As a recent huge fan of SoreMachi, I've been systematically reading through all of Ishiguro-sensei's works, quickly realizing that a lot of his lesser known manga aren't completely translated. I've quickly devoured the stuff I HAVE been able to find, though, as I love his style of art as well as storytelling which leans heavily on mystery and slice-of-life.
A review of SoreMachi would be really difficult as I'm still processing it so I'm reviewing Getenrou instead which I believe is Ishiguro's first full-reign work (can't be certain on this but it seems to be the case).
I'll go category-by-category.
Story: 8/10
I won't summarize the plot here as you can read the synopsis above.
The story of this manga is its main draw. Each chapter, at first, presents separate narratives with elements of mystery and intrigue. Although they explore themes and subject matter that are thought-provoking and often dark, they are largely comedic in tone. As the final chapters near, though, the once separate stories come together by way of an overarching plot. Things get more serious and Ishiguro has fun playing with some dark and twisted ideas. I was really impressed by how the story progressed and it's what kept me engaged throughout.
Art: 8/10
I love Ishiguro's art style personally and it certainly serves this manga well. He draws really cute girls and does a great job with character design in general. His environments are often simplified here but for this story, it's not a huge deal. Simply put, there's not much wrong with how he draws here. It isn't anything breathtaking or as impressive as stuff you might see in SoreMachi, though, and that's why it's only an 8/10.
Character: 7/10
I've never written a review using this template before so I assume that characters might factor into this category? Unlike in his more fleshed out and longer works, Ishiguro's characters here don't get enough time to really blossom. They're either passably one-note or straight up bland (the main guy for example). All of the manga's character is thanks to Ishiguro's creative voice which naturally stands out from the chaff. In other words, the characters don't produce character but the stuff surrounding them does. Compared to SoreMachi (which I can't stop mentioning in this review), Getenrou won't stick with me quite as long, I think, due to its lackluster characters.
Enjoyment: 7/10
I enjoyed Getenrou. I wasn't particularly in love while reading it but I was definitely impressed by it. Since the characters themselves were bland, I couldn't really get invested in that department but the story itself kept me interested. The ideas are great and the conceptual storytelling is awesome but the fun factor isn't incredibly high imo.
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Overall, I give Getenrou a 7 because it really is an intriguing foray into mystery-focused experimental storytelling. I can't say it will stick with me for that long, though.
Thanks for reading!
