A confession might be the greatest relief to the burden and remorse of a sin, especially when you’re on the verge of death. However, one single confession is also capable of tearing apart the masks of pretense and fragile trust between two friends.
On a particular mountain climbing trip at Mt. Owari, two friends, Asai and Ishikura, find themselves caught in a blizzard. To make matters worse, Ishikura has also sustained a terrible leg injury during their climb. Ishikura resigned himself to his impending death and confessed the murder he committed in the past to Asai, hoping for forgiveness and that Asai can escape without him. However, Asai did not give up on him. He eventually found an abandoned lodge nearby and carried Ishikura there to seek shelter and call for aid. Rescue is on its way but therein lies one problem. Will Asai give Ishikura up to the police when help arrives? If Ishikura wants to prevent his secret from leaking out, he has to do something and time is running out. With the two of them isolated in the lodge 3,200 meters up in the mountain, the stage is set for the greatest battle of their lives.
Nobuyuki Fukumoto (known for his popular works such as Akagi and Kaiji) demonstrates his deep psychological analysis of the characters as always. The story largely follows the perspective of Asai, as he begins to doubt Ishikura and comes to the revelation that he might be silenced. The two friends begin an intriguing battle where they start to question and guess each other’s intentions behind every move they make. When the game of pretense finally draws to a close, the battle switches into full gear and it becomes a desperate struggle for survival. One would expect Asai to hold the advantage over Ishikura due to the latter’s leg injury, but the tables turn when you’d least expect.
Overall, the story is very compact and well-paced. While there are certain things you might find to be a bit too convenient to happen, I think it is quite excusable for a one volume manga in order to keep the plot going. A 300 page volume is already a lot by normal standards mind you. The entire setup here works perfectly and makes a lot of sense. I like the fact that the battle between the two characters is both psychological and emotional. We have the usual thrills and spills, and the ending itself also provides yet another twist.
In my opinion, both Asai and Ishikura didn’t show a lot of personality, despite being the only two characters here. While the backstory to the “confession” is explained, there isn’t much development to both characters, other than their gradual mental breakdown. They aren’t shown to be particularly smart and their course of action is understandable. Realistic characters are always a plus in my book but they are simply too plain to my liking.
The artwork here by Kaiji Kawaguchi (who also collaborated with Fukumoto on Seizon -LifE-) is pretty good. Generally, the drawing is very detailed and polished. The backgrounds with all the snow and mountainous terrain are especially well done. In any case, at least we are spared the “unique” large nosed characters by Fukumoto. :P
Confession has all the ingredients required for a great story. It’s simple, down to earth, and effective. While it may not be a masterpiece, I don’t have any gripes with it other than the slightly weak characters. Well, if I really want to point out a weakness to the story, it would be the tension. If Fukumoto can bring it to the level of Kaiji, Confession does have the potential to be a near masterpiece. Nonetheless, I find it to be a very entertaining and satisfying read. Anyone who likes a short psychological thriller should definitely give it a try.
