Without spoiling anything, all of the main characters have relatable flaws (stemming believably from their backstories) and work on them in relatable ways — i.e., they don’t immediately realize their shortcomings and become perfect. Even 77 chapters in (as of this writing) the main characters are still morally grey in many ways but developing gradually alongside the slow-burning, psychologically thrilling plot, which, itself, encourages many thought-provoking questions about society, grief, sacrifice, utilitarianism, and more. The politics of the series are also complex and are given realistic nuance in a very short time without ever feeling rushed or info-dumped. Yasuda is doing incredible things with the pacing, constantly leaving questions unanswered only to tie up those loose ends later, when you least expect it and after you’ve gotten a chance to stew on them independently.
Not to mention the art style and especially the character designs are quite distinctive and immediately iconic.
If you’ve gotten this far and are convinced, I’ll warn you that (because Fool Night is so underrated) the current availability of all the chapters is a bit wonky. As of this writing, Viz has still yet to translate chapters 36–63 into English, and their translations of chapters 1–36 are noticeably worse than the (quite good) translations of chapters 64 and onward. So I recommend you read the (also good) fan translations of chapters 1–63 on Mangadex, then hop back over to Viz to catch up. There are some differences in terminology to get used to between the fan and official translations, but it’s super worth it.
I’ve also been hoping to start a community around this hidden gem, so if you ever want to discuss the series, please don’t hesitate to message me.
