Shibatarian

Edit

What would you like to edit?

SynopsisBackgroundAlternative TitlesPictureChapters/VolumesPublishing DatesRelationsTypeExternal Links  

This manga is very promising! It puts a unique spin on the zombie apocalypse genre, where instead of zombies, its an apocalypse of the protagonist's enigmatic former friend, Shibata.

Story: In terms of plot, this manga (so far) is structured similarly to common zombie apocalypse movies. The hero and heroine attempt to flee the horde of Shibatas while trying to discover a method to end the apocalypse. Since only 10 chapters have been out since I am writing this review, the plot of the manga is unfinished, but I wouldn't say the story of the manga particularly stands out so far.

Characters: The main character and ... the titular antagonist are what makes this manga stand apart from the generic zombie apocalypse flick. The relationship between the two characters and their clashing personalities is fully fleshed out in the first few chapters, and the main character in particular seems troubled, giving the transpiring events deeper context. Unlike a normal zombie apocalypse, each 'zombie' is a Shibata, which makes each encounter with the zombies an opportunity for character development. There is also the archetypal romance subplot between the main character and the heroine, which works well in zombie films in general because of the suspension bridge effect.

Art: Similar to many zombie apocalypse films, this manga amply employs body horror, but gore is not what the manga uses to unsettle the reader. It's Shibata's uncanny face, often plastered on strangely proportioned bodies, writhing messes of flesh, and even some characters that are not Shibata.

Overall, this manga goes beyond the zombie apocalypse genre in meaningful ways, and is definitely worth a try!

Shibatarian is one of those mystery thrillers that initially drives me crazy, because I absolutely want to discover the truth behind what I'm seeing, but then I am promptly disappointed by a somewhat disappointing development.
Let's go in order, Shibata is a boy who was buried to punish his mother.
The woman in fact, gave the names to the authorities of some students who committed acts of vandalism. The students then took it out on Shibata. Then we have Sato, the protagonist of the school that passes by, who does not like his peers and prefers to isolate himself or watch films. A friendship will blossom between ... the two until Shibata disappears and reappears after several years as a villain who, together with his clones, makes the dream of a child Sato come true, that is, a world with more people like Shibata and in which people are then punished, like the same middle school students that Sato found unpleasant. So far I found the manga compelling, especially trying to understand how everything I was seeing was possible.

In addition to the secondary characters that I found rather useless starting with Michi, a girl who has always been in love with Sato and who finds herself involved in the affair but without ever being the protagonist.
Yoshida and Hanma, characters who will help Sato later, also very negligible and neglected by the author himself, could easily not have been included and everything would have worked the same.
Then we have the complete degeneration. Shibata everywhere throughout Japan that I want the unidynamic of the human race, the manga takes a totally apocalyptic turn that in my opinion clashes with the initial premises.


Everything we see is a bit confused between reality and cinematic fiction. As it is later explained, these Shibata are nothing but cherry blossoms seeking revenge against humanity that has ignored them, and the hero who will resolve the whole matter is Sato thanks to salt water. At this point I felt a little disappointed. The dark atmosphere of the first volumes disappears completely. Then other explanations such as the pill to become Shibata's or the arrival of Sato's military clones also I found them quite ugly.

As positive notes, however, I mention the very beginning of the work, when the mystery was not revealed. Some Shibata such as the gymnastic one or the burly one made me laugh so much or the many quotes in the manga.

In short, I recommend this hour to those who like referential cinema or are looking for an alternative apocalyptic opera to the classics of the genre.

Shibatarian has a lot of promising elements and an interesting premise, but unfortunately it just didn't quite hit hard enough for me. Sato meets a boy called Shibata buried up to his neck under a cherry tree, and they become friends. But, after a falling out, Shibata disappears for 5 years, and when he returns, he and his many clones are out to destroy the world.

The art is of a fairly good quality. There were very few moments I looked at and wished they were better, and a few moments that I considered very nicely executed. The astro-boy like design of Shibata (especially along with ... its later variations) creates an interesting dichotomy between his design and the horror aspects. Unfortunately, it doesn't lean into that. The art just wasn't quite good enough that the uncanny design would carry it, nor did the story lean enough into the psychological aspects of the manga.

I think the only case where I would recommend it is if you're looking for something incredibly surrealist and like the sound of the premise. Otherwise, there are a lot better zombie-esque apocalypse manga out there. Maybe try something like Sweet Home instead.