Shamo

[Sleepybones]

The story and writing starts off great, amazing art and illustration. The panel layout and transitions from scene to scene feel like a big budget movie. A brutal story about the hardships of life through the eyes of a troubled man who uses martial arts as a way to survive. After many trials and tribulations the story closes and I can honestly say I'm glad I delved into Shamo.

About half way through the manga the Author and Artist had gone through some legal trouble over the rights to the ownership of the manga. Another 3rd of the way through the manga had to change publishers and caused it to go on a long hiatus. After which one could argue the quality of both the writing and the art fell dramatically though still above average I would argue. I would like to warn any future reader that sadly the story ends with many open plot points that never get resolved and a more than lackluster ending did not help either.

I would still recommend this to anyone that prefers a more adult story similar to what you would find in mangas like: Berserk, Vagabond, Gantz.

 

[VIII]

This had the potential for greatness, unfortunately it never truly committed to the core themes and meanders a bit through wholly unneeded plot threads (China arc comes to mind) that dilute the overall value of the manga. I still highly recommend it if you're looking for a more mature read that doesn't averts its gaze from the MC's profound darkness, even if the story doesn't resolve itself as deftly as one might wish. While it may lack some thematic and narrative cohesion, it still manages to captivate.