The premise of Ode to Kirihito may seem nothing outstanding at first glance, yet shines in its presentation; by introducing the Monmow disease suddenly as most illness do, it creates a believable setting, while at the same time maintaining a well paced story. Needless to mention, Monmow degrades people's life gradually worsening to the point of causing the death of the affected. The hardships people have to endure are well displayed through interactions with characters and events that happen.
Other great aspect of the manga is how it displays the world of scientists/doctors, including the explanation of medical terms, through the characters and narration of the different events that take place, be it a medical conference, or diseases patient suffer.
There is however a negative aspect to the story; to make it darker and cruel, the author introduces incidents that happen to the characters, ranging from unnecessary rape scenes and deaths being some examples. This is not bad on its own, yet it is badly executed thus having no impact on the story, likewise having near to no consequences at all which makes it totally redundant to the storyline.
The characters of Ode to Kirihito are varied, each with its own personality. Tatsugara the ambitious doctor that refuses to accept a theory that opposes his own or the not so talented Urabe. Being merely 800 pages long, character development for the characters is scarce, Kirihito being the exception. He undergoes serious changes to the point of looking like a total different character due to all the events that happened to him, ranging from humiliation to enslavement. The supporting cast is well done too, yet is difficult to find any attachment to them due to the short duration of the manga.
The art style of Ode to Kirihito is at first glance simple and off-putting, yet its characters design fitted well with their personalities, as it was making it very easy to convey their beliefs and behaviours. Panel placement is well done too, giving it a "cinematic" feel to it. In addition, the backgrounds are stunningly well drawn, matching perfectly with the atmosphere it tries to portray. However, the character design is immersion breaking and doesn't fit the story at all: it is difficult to take the manga seriously, which is a shame, as it would have made this manga better.
Overall Ode no Kirihito was a very enjoyable read, yet the "edgy" things that happen in conjunction with the characters design, made the story less realistic and less enjoyable than it could have been. Nevertheless, its presentation, narrative, and characters made it a very interesting read that kept me wondering what would happen next. Recommended to anyone with interest in the psychological genre.
Thank you for reading.
