First of all, as a non-native English speaker, I don’t guarantee my writing accuracy in this review, and I early apologize for the mistakes you might find in it.
I didn’t read much manga in my life, but it appears that my father had bought Panorama Toukitan and it teased my curiosity when I saw the book. I read it, and I wanted to share my thoughts about it, because there was only one other review. So here it is!
STORY: 8/10
The story was interesting! It’s adapted from a novella of the same name by Edogawa Ranpo. It tells the story of an unknown author, who will usurp the identity of one of his successful colleagues in order to fulfil his dream. Unfortunately, many obstacles will hinder him until the end of the narration. Dreamlike, even symbolic, this rather short and finally rather simple story raises questions about the perversity of the human being. It deserves an 8.
ART: 8/10
I enjoyed the drawing style. It was quite realistic, but the images of the nature, and the different animals (like the fishes or the plants) were very lyrical. I found the visuals very pleasant, especially from the 6th chapter to the last chapter. I really liked the use of colour in the front and back covers. They are vivid, but still in pastel tones, which reinforces the dreamlike side of the whole work. He has a very interesting style, and has brought his touch to Ranpo’s work, which gives a very interesting result. 8 seems a fair score to me.
CHARACTER: 7/10
Since Panorama Toukitan is eight-chapters-long, we obviously don’t have the time to discover each character, but the main one is still very interesting. We can quickly understand his frustration, his aspirations, and his dream. Chiyoko, the dead author’s woman, seems mysterious and seems to have an almost evil personality. In short, the characters are not overly developed but that’s not so useful, and more importantly, the story is too short to be able to do that. Therefore, I don’t find it a problem. That’s why I’ll put a 7.
OVERALL: 8/10
Panorama Toukitan was very good. It reads very quickly, and I think it’s a shame that so few people have discovered it. With very good art and a mystical story, you get caught up in the narrative. I recommend it to you if you like the Seinen and Psychological genres.
