KASANE

This is a true drama to me. It can get pretty messed up at times and depressing.

Story: 9

It's about a girl who's face is so ugly people can't bear to look at it.
Her story isn't about getting back at bullies or coming to love herself, it's about throwing her old self away and trying to become someone completely fake in order to be loved. So it's a pretty negative theme when most stories try to teach you to love yourself. But in Kasane's case it's interesting to see how far she would go, and for her beauty is also power. It's like she's the villain and the protagonist at the same time. If I were to compare this story with anything, maybe the movie Black swan is sort of similar.

Art: 8

The art is pretty and consistent. Since it's cartoonish Kasane's ugliness might not always come across. She's usually drawn with her face partially obscured, which I think is because the author wants us readers to fill in the blanks. We kind of have to imagine how ugly she is to justify other character's reactions. The beautiful characters really are drawn as beautiful as possible.

Enjoyment: 8

I felt pretty tense reading it and couldn't wait to read more and see what happens. It is most definitely not a feel-good story, it made me feel a little messed up at parts. The characters are interesting but maybe I can't cal them 'likeable' because they aren't good people. But I did feel for them and I teared up at parts.

Overall I rate it 8. I'd rate it higher if certain characters weren't as exaggeratedly evil/shallow. Also a bit spoilery but there is rape and abuse in this story so if that makes you uncomfortable you probably don't want to read it.

Kasane is an unobserved masterwork, lightning in a bottle, one of the most hauntingly beautiful and devastatingly horrifying character dramas ever put to pen and paper, in literary work or manga all the same. Both beautifully composed through the dark depths and radiant highs of the characters and their dialogue and paced so desperately that a cold sweat forms in the reader, begging "Just one more chapter. Just one more volume" till its sudden spectacularly dire conclusion, Kasane is apologetically, ruthlessly, stunningly haunting. This manga will make your heart race, your brow sweat, your soul ache, and your blood boil. The sheer gravity of the tragedy, a train wreck in slow motion, all beautifully exposed on the page as it is on the stage, will leave you hollow, gasping for more as if it was the air that you breathe.
There is nothing I could recommend more than that you read Kasane, all at once, because once you start, you won't stop till you crash headlong into the ending.

Kasane is a dark story.

It is essentially the struggle of an unlikable grotesque female and the opposition of beauty with her own inherent ugliness. Kasane is a sad character full of bitterness and an abyss of ugliness. Maybe you have lusted after the Beaty of others, or felt the burden of self criticism and obsession. This story is about that.

I like the art it’s clean and smooth, but that’s pretty subjective.
I also personally like unlikable characters who are simply just complex and interesting. Our main female is awful in a very interesting way, she cowards, averts her eyes, and covers her face and body from the eyes of the world. It is only when she is masked in a charade of someone else’s beauty that her personality flips to this beacon of grace and beauty or whatever. In order to protect that charade she is willing manipulate others and kill those who find out her secret.
Most of the side characters are quite forgettable, but there are those that stand out particularly Kasane’s sister. It kind of escalates into this psychological war with contradicting desires between the two. Sure this has its melodrama, but it’s still kind of beautiful at least right now. It’s like some reverse where the prince kisses the princess and wakes her from death or the princess kisses the prince and turns Him from a toad or something idk


It originally sounded unappealing to me, but if you have the interest for stories about inner hatred and abuse this will be quite interesting and it takes a lot of turns. This does have incest and rape, but it feels almost theatrical.

Kasane is a manga which ends up defying expectations (I know, I know). The premise is obviously a stereotypical kid gains superpowers gimmick, but don't let that decide the value of this manga. Give her a few chapters to get into her groove, she's a child, she's learning.

Story: 8
Kasane is not a happy-go-lucky story. It tackles difficult subjects such as ugliness, privilege, differing worldviews, and the unfairness of life in general. The story can linger too long in some arcs, and rush through, but overall forms a dark cohesive web that will ensnare you, if you let it.

Art: 7
Kasane's style is very much focused on the characters. We won't see sweeping battlelines and epic battles here. What we do have are very personal details. Expressive hands, eyes, and body language. One minor criticism I have is that the female characters blend occasionally blend together.

