About Death

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About Death is a Korean comic which centers on the theme of people reflecting on their lives after their death or a near-death experience. It’s a relatively short and rather episodic series with most chapters being standalone stories in which God talks to one or more people who are experiencing death in some way. As with most anthology-style stories, this can be a bit of a mixed bag of sorts. Actually, being a “mixed bag” will be something of a running theme in this review. While About Death seems to be held in quite high regard by many people, I didn’t end up loving this ... series.

Without further delay, I’ll go ahead and get into my category breakouts:

-----Story - 6 out of 10-----
Nearly all of the chapters in this series involve God talking to people about death and the lives they lived before their death (or near-death experience). A few of the chapters lead into one another or get a call-back in a later chapter, but most stories stand on their own. I found a few of the stories to be genuinely touching, thought-provoking, and/or impactful; two of my favorite chapters were one involving a car accident and the one about mountain climbers. However, most of the stories just fell flat and began to feel very repetitive despite involving different people and ways of death. Some of the storytelling seems pretty cleaver, but much of that is dragged down by a feeling of pretension. Like the author KNOWS he is just being SO cleaver with some of his tricks. But hey, maybe that’s just me.

In the end, most of the stories just come off as “okay” at best and some are fully eye-roll-inducing (or even irritating), soiling the few high points. One chapter in particular involves a certain controversial subject which nearly pissed me off, but I’d like to assume that the slant given to this particular subject can be caulked up to cultural differences. I’d also like to touch on the fact that the translation can be an issue. The series is available for free on LINE Webtoon which is a Korean platform and the English version is just not all that great. I’m assuming that it was done in house by people whom have English as a second language. I don’t know if it would have been more enjoyable with a better translation, but as it stands, the English version is very distracting.

-----Art - 6 out of 10-----
The art in About Death is a total mixed bag and not really anything special. Sometimes the art is nice and clean with an interesting style, but at other times it’s a complete mess. The colored pages in particular don’t look all that great to me. Most of it is just muddied and I would have preferred it all be in black and white.

-----Characters - 6 out of 10-----
God is the only character in the series which is in nearly every chapter. He is a bit of a hipster-looking guy and I found him to be reminiscent of cool enigmatic adult male anime/manga characters like Ginko from Mushishi and Oshino from the Monogatari Series. For the most part, he is a good character who serves the purpose of the story well. But as the series goes on, he begins to feel more and more flat and his philosophical dialog isn’t helped by the spotty translation. Then all of the other characters, again, are a bit of a mixed bag. I found some of them to be interesting, relatable, and/or sympathetic, while others were just “there” and I couldn’t care less about their story or if they are actually dead or just haven’t a near-death experience. There was also one particular character who was somehow more of a pretentious hipster than God and the fact that him and God made this total bro-connection just made me laugh. I honestly suspect that guy to have been the author’s self-insert character.

-----Enjoyment - 6 out of 10-----
Again, the chapters in this series were very hit-or-miss with me. While some of them made me genuinely emotional, there were sadly far more misses than hits. I think much of the reason that I didn’t connect with the series more is that I might be a bit too experienced in death myself. I’ve had two major deaths take place in my life which shook my perspective on the subject. I’ve dealt with suicide attempts of a loved one. I’m in my mid-30s and have constant thoughts about my life, regrets, and inevitable oblivion. Maybe I would have connected with it more if About Death had a better delivery, better translation, etc. Maybe if I had different kinds of experiences with death I could have connected with it more? I don’t know. My enjoyment (or lack-there-of) for this series is probably far more personal than most other entertainment I’ve consumed, and I suppose that at least is something to be commended. It did give me some things to think about, even if those thoughts were largely, “Why did I not enjoy this very much?”

-----Overall - 6 out of 10 (Conclusion)-----
Did I give all of the categories in this review 6s on purpose? Am I trying to say that the “God” character might actually be the devil?! No, I just really think that everything about this series is just “fair” in the end. While it seems to be reaching for great and profound heights, it just didn’t make the grade, at least not from my perspective. However, the enjoyment of art and entertainment is almost wholly subjective and this is likely one of the biggest examples of that fact for me. While I found About Death to be a largely pretentious mixed bag of content in dire need of a better translation, others may find it to be truly profound and a creative fresh look at the subjects of death, regret, and life. And hey, it’s online for free and only 27 chapters long, so if it sounds interesting you should give it a shot for yourself!

The stories in Regarding Death are often tragic, beautiful, and generally a little heart-wrenching. They are well written and fit well together, and although the ending was a little sudden, it was very well done and very satisfying.

The art was visually appealing and interesting, but also simplistic enough to maintain a slightly surreal feeling. It was an excellent style and lent much to the story. Hipster God is perhaps the best God, haha.

Characters were not consistently shown in depth, but they did not need to be. Each individual was explored enough for readers to relate or emote or just understand the person accordingly. Their ... simplicity made the series better.

I enjoyed Regarding Death a lot; it made me feel for the characters and made death seem less frightening and more like what it is: a part of life.

This is one of the only story that I often returns too. Maybe because it's easy to read again with its few chapters. Perhaps because each chapter is independent of the others, which allows you to read any story you like.

God is the main character but prefers to listen to the characters explain their own story, even though we suspect that he knows them better than anyone else. He wants to make others aware of something, or just know how people interpret their own story, in their own way, and not in an omniscient way as he knows them.

Even if the art is not ... the best, it is simple. The interactions take over the drawings and allow them to express their emotions just as well.

About Death is an anthology series with each chapter following the immediate aftermath of a person's death. God, the only recurring character, will discuss the person's life story and put them on the path to reincarnation.

