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.

After reading the other reviews I have to throw my two cents in; Kasane is amazing. If anyone's dealt with low confidence and lack of good relationships they know how hard life is and how hard it is to build yourself up. So if you got the chance to easily make your dreams come true, would you take it?

Kasane dives really deep into both taboo topics, and topics that are rarely talked about. These are for example "Is changing your looks to fit the standard society has set a good way of living? A worthy way of living?"
Also, the topic that is never talked about; changing looks won't change what you feel on the inside. If you've felt hideous your whole life, a make-over won't make the pain from all those years of suffering go away.

Although grotesque, the manga really portrays realistic human relations and coping mechanisms of a person who suffered many years of abuse, namely Kasane.

Personally I think the manga is extremely entertaining, and a good walk through memory lane of high-school trauma. Because although Kasane is exaggerated
to get the point accross, it is still relatable if you have ever been bullied for your looks.

If there was a way to simply describe Kasane, it would be that it is hauntingly beautiful.

At first, I was interested in its uniqueness from other manga. It was cruel, twisted and honestly unbearable to read sometimes but it reflects most of what life is. You find yourself sympathising and, perhaps, seeing yourself in Kasane. As a reader, you are first repulsed by her, as are most of the characters in this manga but as the story blossoms, I found myself loving her and supporting her.

As the manga drew to a close, I let out a breath I didn't know I was holding, it was quite literally breathtaking. Kasane holds such a precious message in that beauty is often a privilege that many do not have but that doesn't make them any less of a person or a "monster" as Kasane was described.

I'm genuinely glad I took the time out of my life to read this manga. It was an absolute blessing.

Just personal scratch.
Advised, possible spoilers.
Opinion & Informal

Art: 8/10
Anatomy and proportions checked out when they were supposed to look real. I liked how Kasane's proportions would get wild during moments of despair or deep self-loathing. Nature wasn't really showcased at all. Backgrounds looked fine. Supporting details were here and there; they looked fine too. Impact shots were used sparingly which I feel was a slight letdown. I feel this manga could have gained a lot of mileage if it used more impact shots especially during resounding moments of self-pity, regret, and resolve. Facial expressions were nice; they were strong and were able to convey a sense of what the characters were most likely feeling. Kasane's sad face made me pity her. Her resolute face made me really get behind her decisions. Her emptiness also felt apparent during miserable moments too. Overall, I thought the art was good because of the above average supporting details, the believable expressions, and interesting presentation. The representation of beautiful suffered from same-face though. "Beautiful" characters all looked the same.

Panel Progression: 7/10
The panel layout was thought-out and kept the narrative interesting by its use of panel-cutting, asides through stage-play elements, and choice of how certain ideas were presented. The overall panel progression was clear enough and I didn't have to double-take on anything. There wasn't too much or too little dialogue...well maybe the sections where segments of the play were being done...yeah those felt a bit drawn out. Maybe those could have been executed differently. The pacing was alright. I felt that this manga started getting drawn out at some point.

Characters: 6/10
Regardless of whether or not the intention of the narrative was to get the audience to like, dislike, pity, etc. any of the characters, I did not like any of them. However, if I were to chose, I can sympathize (not emphasize) with Kasane's plight. I'll go into more detail on why I never really took a liking to any of the characters later. The character designs were fine. Habuta looked scruffy and the consistency of the manga to stick to that vibe no matter his outfit was able to say a lot about his character. Likewise, the differences of how thickly drawn the eyes were for certain characters and certain moods was a nice touch. Overall, character designs were realistic style and didn't leave much to remember.

Plot: 7/10
The first few chapters were really good at hooking me and the initial plot setup was unique that I ended up binging quite a lot of chapters in the first day. The plot and its setup set the stage for the slog that would come.