Character: 9
This manga's jewels are its characters. They throw themselves into the world around them, and are buffeted mercilessly by reality. They have goals that evolve and change, and they respond to them, sometimes better than others. And morality be damned.

Enjoyment: 10
It's been sometime since I had a character not aligned with the light, yet not covered in edge. Are some characters evil for the sake of being evil? Perhaps. But that's just how it is isn't it? I could only sit back and enjoy the twisted yet beautiful world.

Overall: 8
I applaud the author for working to bring this story to light and letting it grow over so many volumes. It's not a story for everyone. But if you're looking for a twisted guilty pleasure, let the story steal your face for a few hours.

Kasane… (And the power of lipstick)

(As I write this I’m 14 Volumes in and have decided to start writing now as I don’t want to accidentally write spoilers without noticing, though before posting I will fix anything out of place so please consider this a complete review)

Kasane (the character) is a complicated character with much too her, I’m not going to dive into specifics and if that’s what you're looking for your robbing yourself from the experience of this Manga. When we first see her she is young but we watch her grow up through a few faces, she is not a static character but one who learns and grows with us. Where some of her actions may feel malicious I never wanted her to lose.

The story is based on a folk tale and was actually popular enough to spawn a live-action movie (though I’ve not watched it yet and still suggest reading this first, there's actually a short review from the writer in the books which is really sweet). The story contains so many different aspects from multiple characters and their lives to dealing with different emotions which honestly remain realistic outside their setting, the growth and way new characters are introduced feels natural and honestly the author has really hit the ball out of the park especially considering this is their first serialisation.

The art is fantastic and really suits the story, and the text is well maintained since I’ve seen sometimes translation can place text in bad spots making it hard to read.

(Final Thoughts)
Just finished reading the book. I feel like this book hits every beat, I never felt bored or suffocated by the contents. I know that stories are about the journey, not the ending but ever since I started I couldn’t stop wondering how could this end? How can I be satisfied with the only endings I can conceive? Good thing I’m not a writer and good thing I’m contempt with our author's decisions. I haven't changed my mind that this book is worth your time so please do read and support it.

Very beautifully written and orchestrated.

Even though the characters are one dimensional, you can not help but relate to each and every one of them on a realistic level. The nonsense of other reviews that say the pacing of the final volume should not be taken seriously. Kasane went through a complicated and dark journey only to finally accept that she is not her mother's mistakes.

The ending is thought provoking as in the final shot of everyone standing on stage. Could this manga have just been a play all along? If you found the ending to be too bitter then this thought will put you at ease.

As for Kanase, she ends up atoning for her sins in a state of acceptance rather than dissatisfaction. Obsession is a central theme in this manga and the author does a very brilliant job of displaying such.

First time writing a review so have mercy on my grammar and such
Story 9 = Kasane from the word itself googling it up (source: wordhippo.com) means : layer, pile, suit since our character is just wearing another persons face. I really like the development of the story showing the early chapters of what her school life have been then leading to her maturity. I gave it a nine because there are chapters that are a bit cliche but overall it was done well.

Art 10 = I dont judge much mangas about art aslong as it doesn't confuse me still the art was beautiful for me especially the volume covers.

Character 7 =good but nothing much was very worth praising here. mc just being amazing, struggles, etc.

Enjoyment 10 = I did enjoy reading this even if there are questions that are boggling me, like: "Why doesn't she just take plastic surgery?", "Does N***'s parent's no longer bother visiting her even after that incident?", "Where are the police". Still I enjoy this manga has brought me suspense and surprises .

Overall 9= It was refreshing manga to read amidst in a pool of isekai I've been reading lately, I would recommend this to readers who like suspense/thriller mangas.

