This will be my first review and I'm not majoring in English Literature, so please bear with me and my ramblings. I also swear, so sorry.
I have been reading this manga series on the recommendation from two of my friends. They hardly ever recommend me anything, so I thought to myself, "It surely must be decent, my friends are usually into some enjoyable things!". Oh boy, was I so, so wrong. I'll go ahead and be up front. I fucking despise this series, and I'm very passionate in explaining to people why. This series feels like a rape fantasy at times, and complete garbage at others. If you want a series that's extremely similar in that it's a revenge story where the main character exacts revenge, read Misu Misou instead. It's better for what it is, and doesn't have to unnecessarily involve rape in every single arc to further the story.
Plot:
My main issue with the series is the absolutely abhorrent story that the author tells through this work. The story focuses on Shun Uruma and his journey on exacting revenge on the five bullies that killed his family. He mainly uses intricate ways of torture on these five people to punish them for what they had done. Sounds simple, right? Well, I'll get into that. He's raised and trained by his grandfather in order to kill the antagonists, as long as he gives the people who have wronged them a fair chance. This fair chance being that the characters have changed for the better, and feel regret for their actions. It makes sense, but how does the author go about it?
From my perspective, it seems like one of the core themes and plot devices is showcasing how evil the characters are, besides them hardly changing since they were kids, is some form of sexual assault. Every story arc somewhat progresses via the main antagonist somehow raping a girl somewhat close to the main character. The amount of rape in this series is baffling, to the point where I wonder why I even continue reading this series. For example, one of the girl's experience is just...horrific, so to speak. They are basically locked up in a house, with no access to the outside, and are sexually assaulted constantly to the point where the character is emotionless and broken. The portrayal of women and how they are treated in this series is astounding to me, as it is needless and unwanted.
Besides the unnecessary amount of sexual assault in the series, what else is there to the story? Well, to be frank, there isn't much of anything. Besides there somehow being a love triangle that seemingly appears out of nowhere, it solely focuses on the killings of the antagonists. It falls into a loop of where the antagonists think they have the upper hand, but are surprised when Uruma triumphs over them.
There are a couple of detectives that are looking into the killings of the people Uruma disposes of. The duo aren't incredibly important to the narrative, except in one instance. This one instance took me by surprise, in how moronic it was. The main detective tracked Uruma to a shed where Uruma had just finished pummeling one of the antagonists to a bloody mush, and walks in on him in the middle of the act. We then witness a flashback, explaining how the detective himself murdered people in the past, and regretted his actions. The detective asks Uruma if he would like to come with him to atone for his sins, to start anew. Then Uruma proceeds to pick the detective up by his throat and choked the life out of him. This baffled me by making me wonder where in the fuck this absurdity even came from. I can still recall the thought that came across my mind at the time: "What the fuck is even happening anymore?".
After this incident, I just wanted this series to hurry up and end so I could be done with this mess of a work. But then, the author did something I couldn't help but just chuckle at. The mastermind of the antagonists somehow founded a cult, and sent even more brainwashed lackeys to deal with Uruma. At this point in time, I'm unsure of if this train wreck of a series will ever conclude. I just can't comprehend the author's intent or their current objective.
Characters:
I'll somewhat briefly discuss the characters that I feel even warrant being mentioned, as they are all somewhat one-dimensional and don't deserve any form of character analysis.
The main character of this series is Shun Uruma. He's basically your typical edgy power fantasy protagonist. His main objective is to exact revenge, mainly in the form of torture. There isn't any significant character growth, as in the character's progression is basically stagnant even to the most recent chapter.
The main antagonist, the mastermind behind all of the happenings to Uruma, is Kyou Shigoku. He manipulated everyone around him to his will, which led to Uruma's family perishing at their hands. There isn't any true depth to this character, besides being a despicable human being.
Art:
I'll give the author props where it's due. The author draws in a rough and gritty style, which is perfect for displaying the events that transpire in the series. The author does a superb job in illustrating how demented a character can be, or portraying the raw emotions the characters go through.
Summary:
I would never recommend this series to anyone. If you want to read a series with minimal plot, various methods of torture with tons of gore, tons of sexual assault, and a power fantasy series with the protagonist seeking revenge on his bullies, you are more than welcome to read this if you want. Though I would recommend the series Misu Misou instead, where the series doesn't completely suck and accomplishes what it sets out to do.
