Suicide Parabellum

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Another Sayman work, so you know it's gonna be quick and confusing, just like this review.

STORY 9/10
The story begins with a search and a giant bullet. Multiple starting points begin and converge toward the end of the narrative. You will definitely find yourself referencing past chapters as you go along. No plot point is left disregarded, though you may be left with a taste for a longer adventure because of the sudden ending.

ART 9/10
As usual, Sayman's unique style is a mix of jagged and smooth lines that is refreshing and oddly adorable. The character designs are fun and attractive, which make the whole of the ... appeal. The backgrounds tend to be more bland, especially compared to more detailed artists, but I love it all the same. Sayman shows you what you need, but not much more. If you just want to gaze at some pretty art, maybe read something else.

CHARACTER 7/10
Since the work is so short, there isn't much room for substantial character development, though the characters themselves are unique and do have some depth to them.

ENJOYMENT 8/10
I enjoyed this series a lot considering it's extremely short length. The mix of a compelling story and mysterious but maybe one-dimensional characters are near-perfect for this sort of action-mystery fiction. The attractive art and yuri themes are a nice finishing touch in just about all of his work.

OVERALL 8/10
Great, quick read. Best one-volume manga I've read. My only complaint is that it sucks you in and spits you out when just start wanting more. I would recommend this to anybody whom wants a quick read and loves to piece stories together.

Dowman Sayman is know for their eccentric style. Their manga tends to be a mix of urban fantasy, emotional storytelling and dick jokes. This is the winning formula that “Suicide Parabellum” follow. Unfortunately this work falls flat.

Story: 4/10

This manga is far too short for what it tries to do, resulting in a confusing plot and a weak ending hampered by the lack of time spent with the characters.

While the big reveal and the end itself is very good, it loses much of the impact it may have had due to the short run of the manga and the confusing nature of the world. The plot ... itself is also very slapdash, with a serial killer thrown in, then a plot twist and more spoiler-y stuff. It feels like DS slapped every idea they had into this and it shows.

Characters: 4/10

The characters have exactly as much substance as is necessary to make the premise function, Chihaya chases and Ouka runs and that;s all there really is to both of them. DS manages to fit heaps of personality into characters in a few pages in previous anthology works so they're clearly capable of better.

While there is some humour, I feel this manga is not nearly as funny or charming DS's other works. The random drag queen/trans-women character was very strange. I don't understand what the point was other than a ha ha "man dressed as women" joke.

The name of this manga is derived from the Latin phrase: “si vis pacem, para bellum” (if you want peace, prepare for war). What? What does that mean, in the context of this manga? This kind of incomprehensibleness is why I can't recommend this manga.

Art

same style as usual, pleasant to look at with cute characters as well as gore. If you like DS's usual art, you'll like this, i definitely do.

Overall: 5/10

I'm a big fan of DS's quirky, oddly endearing works but I really can't recommend this, it's definitely a dud among DS's bibliography.