Ranked #971

di[e]ce (Manga)

Both works contain sharp art and lots of action and senseless school violence. While Kazuki revels in the violence as if it were a game, Aritsune is noticeably smarter and acts mainly out of duty. Each boy shares a bond with a close friend that acts as their more mature counterpart.

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The only similarities you will find are: 1) They are written by the same author, Saki Otoh. 2) It is chock-full of pretty boys. 3) It is action-packed. The setting and characters, however, have a very large gap between them. Unlike "Switch" which is based on the real Matori in Japan, "di[e]ce" points more towards the fantastic horror/mystery genre. People may draw similarities between Kai and Kazuki, and Hal and Haruki, but their personalities and interaction with one another are far different. In "di[e]ce," the main character Kazuki gets caught in a life-threatening game in which he must fight the best friend he loves, Haruki, to win. Although they have grown up together as best friends, their relationship is immediately ripped apart on their 16th birthday, plunging into a game filled with generous heapings of blood, violence, and angst, that continues on to the second volume. Fortunately, Kazuki provides little smatterings of comedy throughout before anyone ever tires of that. As a person who has read the two manga volumes of "di[e]ce" as well as the twelve volumes of "Switch" that have been published at the time I am writing this recommendation (not to mention that I am a loyal Naked Ape/Acute Girls fan), I don't think many people who try either series will be disappointed. Each of them may be an acquired taste, but "Switch" is already unarguably great with its art, plot twists, and characterization, and "di[e]ce" has the potential to be great, which is why I would like you to try both. The art for "di[e]ce" is drawn by Kana Yamamoto, who I'm personally not familiar with, so you'll have to excuse me for not providing other examples of her work. All I can say is that it is very pretty (in an almost conventional sort of way; while the art is very clean, I can't say that it stands out), and does an excellent job of conveying both motion and emotion. The art for "Switch" is drawn by Tomomi Nakamura, who draws in a unique style that is easily recognizable and seems to improve with every volume.

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