When I read the first chapter, I wasn't expecting much.
A character who is as dark as she is dangerous, who I sympathize with, but actions can't condone, with amazing art and maybe one or two interesting plot points.
Instead I read about characters who are different and layered, all beautifully drawn with a macabre tone. The main character really is dark, yet you cheer her on, as her view of things makes you wonder about your own life, and what could be with another face.
The Art is amazing, a bit dark and unconventional maybe, fitting the story.
Although some moments in the story make you go "Huh?" they get solved, or aren't solved intentionally, in order to make you think a bit more. I really enjoyed this manga, as its theme fits the question:"What if I had a prettier face? What if I am held back by my face?"
The manga ended on a great note too.

I first thought that this manga would be a trashy, edgy, romantic tragedy. Well, I was right about it being edgy. Let's begin the review.

Kasane is a very strange and twisted manga. There are a lot of disturbing themes in this, mostly involving women. It's no Goblin Slayer, but since apparently no work of art is allowed to make anyone feel even mildly disturbed these days, I still must warn you in advance.

The story was a lot better than I expected. It's a bit slow in the first volume, leading you to believe that it's going to be a repetitive 'steal this girl's face for a while, steal a different girl's face for a while, rinse and repeat' for all fourteen volumes of the manga. However, once you get into the second volume and onward, things start becoming a real rollercoaster ride.

There's also plenty of twists and turns. I'd be surprised if I found out that story was improvised, because it holds up pretty well. Well, not to say there aren't flaws at all. Of course, there's the tiny flaw that a lot of bystanders wouldn't realize something when Kasane would switch faces with a blonde woman, and from their perspectives, that person would show up with black hair. That alone would probably be enough for a hypercritical person to tear this manga apart (since it's unheard of for an actor to possibly dye their hair), but to me, it's a small bump on a very well-paved road.

The characters are all as deranged as one would expect. With this being a psychological thriller, we naturally get to see deep into the way that the various people in this manga think. The various plays that are performed also complement one character or another at any given point in the story. Warning, though, this is one of those types of stories where everyone is morally incorrect in some way. If you don't like that kind of stuff, a la Rising of the Shield Hero, then I recommend you shy away from this manga now.

However, I think the art is where the manga is sufficiently brought to life. It doesn't look too impressive at first glance. But when actually reading the manga itself, I was glued to it. Somehow, the mangaka is able to skillfully portray humankind's stereotypical form of beauty, and at the same time twist that beauty into some demonic expressions (not to say that the ugly people don't have some of those moments as well). The panel work is also really well done to invoke as much emotion as possible.

Overall, Kasane ended up being a very, very good read. Although it's no Urasawa Naoki manga, it's still a solid thriller. I kind of hope it might get a TV anime someday; it would be an EASY two-cour adaptation. But at the same time, maybe letting the anime community see this with how GS and Shield Hero have been doing might not be a good idea... Well, regardless as to if that ever happens, this manga will still be a moving performance!

Face-swap, that thing was a hot meme on our world some time ago. It was funny, right? However, a face-swap for Kasane meant everything to her. It gives her opportunities. It can change her life.

Story:
You already read the summary. A girl with a bad, terrible, monstrous face wants to be an actress just like her gorgeous mother. The story is filled with a huge mystery right from the beginning and the authors expertly pull the strings together and mended them into one hell of a twist of fate. There are no plot holes, but I think a few questions are answered with force. Especially the ending. Well, it is still awesome, it fits the theme of the manga. It's beautiful yet pity, like Kasane herself.

Art:
Since this is a manga about acting, the author must draw all sort of expressions in order for us to grasp the feel what Kasane did. How godly her performance is as described and drawn at this manga. I, personally, totally love it. The author drew perfectly the detail of every expression needed, especially the anger and hatred when Kasane became her true self. Though there are sometimes that you may not notice which character is which since some characters resemble one another.

Character:
Wow, you gotta love Kasane and the other characters, their hatred is burning like a furnace, which is very good for a manga like this. Though, they may need more quirks. I think they are stiff in term of uniqueness. If the author left me with a page with only speech bubbles, I will probably lost the track. Wait, did I say that sometimes I have difficulty to differentiate a character faces with another? I think I did.

To sum it up, Kasane is a manga that you will love if you want to read about tragedy and mystery unfolds regarding a girl with monstrous face trying to rewrite her fate. You will not disappointed, it's just that good.