Ranked #4041

Hideout (Manga)

Hideout is a glaring example of a manga that takes commonly done plot devices and themes and executes them brilliantly. I do not know if it was Kakizaki's decision to make Hideout a short-running series (at only one volume composed of 9 chapters), but assuming it was, what a good choice! Given the nature of the story, in which I will go into more detail later, Hideout would have been a drag-on were it any longer. In spite of its short lengths, the main character was so easy to empathise with, and the scenario, plausible. The realism of this horror piece IS the true horror- nothing induces uneasiness (for me) in horror than being able to completely comprehend that it could happen to me- however low the odds.

~ STORY ~

Truthfully, it's difficult to judge as short stories tend to not be deep as they're not presented with the length required to completely flesh out themes and characters- and Hideout is no exception. However, I don't mean this as a point of criticism. Most of us know the popular horror score- the main characters finding themselves trapped in the clutches of a psychopathic/sociopathic killer is nothing new to the horror genre. It was unfortunate that it was slightly predictable, but the characters brought the story to life. The flashbacks were excellently done- however simple, I felt myself feeling more and more despair and sorrow for the tragic events that unfolded before the protagonist.

~ ART ~

To say that Hideout's art is "good" is a GROSS UNDERSTATEMENT. Seriously, it is worth having a peek at Hideout for its artwork alone. Never (in a long time) had I encountered a manga artist that places so much detail in every inch of every page. In order to fit in with the horror theme, Kakizaki masterfully utilises shading and gory detail. I rarely, rarely feel creeped out by artwork alone, but Kakizaki's depictions of mad expressions and the "Monster" truly unnerved me. If somebody said that Kakizaki is one of the most technically skilled manga artists they know of, I can completely understand, and even agree.

~ CHARACTER ~

Again, a tough assessment due to Hideout being a short story, but Seiichi, the main protagonist of the series, was truly well done. A down-trodden, struggling author is nothing new, but in just 9 chapters, I honestly felt for Seiichi by the time the finale arrived. He loses everything, but his desire to start over keeps him going. It is the light at the end of a dark and unforgiving tunnel. It was such a shame that such a beaten-down, nice guy- that just wanted to write and have a family- meets with a torrent of misery... but therein lies the goodness of Hideout.

~ ENJOYMENT and OVERALL ~

I don't really have anything special to add here. The plot is nothing new and Seiichi isn't anything particularly deep or original, but the execution of Hideout was good, and made for an enjoyable short read. It's not too short, and definitely not too long, neither. If you're looking for something original and established, Hideout isn't for you. However, for those with short attention spans, Hideout- with its riveting art and sympathetic protagonist, Seiichi- is a highly recommended read. read more

First of all, I'd like to say I'm not familiar with any of Kakizaki's other works (mostly referring to Rainbow since that's his most famous one), so I'm not going to be making any comparisons to anything else he's worked on. With that out of the way....

Hideout is a very short series. I don't imagine that it would take more than an hour or two to read it all, and that might be a very generous estimate depending on how fast you read. Since it's only 9 chapters you might not be expecting a whole lot as far as depth of the plot goes, but Kakizaki actually manages to spin a fairly human, depressing story with the little space given.

The premise (the couple getting lost and stumbling into an utterly horrific experience) is executed well enough. You get to see what led up to all this, the circumstances behind the death of the couple's son and the grisly aftermath, as the husband slowly loses everything important in his life: his son, his wife, her family, his career, everything goes spiraling downwards, and the man is slowly driven into madness. I'm sure the surprises waiting for them in the cave didn't exactly help his mental state either. I'm not sure that I would be driven to the extremes the protagonist goes to, but it's all part of the tragedy, so I guess it's fine. Given that it's only 9 chapters, it does a pretty good job of making you feel involved and making you care about what goes on.

That said, while the plot gets a thumbs up from me, the main thing Hideout has going for it is the art. It takes an extremely skilled artist to paint true terror and create landscapes and imagery that are genuinely frightening. Kakizaki is almost up there with Kentaro Miura (the author of Berserk) in the horror scenes department. Everything is marvelously shaded, detailed, and bleak, which makes the gruesome content of Hideout so much more potent than it would be with only a "good" artist working on it, as opposed to an excellent one like in this manga.

I wish I could say more about this manga, but there really is not much else to say. Hideout is a good 9 chapter series with a good plot and absolutely outstanding artwork. It will not take you very long to read, and it's certainly worth your time to check it out.

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