There is no overarching plot to About Death. Each chapter provides commentary on a different type of death and the possible repercussions of it. People on their deathbed, killed in accidents, who committed suicide and many more are all represented. The pain or acceptance death can bring to a person serves as chilling reminders for the audience about the presence of death. I enjoyed the philosophizing and how everything is ... handled with care no matter how touchy or possibly controversial. Each chapter can trigger different emotions. In some you might be bawling and in others dissappointed in how the dead chose to react. The emotional impact in some of these chapter cannot be overstated.

God is the only recurring character and thus is given the most character development, no matter how subtle it may be. We know the kind of person he is and how he can change his approach with people depending on who they are. Other characters do have multi-chapter arcs, but they are only relegated to 2 chapters each time. The Dead are surprisingly well developed for only being around for a chapter or two. Everybody is fleshed out enough to feel like a real person with believeable stories. They are equally tragic and beautiful.

The art style is a simplistic but effective one. The concept of Death is already complicated, so a bright and beautiful art style would only serve as a distraction. The art is rough to match how one might feel about death, but never becomes lazy or bad. Color is used to great effect throughout. The black and white palette is used to indicate the afterlife/limbo and color denotes the world of the living. The simplicity only adds to the beauty of the series as a whole. It's only con is that it looks a better in black and white and looks somewhat rough in color (especially in the first half).

About Death amazed me in its quality despite its short length. I found it to be perfect and infinitely rereadable no matter the age. It's simple yet complex, poignant, and has surprisingly well developed characters despite their single chapter appearances. An easy 10/10.

Story: 10/10
Characters: 10/10
Art: 9/10
Enjoyment: 10/10
Overall: 10/10 all day

The manga has short stories in it, each with their over unique point making them worth the really makes you think ABOUT DEATH. It’s a good starter manga since it’s simple, straightforward and yet compelling. Not to mention that it’s a short read. Crisp and to the point…

You can approach it just as a quick read for the plot or a very thoughtful one which sends your mind on a journey after each chapter. At this point I might be repeating myself but its the simplicity of the manga that made it so approachable yet let me with such a great experience after reading it ... to the end.

This is my first review I’ve written. About Death was one of the most impactful manwha I’ve read. The stories and the events that unfolds in this manwha are beautifully written and drawn. I’d have never cried reading a short story before, it just made my heartache. There was a story about father and his son that just made me sob. The reason being was due to some personal issues I’ve had with my father and just reading that story gave me a new perspective. I hope people do read this story and understand the meaning behind each chapter it’s truly one of the ... best. Also there’s a few soundtracks for some of the story so do recommend checking that out.

~*CONTENT DISCLAIMER: this manga discusses difficult topics like suicide, self harm, abuse, assault, and abortion. it also displays various scenes of death~*

TL;DR: about death is a quick but profound read that delves into death, acceptance, repentance, and remorse through various scenarios all depicting different characters and manners of death. god is portrayed as a neutral and somewhat sassy constant that helps each character come to terms with their manner of passing, the people they are leaving behind, and their traumas. it is a fast paced manga with some twists that kept me engaged and emotionally invested. please note the content warning!! some scenarios were harder ... to get through than others and i was definitely almost pushed to tears at some points. i would definitely recommend if you are into philosophy or psychological mangas and are not of the faint of heart.

SYNOPSIS: about death goes through 27 different vignettes of different people who have died, or on deaths door and pass on into what is presumed to be heaven to meet with god; god is the only constant character in the manga. each character goes through their life story, their situation just before dying, lay out any grievances, and try to work through their life up until the moment of their passing.

ART (6/10): the art style isnt for me but it wasnt awful or distracting. it was simple looking and straightforward -- just like death itself. i will give the manga points for 2 things: character design & the use of color. i felt like each character was unique looking and were expressive. the manga is primarily in black & white which i thought was a good choice. the use of color is introduced every so often but only to signify when the story no longer is in "heaven" but back on earth which i really enjoyed.

CHARACTERS (7/10): the only main character is god because he is the only recurring character. he is portrayed as fair, level headed, witty and sometimes sassy. he is the judge, jury and executioner in every story and i think i enjoyed how he was portrayed. he wasnt too stoic, he had some personality and i actually found him to be an enjoyable character. without giving too much else about the other characters away, i will say that each of the characters that go and meet god are all dynamic in their own right and the characters really push the storyline for each chapter. some stories are much more tense than others but i think the manga does a good job sprinkling in the touching/lighthearted stories in with the more intense ones.

STORY (8/10): each vignette is separate from the others so each chapter you are getting a fresh face which i enjoyed. there were some call backs and overlap between some of the characters which were cheeky if you were able to spot them but for the most part they are all separate. the stories are really pushed along by the characters and their development in "heaven"; some stories are really dark and others are touching and heartwarming. the only criticism that i have is that some of the deaths feel repetitive -- i felt like there was a lot of the same type of death and a lot of the same type of person dying so there was a point where it felt very repetitive and a bit predictable but i dont think it look that much enjoyment out of the read.

OVERALL (8/10): even though it is a face paced & short read it is quite the downer so be warned. a lot of the stories are very reflective and make you think about how you the reader think about death. it was a very somber and almost humbling read because it put into perspective my own thoughts and feelings on the matter and i really love when art does that to the participant. if you can forgive the manga for its art style and maybe slight repetitive nature i think it is a good read IF you are in the headspace to consume it.

Between a 6 and 7 for me. This is a story about death, and not a bad one as well. But I do think it lacks in almost every aspect for me. The art is not good and not for me, the characters are forgettable and the pacing is rushed. The plot is the part of the story I wasn't sure about. I can't tell if its amazing or horrible. It has no clear start and finish and no end goal to the story. Its just different scenarios put together. Maybe if it was longer I would like it but it wasn't so i did ... not. Overall, its not horrible as it has some deep moments, but it was not my favorite thing. Check it out if you want a short read.