Innocent

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Japanese: イノサン

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Type: Manga

Volumes: 9

Chapters: 99

Status: Finished

Published: Jan 31, 2013 to Apr 16, 2015

Genre: Drama

Theme: Historical

Demographic: Seinen

Serialization: Young Jump

Authors: Sakamoto, Shinichi (Story & Art)

Statistics

Score: 8.19¹ (scored by 17,212 users)

¹ indicates a weighted score.

Ranked: #444²

² based on the top manga page. Please note that 'R18+' titles are excluded.

Popularity: #265

Members: 63,280

Favorites: 2,073

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8.19

Ranked #444Popularity #265Members 63,280

MangaYoung JumpSakamoto, Shinichi (Story & Art)

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Volumes: /9

Chapters: /99

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Synopsis

In the 18th century, seeking "freedom and equality," the event that became the starting point of modern French society, the French Revolution, began. There was one more protagonist that lived within the darkness, Charles-Henri Sanson. He was the fourth generation family head of the Sanson family, and the executioner of Paris. This is the story of him nobly facing his harsh fate...

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Background

Innocent was nominated for the 18th Tezuka Osamu Cultural Prize Reader Award in 2014. In 2015, it was nominated for the eighth Manga Taishou Award and placed seventh in the final ranking.

The series was published in English by Dark Horse Comics as 3-in-1 omnibus volumes from November 22, 2023 to December 3, 2024.

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Characters

Sanson, Marie-Josèphe

Main

Sanson, Charles-Henri

Main

Marie-Antoinette

Supporting

Louis-Auguste

Supporting

Subyss

Supporting

Damiens, Robert-François

Supporting

Sanson, Charles-Jean-Baptiste

Supporting

De Chartois, Jean

Supporting

Sanson, Nicolas-Charles Gabriel

Supporting

D'Orléans, Louis-Philippe II

Supporting

Reviews

Jun 27, 2024

JJMFREAP

Recommended

Innocent is such an interesting piece in the world of manga. If you research it online you will see the same question pop up, over and over and over again - "why is this manga not talked about more? it's so gooood!". And well, guess what, I'M GONNA PONDER THAT QUESTION TOO! Because dammit, this manga truly blew me away in spectacular fashion. To me personally, Innocent needs to be up there on a pedestal with the greats of seinen manga like Vagabond, Kingdom or Vinland Saga. Maybe even Berserk. It has both the art and the writing to stand alongside them. I believe you're ... doing yourself a disservice by not reading it, so allow me to explain why this aggressively French manga is so tre bien.

Firstly, let's talk about the most obvious - the artwork. I swear, Sakamoto Shinichi is the reincarnation of some legendary Renaissance painter because his art is truly otherworldly. First of all, his line work has a kind of gentleness that I have never seen in anything ever. It's so soft and tender that it's as if everything is made out of silk, like he used a feather instead of a pen. This leans greatly into the setting on many levels. The characters, regardless if men or women, have a type of Griffith-esque ethereal beauty to them with at least a hint of androgynous appeal. The faces are both exceptionally expressive but also flawlessly crafted, the perfect proportions and exquisite textures making them look like they were sculpted out of marble. Their eyes are these portals that draw you into expansive worlds of emotion. Don't even get me started on the lips - oh my goodness, these are the fullest, most detailed and most beautiful lips ever put onto a page.

Beyond just the characters the clothing and backgrounds lean into this style too. The clothes look so gentle and soft, the line art making you almost feel all the silk, velvet, linen, feathers, gold incrustations, embroideries, etc. The fashion game is top notch here (it is France after all). Also, the backgrounds benefit from this just as much - the Baroque and Rococo frescoes of the wonderful Parisian architecture are all-engulfing, glorious and triumphant, but also crushing and claustrophobic when the story demands it. The trees, flowers and blades of grass can be seen billowing gently in the wind, like nature dancing with itself in contrast to human tragedy. And don't even get me started on the lighting, as this manga uses light itself in both the most realistic and the most artistically engaging way ever. Listen, I could go on and on and on about how well drawn Innocent is but it truly needs to be experienced. I think Sakamoto-sensei needs to be considered among the real greats of the manga world for being able to craft something like this.

However, fantastic art alone does not guarantee an interesting read, for it's the story that is always most important. But, guess what - the writing is almost as sophisticated as the art! There is something unique about how this story flows that is very hard to put into words and it also plays into my personal theory that Sakamoto-sensei got isekai'd into our world from the Renaissance. The dialogue here is very sharp and manages to flow naturally and be exceptionally elevated and poetic at the same time. The deep use of allegories, the rich and dense subtext, the Shakespearean cadence of the speech all leads to this work that feels incredibly theatric in the best way possible. Another review on this site said that Innocent is like an opera in manga form and that is quite accurate in my opinion. The fact it also has the closest a comic can have to musical numbers helps too.

