Ousama Game review

GGShang9
Apr 09, 2021
Well then. That's three hours of my life I'll never get back.

I've always had a soft spot for the survival game trope. Battle Royale, Hunger Games, hell, even Mirai Nikki - for all its ridiculousness and flaws - managed to keep me entertained right until the very end. There's something wholeheartedly fun about the idea of a group of people pit against each other in psychological/physical warfare to the death, nor is it a very hard thing to write and write well; so why is it that Ousama Game failed?

It all boils down to one single fact: Ousama Game takes itself way too seriously.

There's this desperation interwoven within the writing and art - a plea of "this manga is saying something deep about society and life...I don't know what, but something at least!" From the bloated cast of characters that go from one extreme emotion to the other to the exaggerated screaming expressions you'll become desensitized to due to overuse; all of this, and more form the foundations for a manga that will have you rolling your eyes more often than not.

It's stupid. I understand that's a pretty blunt thing to say, but that really is the only word to describe it. And I'm not above enjoying ridiculous entertainment for the sake of ridiculous entertainment; I love turning my brain off, chilling back, and watching something dumb to end the day on. But this kind of thing only works when there's a self-awareness contained within the work that keeps your logic from jumping in to ruin the fun. Here, Ousama Game is so convinced it's telling an epic survival tale that its shock value runs dry past the first two chapters, and it ends up tangled in too many threads and convoluted twists that result in an ending that just...stops.

Yeah. It just finishes. As if even the author can't wait to be done with this work.

In the end, I give Ousama Game a

3.3/10

POOR

With a recommendation to Skip It

Look, there's better survival game material out there than this. Better stuff that at least treats its audience with respect, or has even the slightest hint of subtlety to complement its art and writing. Reading Ousama Game was the equivalent to being beaten over the head repeatedly with a spiked hammer: I get it, people can be assholes when they find out they're going to die, but you're going to have to try harder than over the top constipation faces and one-note characters to get your point across.

GOOD; Only the most hardcore of survival game fans will find anything good here. It has its brief moments of entertainment and unintentional hilarity, but it's not worth the painful ride to get there.

MIXED;; The art is serviceable, but its dragged down by just how over the top it becomes. Be prepared for a dozen panels of people screaming with spittle hanging off their lips. After the first two times, it becomes funny, as opposed to shocking. Could have been a cool idea, if executed right.

BAD;; Bloated cast that fluctuates between 'angelic' and 'asshole.' Ending is not only rushed, but confusing and downright "whaaaat?" Poor writing that garners no sympathy for its characters.
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Ousama Game
Ousama Game
Auteur Renda, Hitori
Artiste