in order to appease one's selfish wishes and regrets (which can also be a desire to repair humanity's mistakes; both are things that could lead to the destruction of the universe) and having a desire to conquer the world by means of brainwashing, indoctrination and authoritarianism (using Billy Bat’s radiation of happiness and influence as a weapon to control the masses as depicted by the imposter Chuck Culkin and his successor)—these are 2 of the 3 Billy Bats who are divided.

And so the "real" Billy Bat—the one whose usage is "correct"—is the one who has the power to unite the entire world and portrays humanity in its most pure and ideal way. "Keep drawing" Billy Bat as it will be the force which humanity will be dependent on unanimously: That’s what I got from the two Kevins’ realization and the ending portion with the two soldiers. Billy Bat can lead to either the destruction of humanity or to its unification.

The progression of the plot is dependent on precognition whose telling controls the characters, and therefore the characters remain superficial with no explored-upon or elaborated motivational merit. And that includes both empty shells of protagonists. The two Kevins are driven by a willingness to unite the world by using Billy Bat, and that’s about it. The second Kevin is especially bad considering not only is he a derivative character, but he also lacks personality.

Billy Bat insists everything that occurs is according to its plan, and so some characters are detached from free will. Although it's a theme that is touched upon with some characters, it affects too much of the cast to justify their lack of depth since then it would be indicative of redundancy.

Even the characters that seem to have more depth to them fall flat. Take for example a character like Kurusu: They clearly tried to write an elaborate characterisation of him and his motivations, but ultimately it was as hollow as it was badly concluded. He’s a one-dimensional character who represents the side of persons who want to use Billy Bat to erase their regrets and past life. But the worst part about him is that he was introduced as an ominous, scheming individual with an intriguing mystique only for his character to end on a side-story undertake that is related directly to no relevant character—not even the first Kevin whom confrontation with him at the beginning has established a long-term conflict to be resolved.

What you need to understand from this is that the manga is entirely dependent on its plot. And that’s a problem when—along with the negatives of the plot I’ve presented thus far—it has many questionable elements. There are many cuts that try to provide tension and thrill, but their over-usage ruins the flow of the story. Some characters know certain info without reason; they go to a certain place, but their reasoning or justification to go there are nonexistent. It’s not complemented well by Billy Bat’s convenient telling which has tendencies of serving as a plot device. Other forms of convenience include the second Kevin managing to stop Kurusu from destroying the world by altering the preconceived future sight of Kurusu fulfilling his wish. So basically, the plot struggles to be the great dominant force of the manga.

I’ve tried Billy Bat several times and ended up dropping it until recently when I picked it back up and finally read it from start to finish. I felt like there was something, an aura which gravitated me towards trying it again and again. As I’ve said, there is an excellent premise here. The surreal mystery and uncertainty of the start are impeccable. But after finally finishing it, it felt like a miss-opportunity; a luring idea whose true potential has been neglected.