Innocent is a rich and enthralling experience that touches on so many deeply human things - love, hate, family, honour, pride, greed, wealth, power, status, justice, compassion, humility, parenthood, dreams and so much more. I don't want to go into detail here, because to do so would ruin the point, which is for you to experience these yourself and ponder these questions against your own beliefs. Innocent will present these ideas before you but will not present a definitive answer, for it's obvious that such an answer doesn't exist. These are some of the most intrinsic and complex conundrums of humanity and we've been pondering them since forever. Integrating philosophical quandries into a story can be hit or miss, as there is a huge danger of becoming either preachy and pandering or dry and boring. Neither is the case for Innocent though! Here, these ideas are presented flawlessly in an incredibly gripping historical tale that will envelop you in the rich and nuanced world of 18th century France. The world breathes and feels lived in and real in an incredibly immersive way. And all of this will be carried confidently by the large arsenal of morally grey characters, each with their own agendas, goals, dreams, literal and figurative scars, good and bad aspects. Each character is a masterful patchwork of personality traits that form these real and believable people that truly spring to life on the pages. They are probably not good people, but they are definitely real and while you may not agree with their actions, you will understand them. For this is the glorious complexity of the human soul.

The last thing I want to mention is an aspect that is, for me at least, unique to Sakamoto's work and that is the use of visual metaphors and allegories. What I mean is that often, instead of literally depicting a certain scene, he will present it in symbolic fashion. A non-spoiler example would be a person getting decapitated being represented by a chef slicing vegetables, characters touching each other erotically being represented with tarantulas crawling on their bodies or sexual release being represented as raindrops falling on blooming roses. This and so much more is a perfect example of what you get when you have a person who is equal parts a brilliant artist and a brilliant writer. The story and artwork come together in this perfect symbiotic symphony to represent something in a beautifully artistic way. These, combined with the incredibly vibrant and expressive posing and the strong inspiration from classical paintings give Innocent this true artisanal feel to its visuals that belong more in a gallery than on a page! These go far above and beyond the expectation of manga pages and truly transport you into a different world.

In conclusion, Innocent was one of the most breathtaking works I've ever read and I was personally deeply moved by it on many levels. To me, this is the pinnacle of what a seinen manga needs to be - a deep and introspective story that is both beautiful and brutal at the same time, touching on mature themes from all walks of life, populated by vibrant characters that bring to light the best and worst that humanity has to offer, all presented through breathtaking art. Innocent should be put on a pedestal up there with the greats. Hell, it even has the luxury that some of the best that seinen has to offer couldn't afford - it actually ended. It even got a sequel that also saw its conclusion! And to think that, in the grand scheme of things, Innocent is just the establishing half with all the big resolutions kept for the second part. And despite that, it's still so good! My only concern now is that almost any other manga I go to next will look like scribbles with teenage fanfic on top in comparison. Anyway, I've gushed on long enough. Do yourself a favour and read this artistic masterpiece!

I hate the Fr*nch and I still loved every page of this, that should tell you enough. Adieu!

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Mar 1, 2024

uncleden

Mixed Feelings

Reviewing Innocent feels like the definition of "Reviewing for Quality vs Enjoyment"
While being a gorgeous, great looking manga I couldn't help but feel kind of disappointed, it's like the mangaka upgraded all skills of illustration and world-building yet writing not so much. It felt very dragging to me, some characters even feeling so one dimensional that I couldn't really bring myself to care about them. There are still interesting moments but it's mostly carried by the artstyle. It felt like it lacked "Spice", eventfulness that makes a story stick to people and make them think about it long after they finish it. Finishing Innocent, especially ...

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Oct 29, 2024

SNSMMRIKEN

Not Recommended

I went into this manga with high hopes. I anticipated a great manga on par, or at least approaching, that of Kokou no Hito, which I boldly claim is the best manga ever written. However, if Kokou no Hito is a masterwork landscape painting, Innocent is a shoddy mess attempting to create a masterwork. It's strange as well, that Innocent came after Kokou no Hito - you'd think Sakamoto-sensei would know what he's doing by now.

I hold Sakomoto-sensei in high regard so Innocent greatly disappoints me. The art is good yes, and the one arc with Damiens in it was exceptional, however the rest of ...

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Poll: Innocent Chapter 1 Discussion inzaratha - Sep 15, 2013	11 replies	by Lelouch_VI_Omer »» Dec 30, 2024 12:04 AM
Poll: Innocent Chapter 63 Discussion MayCastle - Dec 28, 2017	2 replies	by NaughtyNoddy »» Dec 9, 2024 7:20 AM
Poll: Innocent Chapter 99 Discussion Stark700 - May 17, 2016	25 replies	by rodmanii »» Aug 1, 2024 3:58 PM
Poll: Innocent Chapter 41 Discussion amoonwuw - Jul 28, 2022	4 replies	by rodmanii »» Jul 25, 2024 8:16 PM
Poll: Innocent Chapter 6 Discussion MatijaxD - Sep 28, 2014	8 replies	by Kumoiro_Shizuki »» May 10, 2024 9:08 AM

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