Development: 6/10
Character development wise, Kasane was probably the only one with any decent development (well, the manga's title is her name). Habuta's development was basically 15 or so pages out of the 120+ chapter manga. Nina never got enough screen time to make her downfall more impactful, sure, the whole vegetable state and "kill me" bit with Kasane's sister (Nogiku) definitely made me a bit sad, but it would have really been moving if we got a bigger foundation for her ultimate fall. I would have liked more development into her character prior or during her involvement with Kasane. Nogiku was lame, just lame. Her only redeeming moment in the whole manga was her decision to do something about her situation with her father. If she has the resolve (regardless if it's an act of desperation, it's still a decision to act...she seemed pretty resolute to me with those expressions and all) to go that far, why does she go down the self-pity, I hate the world because everyone takes advantage of me route. If she hates selling her body so much, I'm sure she could find a manual labor job or a part time job at a shipping yard or convenience store considering how easy it apparently is for highschoolers to get part-time jobs...Maybe she could go back to the huge mansion she just up and left and flip some things for cash? Heck, she could have used her father's bank book. I understand it's a place of terrible stress for her, but I don't see why anything but selling her body never crossed her mind. Furthermore, Nogiku never really develops out of this phase for the entirety of the manga. She more or less remains the same static person up until the end of the manga. The avenues which could have been used to develop her redemption or growth were shunted for more edgy Kasane plot. I was really disappointed, not by the tendency to fall back to the same line of plot development such as Kasane reaching for the light, by how it was done. Time and time again the plot always fell back to step 1 because of the "so and so isn't going my way because I'm ugly" or "I can't develop as a person and neither can the people around me because that's just what ugliness entails." Overall, I felt that this manga became way too drawn out because the "ugly plot" was used too much as a device for progressing the story; it ended up doing the opposite and made the story feel stagnant. Instead of losing Nina as a partner, going through the Iku V2 phase, and the Nogiku phase, why not focus the manga around Nina and develop the execution more around the identity and self-worth elements that were vaguely introduced then dropped around that time.

Conclusion: 5/10
The conclusion was obviously rushed. Or, I'm pretty sure it was. What was up with that out-of-nowhere and abrupt ending? What was up with the decision to have Kasane suffer that kind of punishment? I mean, it's an appropriate punishment for reasons that I don't have to spell out, but why was that whole segment done in the span of two pages? Disappointing conclusion to a way too drawn out manga.

Overall: 6/10
An excellent exercise in self-pity, depressing vibes, and how much the world sucks when you're ugly. This is NOT something you should recommend to a pubescent teenage girl. Disappointing execution of self-identity concepts and character growth.

I am only writing this review because the only reviews who actually completed the series so far are rating it as high as 9 and 10 which may lead you into a false belief of it actually being a hidden gem as I thought, so I am here to unveil the curtain and mention hidden icebergs you should brace yourself for.

I will start with stating the fact that it's more Josei than Seinen and Psychological... the only seinen element is a few rape scenes.. and psychological... I guess one dimensional characters having trouble with sorting their feelings could be psychology for someone.. but I expected something more mature. So be aware, as this wrong 'genre' fact is a very important part, as I actually wanted a seinen personally, but got a Josei which I am not heavily into to say the least, despite reading a few good ones.

Now let's get on with the actually good part and talk about the manga itself:

Story - story is actually good or could have been good... more than the story itself, the concept is interesting... you get an ugly girl who can temporarily 'steal faces' with a certain tool she got as memento from her dead mother. She uses other persons beautiful face to play in theater since she thinks that despite her having talent for it - it's useless without beauty. It's more complicated than that, but it would be spoiling elements of the story telling more. Just trust me that the actual premise is pretty good. It's nothing groundbreaking but it's both unique and decent quality.
Be aware though story has a lot of elements that wouldn't make sense to pragmatic thinking, so don't expect much logic out of it, just embrace it like a touchy story with flawed logic.
Story gets an 8/10 overall.

Now for the second good element:
Art - art is done nicely enough, beautiful characters are brilliantly done, they are depicted in a breathtaking way emphasizing their beauty. What I didn't like were characters who were supposed to be ugly... considering how 'disgusted' every single character is towards those 'ugly' characters they should have either actually got a hideous look or emphasized this less overall. 'Ugly' characters didn't really look all that bad, I mean certainly not worth everyone on the street gazing at them like an alien.
So art gets an 8/10.

