Mar 5, 2020
I can't think of any manga that has kept my attention and desire to read more as much as Red. It's a story with very well thought out characters, a gripping narrative and a fantastic art style.
Story
It's a story you've seen before. At least the basic set up is. It's a traditional revenge story sprinkled with some obvious archetypes and a familiar setting. All that being said, We've always gotten western mixed with some other genre in anime or manga (Cowboy Bebop, Trigun, Gun X Sword, etc...) However, here we just have a straightforward western with perhaps a
...
small bit of Samurai film trips in between. As mentioned, Red is a revenge story. However, as the story progresses, we find that revenge isn't so simple. Some of these men have made lives for themselves and moved on which creates a conflict amongst the cast. Some are fine with continuing even knowing this while others are off-put by the senseless violence. They're beats that we've seen before in other works, but Muraeda Keiichi manages to make it feel fresh with a cinematic touch to it not typically seen in a manga. This is especially aided by the next point.
Art
To be honest with you, I was not on board with Red's art at first. Something about the designs just wasn't clicking with me in the first two chapters. However where the art started to really grab me was at the end of the second chapter, and from that point, it was clear that there was gonna be some more flair to it than initially thought. I wish I could post some screenshots I took in this review because some of these panels are absolutely breathtaking. From glorious moments of carnage to gorgeous backdrops and scenery clearly taking influence from classic spaghetti westerns. Muraeda's art is nothing to scoff at. This is a man who clearly knows how to frame scenes within panels without ever making them feel either cluttered or baren. This carries over to his other works as well (recommend checking out Kamen Rider SPIRITS)
Characters
The cast is essentially what really carries the story. As mentioned, the story, for the most part, is incredibly familiar, and some would argue derivative. What really drives this series home is the cast. Red is a solid stoic protagonist, however, despite taking on the strong silent type role, he has moments of levity that help establish his likability. If he were brooding the whole time then he would be a pain to read, but he's overall very sympathetic and even in his moments of cruelty, you understand where he's coming from and why he feels the need to do what he is doing. Angie is a solid female lead as well. She's comparable to Revy from Black Lagoon only less crass and more seductive like Fujiko from Lupin III. She's probably the more derivative of the main cast, but she's still an interesting character and has good chemistry with the rest of the crew. Grey is also a solid character, though I'll refrain from speaking much about him since that's mostly stuff that we learn closer to the end. But he's a great mysterious gunslinger type. Lastly, we have Ieroh who is by far the most developed character of the series. In fact, I would even go so far as to call him the real protagonist, or at the very least, shares the limelight with Red. Easily one of the most likable characters in any manga I have read and he goes through so much development that you really feel this character come to life as you read. there's plenty more character to talk about but It's best if you get to meet them yourselves.
Enjoyment
I feel like I've already let my feelings about this series known, Fuck yes it's enjoyable and it's an absolute crime that it never got an adaptation or an official translation. It's a difficult series to put down and it deserves everyone's attention.
Overall
Needless to say, this is my favorite manga of all time. I'm worried I may have oversold it (the series itself sure as hell didn't) But I truly believe this series is worth reading. Even if you're not into westerns there are plenty of great characters and solid action scenes to latch yourself onto and keep you invested. I want more people to read this series, and I would kill for an anime adaptation or hell, maybe even a live-action movie, but I know it'll never happen. Still, if you have the time, (which if you're browsing MAL you definitely do) then I highly encourage you to read the first 3 chapters and see how you feel about it.
Personal Enjoyment 10/10
Score 10/10
I want Tom Hanks to play Blue in the adaptation.
Reviewer’s Rating: 10
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