Oogiri

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[Mod Note]: This review was originally posted for "Nani made nara Koroseru?", and has consequently been merged into Oogiri.

I am a huge fan of the Rosario Vampire manga, so when I heard that Ikeda, Akihisa-sensei was involved in this manga I was really excited, but was this manga good?

By starting the manga it is obvious that the Art style and Characters Design is done by Ikeda, Akihisa-sensei and of course it is out standing and personally I almost started crying because it reminded me of Rosario Vampire. The story is interesting but above all creepy, the whole "How far can you kill?" concept, it is ... not very original since it has been done before in many Anime and Manga, but the story and the execution is done in a way that it is enjoyable and it really shocked me at the end where Reika killed Kyuu. To be honest, the first think that came to mind after I was done reading this was the Anime "Another", since in a way it does follow an identical concept. So far, the only work of Nisio Isin-sensei that I have seen are the Monogatori's Anime which I liked a lot and just like I just mentioned this one is good as well.

Personally, I would really like to see this one to be turn into a full serialized Manga, the story and characters have a lot of potential!

[Mod Note]: This review was originally posted for "Nani made nara Koroseru?", and has consequently been merged into Oogiri.

There's not a lot to say about a manga one-shot. Because it's so short, there doesn't normally leave a lot of room for character development or a great plot to flesh out. However, when I learned of this one-shot, which is written by the author of Bakemonogatari and the mangaka of Rosario + Vampire, I didn't resist for a moment to read it. Although I'm not the biggest fan of Bakemonogatari, Rosario + Vampire is a franchise that is very special to me, as the anime adaptation ... was one of my first anime as well as one of my favorites. Enough of my rambling, though. Let's get to reviewing this collaboration of sorts, shall we?

"Nani made nara Koroseru?" translates to "Haw far can you kill?" Kyuu-chan and Reika-chan are childhood friends, and one day, Reika-chan asks Kyuu-chan this question: "How far can you kill?" She explains to him about about how higher up the chain something is, the more difficult it is to kill. Reika-chan then tells Kyuu-chan that she "could kill a dog". The two childhood friends have grown apart since then, and one day, years later, Kyuu-chan and Reika-chan reunite when the latter is about to bury her now-dead dog.

The artwork in the Rosario + Vampire manga is done very well by Akihisa Ikeda, but is it any different in Nani made nara Koroseru? Of course not! The artwork gives the readers the eerie feeling it's supposed to give off. The story is also really interesting; it won't disappoint anyone that liked Bakemonogatari for its story. The ending also completely took me by surprise; I honestly didn't see it coming! Being that it's a one-shot, there isn't a lot of character development for Kyuu-chan or Reika-chan, the only two characters in the one-shot. However, they're still good characters, and they totally work out for the story!

Like I said before, there's not a lot to say about a one-shot; thus, it's hard to say anything in a great length. However, there's something I can say for certain. "Nani made nara Koroseru?", though absolutely not perfect, is a one-shot that stands above the rest, getting you to think about some things. If you're a Bakemonogatari and/or Rosario + Vampire fan and in the mood for something short to read, this is the one to read.

Oh, and one more question; How far can you kill?

Since this is a collection of one-shots, I'll review them one by one.

Chapter 1 - "Musume-iri Hako" (Girl in a box): 6

Quite a generic story, similar to the premise of Hinamatsuri. An alien girl is dropped on Earth, and a deliquent finds her and takes her in. It's an oneshot so the story isn't anything amazing, but the comedy is pretty good and the art style is unique.

Chapter 2 - "RKD-EK9": 8

Great story, great art, edgy characters. The story and the theme are pretty unique, with scientists proving the existence of "Heaven" and trying to get there. Strong recommend.

Chapter 3 - " Nani made ... nara Koroseru?" (What can you kill?): 8

Crazy girl and apathetic boy. Murder story. The art was breathtaking at times, loved it, and the story was pretty interesting. Would have been infinitely better with a little back story at least and a longer lenght (it only has 18 pages), but for an one-shot it's still very good.

Chapter 5 - "Koi Aru Douguya" : 7

Quite nice art, quite good story. It's about a deliquent falling in love with a good girl. He buys a ring that can make your crush fall in love with you if put on their finger from a demon, and the rest is for yoou to find out. Nice one-shot.

Chpater 6 - " Off-side wo Oshiete" (Teach Me the Off-side): 6

Frankly, I started reading this volume because of this one-shot, which is the work of Nakayama Atsushi. Obviously, the art is as amazing as always, but sadly that's about it. It's about a 3rd year high school boy teaching a (girl) freshman about the off-side rule in football. Never been one to especially like the sports genre, it is quite boring to me, but if it's your cup of tea then by all means give it a try.

Chapter 7 - "Doushitemo Kanaetai Tatta Hitotsu no Negai to Wari to Sou demo Nai 99 no Negai" : 7

Long title, damn it. I was really surprised to find a Juuni Taisen chapter here. I enjoyed it, and if my memory serves me right this is also in the anime, but if you're not a fan then it will probably just confuse you.

Chapter 8 - "Bokura wa Zatsu ni wa Manabanai" : 8

Very interesting story and characters, the art was okay. 2 high-school students go ona trip to Africa to find out if the sweat of hippos is pink. They are a quircky upperclassman and "his assistant", an underclassman, that was mostly dragged in the first one's "research". It was really entertaining.

Overall, I'd say this is a pretty good manga and it also takes almost no time at all to read, so give it a try. I didn't find chapters 4 and 9 yet tho, so if you do, tell me.