Fear, part of humanity, part of every living being. The story explores an idea previously seen before, what happens if the world gets plunged into the unknown? No more rules, no more society, humans are open against a world that they don't control anymore. It's a harsh manga. It begins with the claustrophobic scenario of being buried alive in a sauna that doesn't stop heating up. Every subsequent place they escape to become increasingly worse, people they encounter turn less human by the day. It's all a question that's hard to answer, what happened to the world?
I'd say this is more of a character piece. Our main characters are impossibly realistic, erratic in front of this situation. They scream, want to die, think about death, about hurting, about hurting somebody, about life, about why, why would this happen to them? It's SO tragic, to the point I think they used the rare trope of Diabolus Ex Machina. Nobody comes out unscathed, and somehow, our characters manage to grow with each other, to change, some pushed to diverse sides of the moral coin. Perfect writing from the characters, even if sometimes they annoy me, they aren't perfect people, just people suffering. The art too, holy mother of god.
From the very beginning, the art manages to convey darkness. What's behind that curtain of blackness? Beyond what your flashlight can reach, or what your little torch can light. How does our main character react to it? It's an immersive experience that forces you to look at a panel, maybe there's something, anything, it turns you paranoid, there's gotta be something. Questions on top of questions, just from what can fit on a panel. Of course, not only the dark, but the unfathomable look of a destroyed earth. A catastrophe, the distant pillar of fire akin to a biblical prophecy. Art gives you just enough to fill in the blanks, while showing you enough to get the brain running. It's fantastic, and not only that, the author slowly gets better with character expressions, with the small details of an expression to define fear.
I could gush about it a lot. I loved it so much, and I have to get the physical version of it. It's an intense series that never lets go from the ride. Every episode obligates you to flip again and finish it instantly. Sometimes dialogue doesn't appear much, so many portions are all about looking at action that's still extremely engaging.
If I had to mention problems, it's just one arc, where it slows down and turns more into a thriller series, but I still enjoyed it a lot. People talk about the ending being unlikable. I believe the ending is perfect for this series, and only pacing problems, and some strange saves for the characters make this slightly below a 10. Read it, I tried not to spoil, just so you can experience this incredible series.
9.2/10, you won't believe how good this is.