Now let's talk about characters:
Kasane - protagonist of the series, the girl with the 'ugly' face who gets bullied(aka your usual tragic heroine)... she could have been an interesting character, the build up for it was well done... but in the end she never changes from being a egoistic girl who thinks she is special in this world just because she is ugly. She remains like that from the start to the very end with only minor feeling outbursts here and there which most of the time don't make much sense to an adult person.
Honestly speaking, the other major characters appear quite late into the series, so it would be spoilerish to describe them, but I will summ them up overall: personality wise, they are all the same... some of them also get interesting premise.. but they all end up one dimensional, fixated on just one goal and never really developing in any meaningful way.
Characters are 6/10

Enjoyment:
Despite a lot of negatives I wrote down, the story itself goes smoothly and is enjoyable enough... If you enjoy josei or are a woman - you will certainly enjoy it, but if you were looking for 'psychology x seinen' then it will be just 'good'.

Overall: 7/10 - I wouldn't hold my hopes up too high, but it's a rather good 'touching' Josei manga, if that's what you are looking for - you will enjoy it.

If you have ever studied literature, then you must know that Aristotle believed that tragedies elicit both fear and pity.

Kasane is a tragedy. A horrific looking girl, Kasane Fuchi, has always been bullied for being ugly, but is then gifted—or cursed—with the power to be able to swap faces by her (deceased) beautiful actress mother. Throughout the story, you see that all of the characters constantly face adversity. You pity them, but the fear of what will happen and what IS happening will constantly be prevalent. The juxtaposition of these feelings will continue to fester up with more and more devastating events happening one after another with the author forcibly pushing you to the edge until you’ve had enough and then finally—there will be an act of catharsis.

Or at least that’s what I think. I haven’t read the last volume yet, but after the author has repeatedly referenced tragic plays like Macbeth, this will probably play out like how a tragedy does.

The art is pleasing and you actually get to see the characters wearing different clothes rather than just one outfit every single chapter. You don’t see the same characters for long so there isn’t MAJOR character development other than the mains like Kasane, but that does not mean the characters are not unique. The story is well thought out and the back stories of the other characters are actually not bad, but the progression of the manga is mostly just Kasane trying to find herself while falling deeper into chaos and having to live up to standards while dealing with guilt and sadness.

Overall: 8
I would recommend it. It’s pretty different and it’s good enough to get a live action movie.

STORY (7)

The plot itself was interesting and original, well, I never read anything like that before. At first, I thought the whole thing would be just the same thing over and over again (Her looking for a beauty to kiss with her magical lipstick to faceswap with that person). But it finally got interesting after 6 chapters.

ART (7)

Kasane is really gloomy and ugly. She is SO ugly that her face is almost caricatural and always shadowed. She even wears medic mask to hide her face. I really wished to see her 'normal' face, maybe by curiosity. The art in general was okay. The pretty people were really well designed and the face swaps weren't too confusing.

CHARACTERS (6)

Being ugly really is difficult for Kasane and she is so tired of it that she turns a bit insane sometimes. It's a part of her that really made me feel uncomfortable while reading. You never know when she is going to back off or if she will just go full insane. Her personality is really complexed and I think I like her.

I really wish the other characters would appear more than just few chapters. They don't have much development and I feel like they are just there to be there and make Kasane feel rejected even more. But I guess it's just the beginning.

ENJOYMENT (6)

At first I was really curious about this manga, the cover is stunning. The first chapters really surprised me. I really have compassion for Kasane but I'm also very troubled by her, it's really hard to explain...The first chapters are really unstable. I feel like the author didn't exactly know where to go with the plot. But later, it finally gets interesting, going in a way I didn't expect it to go. So, I will read the next chapters.

OVERALL (7)

If you are looking for a manga psychological and you feel like you want to pity someone, well, just read this manga. The whole story wants to make you believe that beauty is the only thing that can make people like you, or make you achieve something. Which i strongly disagree. But somehow, I like to see this point of view about the beauty. In a world where beauty is a pre-required, what can you do to reach the stars? (*puts magical lipstick and kisses Angelina Jolie to face swap*)

The story is great, but the characters in this series are what I like the most. I keep asking myself "Why?" while reading the manga. I was trying to explain the actions and justify them.

What would I have done if I were them, in their positions?
How would I view this?
Was it reasonable enough?
Should I feel sympathized with it?...

The final play was a truly art. And the ending was fantastic. I always keep asking myself if it were me the author, then how I would end this story, and it was a surprised, and the best ending I could ever think about.

Some would think it was over-dramatic sometimes, or uncomfortable. But I'm sure you can have a good read for this manga and I highly recommend it.