The story is pretty good, but the art and especially the character design make this one work. It does not really matter to me when the story goes off track, because the manga is so stylish. Like watching a Takashi Miike film.

There are so few mangas that pay attention to art. (Some shoujo looks as it it is drawn by a kindergarten kid with crayons.) But graphic fiction is graphic fiction because of the interplay of the written word and the images that accompany them. In the US we get the opposite problem---all art no story. It is nice to get a balance.

Tanaka Akio next time please have the decency to just abandon the series, just drop it, this didn't deserve such a low quality development and sub-par bullshit of an ending, if what you are working is just a work of self hate for what you are making at the moment then just stop, this is an insult to everybody, giving Ryo a girlfriend out of nowhere, weakening him in such a stupid manner making him fight a fucking ballet dancer as his "nemesis" and then have his final opponents be a retarded giant with twin-tails and a stupid big sword is just demeaning, you are shaming this manga, and that end, that end is a joke.

This manga was a solid 10 before the tragedy happened and the author decided to make this some kind of vendetta against his own work. 10 for the main story, but 4 for the latrine that is the rest of this manga.

Jesus, people need to stop complaining about how Ryo degenerates in the later chapters. Think realistically people.



And also you can't expect Ryo to forever remain evil. Yes, he's an asshole, but that doesn't mean he's completely evil. In most cases, he treats everyone like trash, but every now and then you can tell that he still has a human heart remaining in him (like helping his sister). I don't know how the story is going to end up, but it will at least be interesting to see how Ryo changes by the end of the story.

... Last updated on February 24th, 2010, 12:04am

This isn't a manga you read to feel good about. This isn't a manga where the heroes win. This is an escapist fantasy. Read this if you want to blow off some steam and read how one man can be the least responsible parent murdering rapist piece of shit imaginable. Without going into spoiler territory, this manga is rage-fuel up to the very end. It builds rage, creates tension and delivers before repeating. It keeps you interested in how it'll deliver. And then it doesn't, it just ends.
If you're searching for a protagonist you can root for, go away, if you want a world you'd like to live in, find some other manga, if you're in need of likeable characters, tough shit, and if you like your story threads tied up nicely, you're out of luck.

Final Rating: Read it, don't finish it.

I don't know any byronic heroes like Ryu. I like his character so much I can't describe in words. He changed from a good to evil and soon back to good. I hope he will be saved by his friends (or sister). And I hope there will be no romance (moemi... seriosly? -.-)

And also there's a reason monkey china thing was forgotten just google it.

... Last updated on September 1st, 2012, 5:46am

Honestly started of great! the potential was so vast and about halfway it just collapsed and never went anywhere. i you read all the volumes, you'll feel like you should have never started this manga - you shouldnt be able to flog a dead horse... but they did... utterly and bitterly dispointed! At least KSKM had the decency of starting out as a shonen/gag manga! This became somewhat of a joke and didnt respect the readers!

RYO IS EVIL ARROGANT COCKY ANGRY STUBBORN everything that is not your typical lead Ryo is perhaps the greatest character written out he has so much depth and goes through so much that it would be impossible for someone to actually be a good person when all was said and done Ryo is on a different level from the akiras gokus narutos ichigos luffys kuronos he isnt in the same category because he is so well written out his character is more real he has no qualms or regrets about what he has done and never plans on it Ryo is a beast what has happened to him and what he does is what makes Ryo RYO

This manga had me going to bed satisfied everyday. It was gory, violent and extremely good. There were many scenes that pissed me off, but it was interesting to see a strong main character fighter, who's just damn evil.. Then the story went supernatural and just completely sucked from then on...

What a shame for shamo to end up sucking

No one can defend the awful story continuity and awkward starts and stops to story arcs, but I still consider Shamo to be an amazing manga. It's a bit unclear how the author and artist ended up fracturing and suing each other but it obviously affected the quality of the story. That said, Shamo still works as a fascinating character piece on a character that would be a villain in any other story.

Ryo is evil but he's broken person who I feel has surprising depth. His inability to do good despite his occasionally good intentions combined with his inferiority complex that makes him impossible to help, makes a character that rides the line on whether he is sympathetic. Later parts of the story get incredibly surreal which may throw audiences off. Additionally, there is no end goal in later volumes, nothing that the main character is working towards. Some arcs are so anti-climatic that they end in what seems like a 2 minutes when they were built up for 50 chapters. It's very strange storytelling but I think it works because I learned something new about Ryo's character with every arc.

The artwork is fantastic and the artist really knows how to express body movement. Even as a trainwreck, its absolutely unique.