Livingstone

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Livingstone is a collaboration manga between Maekawa Tomohiro, the author and Kataoka Jinsei, the artist. You might have known Kataoka's work from before: Eureka Seven.

First lemme explain what is the 'living-stone'. Living stone is the soul stone of a human being, which weight approximately 30 grams according to Professor Duncan who did an experiment to determine the weight of human soul.

This manga tells a story of two guys, Shozo Sakurai and Amano. Their job is to hunt and prevent people from their unplanned/unnatural death or otherwise to recover the "living-stone". To make sure that the next person will not suffers the same fate as the ... person who is about to die, because "unexpected death" will damage a human soul, they have to ensure that the living stone will not be in pieces. In other words, their job is to "save" the livingstone, preserving its proper shape and "kill" the body that's left behind in this world.

Besides that, they also have to clean the stain where "unexpected death" occurred and collect the pieces of livingstone. This is because the place where those death happened, if not cleaned, will carry negative energy that will lead to other unplanned accidents.

Sakurai is the compassionate person between the two. He will strive his best to save the victim. The irony is he always ends up doing the killing part which takes quite a toll on himself. Sakurai has the power to see the memory of the soul once he has the soul stone in his hand. It was a pain and most often than not, a gruesome experience.

Amano is the polar opporsite of Sakurai because he has no soul to begin with. He has no memories or feelings either which usually gets him into trouble. He has a stone installed inside of him that attracts the living stone. Amano lives solely to do his job and has the power to see the stains. He is also kinda immortal.

Amano and Sakurai provide a comedic relief once in a while with their antics that makes me enjoy this manga. Amano said some of the funniest lines with Sakurai delivering the punch lines. Definitely not going to put this one on hold :3

A must read, not only for the great story it tells but also for the short amount of chapters it has. So even if you dislike it, it's not a waste of time (Imagine reading a 400 chapter manga that you didn't like very much).

Story: The plot is as interesting as the characters that drive it. Really interesting concepts and world building (albeit, little world building considering this takes place in modern japan), with a understandable story that doesn't get ultra confusing. The main negative is the amount of chapters it has. It doesn't feel rushed or anything, but it has the potential to ... be more than it is right now. They could have introduced a lot more wacky and interesting characters with cool and intriguing cases to be solved by the duo of protagonists.

Art: Absolutely fantastic art by the same artist that gave life to the world of Deadman Wonderland, Kataoka Jinsei. The main positive of this sectionare the character designs and expressions. Top Notch art from a Top notch artist.

Character: A cast that will catch your attention instantly, interesting and likeable personalities, traits, and reasonings. Would be nice if they had more growth, but the amount of chapters makes it not possible.

Enjoyment: You can read this manga in one seating due to how short it is, so you won't feel bored while reading it, it mantains the readers interest from beginning to end.

Overall, a good short manga that is able to present a nice introduction and conclusion without rushing anything or feeling forced. The amount of chapters already make it an easy read.