While the idea of escaping a prison is not new in literary fiction it has been a while since I've read something of such high quality.
If you're looking for a manga with atypical but gorgeous character designs, beautiful dark ambience and action that feels more like a fluent dance then look no further.
- “I knew nothing but shadows and I thought them to be real.” (Art & Atmosphere)
From the very beginning you can feel oppressive and claustrophobic atmosphere pressing down upon you. The streets are narrow, the shadows being cast are long and viscous - there's nowhere that you can hide from the grim realities of the Cage.
It is quite refreshing to see an atypical art-style of such high quality. Character designs feel fresh and constantly remind me of the old noir detective and spy thrillers. The shadow composition works in tandem with the oppressive atmosphere to create sense of dread and uncertainty. Every single action scene featuring the main character Chloe is executed like a grim dance of shadows keeping you at the edge of your seat, making you yearn for more.
- “I am terrified by this dark thing that sleeps in me.” (Story & Characters)
The story focuses primarily on the main character Chloe and her quest. She reminds me a lot of noir spy thriller heroines and every time she shows her ruthless calculative side I can't help but feel like author was inspired by V for Vendetta and similar works. Unfortunately other characters are less than stellar. They serve their purpose in the story but don't feel nearly as interesting. For the amount of side characters and antagonists there's very little time to flesh them all out and for the most part they end up being flat and one-dimensional.
The story itself is fairly straightforward and fast paced but that works well for a thriller. It becomes apparent very quickly that author knows what they want to show us and are not beating around the bush. Every chapter moves the story forward and there are no wasted panels. While there is a fair share of "lucky coincidences" the actual story progression feels natural and most of the conflict resolutions are satisfying.
- “Make it dark, make it grim, make it tough, but then, for the love of God, tell a joke.”
When I began reading Soloist one thing that threw me off were goofy animal head mask wearing people and the kids. I don't particularly enjoy too much comedy in dark stories and was fearing the worst when I noticed that this is being published in Shounen Jump+, but the goofy moments are very few and far in-between. They do not overstay their welcome and when dark moments are upon us all the laughs are left at home.
While it started losing steam during the second half and the ending feels a bit rushed, overall this was a very enjoyable manga filled with thrills, fluent fast paced action and few well done emotional scenes.
