The troubling thing about it is that Asano really knows how to structure a manga- the way the panels are laid out, the use of visuals, the narration - he is really REALLY good at it. Thus its disappointing that he would use his talent to write such a miserable and confusing manga. I will start by discussing my 'confusing' allegation - the story is just SO unclear. The manga flits between timelines, from when the plot's main incident happened (a girl, Arie, being thrown down a well by her classmates) and the events around ten years later, however it can be unclear which timeline you are in. Asano has a very unique art style but I do find that his characters look very similar, thus with the flitting timelines I found it difficult to work out which male character was who at first. The manga also leaves a lot to the imagination, I later discovered after reading a few reviews that one character died however this was barely implied in the panels.
Now to my other assertion - that this manga is so utterly miserable. I don't recall even a page where it is not absolutely depressing. It is almost as if this manga is written purely to depress the reader, with violence, torture, incest, rape and abuse being seen innumerable times - baring in mind this manga is only one volume long, that is a LOT of disturbing content. I understand that the trauma of the events from the well incident would undoubtedly leave psychological scars on the characters, however the fact that such an insane amount of suffering is inflicted in one tiny town is not only bleak but also just ridiculous.
Don't even get me started on the characters, who are ALL the most unlikeable people on the planet. The only decent human being in the whole tale is Narumi, who one of the main characters Amahiko treats like absolute dog poo - another depressing facet to the story. Aside from Narumi (and you could also argue Maki as an adult), every single character is morally bankrupt, nasty and sociopathic. I hate them all, but Amahiko particularly grinds my gears. And I haven't even mentioned the paedophile! Oh wait, that's right there isn't even just ONE paedophile. A truly heinous group of characters.
In conclusion, I would not recommend this manga at all. Asano has talent it is clear, but this most certainly is not a good read, unless you enjoy and feed off utter misery. If you do read this, you'll find yourself having to google 'Nijigahara Holograph explained' due to its incohesive storytelling and you'll also need to buy yourself some chocolate just to cheer up after such a dismal misery-fest. Such a promising premise, horrid execution, I may need therapy after reading such a loathsome tale.
