Story:

Plot is reminiscent of Death Note. MC has a set of morals that he sees the world with. Using a power unique to him, he is able to kill those who he thinks are causing his country to become the way it is. The MC essentially runs a terrorist organization that has superpowers allowing him to kill people at the top of corrupt organizations. The story digs into what are some issues that the modern world is facing and also the mystery in how the MC obtains his power and what it costs.

Some messages conveyed are class issues between the average citizen and elite, government fraud, health care issues, and what is right/wrong for the greater good of society.

5/10

Art:

Initial Thoughts - Backgrounds are not too detailed. Character emotions are clear but not representative. Art style feels like classic manga style - somewhat dated and not as clean as modern/digital drawings. Yet it has a nostalgic feeling and it does not take away from the story. Most panels have backgrounds that are very plain or just blank. Gory scenes are drawn in detail with a lot of blood and violence. Action scenes are not particularly drawn in a way where you would notice that it’s great art.

6/10


Character:

Shou - Basically the only main character. He is light-hearted and funny, manages to be popular and not hated while at the same time has a strong sense of justice and what’s right or wrong. He is the ultimate “good” guy and throughout the manga, he never does anything that would be painted in a negative light by the end of each arc

Side Characters - there are a few side characters that I guess have the purpose to make the manga more rounded, yet they rarely argue their point of view and end up bending to accept what the MC is doing is right. In that sense, I don’t give them a high score.

6/10


Enjoyment:

I enjoyed reading this manga when I was in high school and remember it fondly. I rated it an 8.5 at the time. Revisiting it now, there is a lot left to be desired. Good and evil is defined too loosely and consequences are not shown. It’s too easy to declare something corrupt but no solutions are offered. The MC’s words are taken as truth about what is wrong in Japan, yet there are no alternative paths to suggestion. Violence is doled out to those who don’t fit his sense of justice. The author attempts at times to argue the other side, yet the characters with different viewpoints eventually end up supporting the MC. To me, the ending was semi-realistic and probably more realistic than the rest of the manga. The middle arcs dragged too long and the chapters were not fun to read. The entire history of how the cloning came to be was also hard to get through. I pushed through to get to the ending and because I wanted to see how I would feel about the work as a whole with a different perspective now. Unfortunately, I don’t think Akumetsu offers any solutions to the multitude of problems that are brought up and instead I felt more of a Cultural Revolution type vibe from the public lynchings that were cheered upon by the nation that ended up spurring little to no change.

7/10

Overall:

6/10