I thought it started off good. I liked Shiki's deteriorating mental state in regards to killing and at the same time his increasing effectiveness as a killer. He also seemed to becoming slightly used to going out on his missions, which meant he was becoming used to it but not the after effects and guilt. I didn't really care for Itsuki's special ability. It felt unnecessary and contrived. I do wish that she had been given a more useful but mundane role in the story. I didn't have a problem with the female detective as a previous poster did. She lives in a culture that is not as open to equality among the sexes no matter what anime or manga may have you believe. It seems natural that she would struggle with the expectations of her family and working in a "boys club" like the police. When you read news articles about how Japanese businesswomen bristle at the expectation of their male counterparts that the women should be the ones to make tea during meetings then you understand that in some professions and in some countries the "glass ceiling" is lower.

So it started off good, the art was decent and a few of the early missions were interesting. However, the end felt a little rushed and some of the psychological aspects of the manga seemed to take a back seat. I was feeling unsatisfied after finishing it and I think in part because I wanted some more things fleshed out about some of the characters. I just don't think the story was pushed enough to get all the potential out of it. I don't think it got as deep as it could have been. It went from good with the possibility of being very good to just ok. 6.5/10

You know, I'm pretty shocked this manga has received such blatantly positive reviews on this site (excepting, of course, the one below mine, which doesn't actually make any sense at all no matter how you look at it). Kimi no Knife isn't a bad manga. It just isn't a really good one, either.

I mean, yeah, it's an okay manga. As in, it's really nothing special, but if you're looking for something to pass the time with, I guess you could pick it up. It's somewhat like Death Note only slightly less contrived and with characters that actually feel (for the most part) relatively human. Unfortunately, the appeal of the series - namely, the psychological and moral aspects that were so prevalent in the beginning - has been significantly downplayed in favor of... what? More action and murder and blowing stuff up? That really is unfortunate, since the psychology behind the premise was what initially drew my attention to this series. I was hoping for something like “Death Note, only with a writer who actually knows what the hell they’re writing about,” but I guess that was too much to ask. I mean, I was anticipating more mature storytelling from a seinen title, as I've come to expect of the genre. If I wanted to read a flimsy action series without having to actually think, I’d have picked up a Shounen Jump title. As it is, it's become increasingly difficult to find good seinen manga, especially with all that ecchi crap that’s out there nowadays.

Anyway, I agree with what one reviewer said about that Ito chick. What a boring, senseless character. Speaking of annoying, what the hell is up with the Shiki's Dulcinea complex? Geez, it'd make a hell of a lot more sense if he had a Quixote complex to match, being a reluctant hitman and all. Makihara is by far the most developed character, what with all his muddled emotions and his motivations and that Stockholm syndrome he's developed. Itsuki is okay, but I wish her power had more influence on the story because right now, it really just feels like an all too convenient plot device. Speaking of which, the plot is okay, not nearly as deep as I'd originally hoped. It gets pretty repetitive after awhile with the whole "get target, debate killing target, kill target" setup. The premise isn't exactly original, and the author isn't trying too hard to make it that way.

I'm going to give this manga a 5 because it doesn't deserve higher than what it is - average. Hell, a 5 is doing it a favor, really. Maybe I'll finish it, maybe I won't. That'll depend on how much longer it can hold my interest (which has been waning lately).

Also, concerning jasperv's ETA, which is just annoying me: 1. Women can be sexist, too. 2. The reviewer DID mention the author's sex in her post. Multiple times, at that. 3. She also made a point of explaining how the manga is anti-male. I'm going to take a wild guess and assume you saw the word "feminist" and flipped the lid without actually reading her review. Calling her carefully written argument BS isn't exactly doing yours any favors.

This Manga is not for moralist bullshit who keep on complaining to the author why not this, why not that. Some people who is think that she or he is morally high please do not read a dark manga an d Seinen who sadly doesn't have a moral Standard, this is for Adult who already get past a moral judgment not for a kid. So for you moralist shut up and read if you don't like it just burn it.

I'll start off by saying I really like the premise of this manga. It's dark, compelling, and most satisfyingly, it's open to a whole range of moral exploration and interpretation. It poses the age-old question: On what level, if any, is murder morally acceptable? The protagonist Shiki, a substitute high school teacher, struggles with this dilemma after he agrees to become a criminal-killing hitman so that he can use the bounty to pay for his elder sister's expensive cancer treatment. The author does a wonderful job portraying Shiki's gradually deteriorating state of mind, showing him continuously haunted by the "ghosts" of his victims, most persistently Such aspects are handled extraordinarily well by the author, and suffice to say, this manga definitely fits its "psychological" tag, leaving the readers with plenty of food for thought.

What really irks me about this series, and it's been growing progressively worse with each chapter, is the characters' attitudes toward females. Now, don't get me wrong, I like a lot of the female characters in this series. I really like Itsuki. Because of her situation, she's quite socially awkward and doesn't behave in a way one might expect an eighteen-year-old girl to behave in. She's very pure and open with her emotions. She reminds me a bit of Alice from Pandora Hearts, though with much less tsundere. Shiki's sister is a strong, motherly character, a good contrast to Itsuki's childish nature, who is very easy to understand and sympathize with. The character I have the biggest problem with is the young detective (her name escapes me at the moment). She's incredibly clumsy as well as ridiculously compliant to her male coworkers. Okay, she's a rookie in the police force and is having trouble adjusting to the job. I totally understand that. But honestly, so much more could be done for and with her character, and it seems like she's being continually played up for her moe factor. She's always eager to please and always fails miserably in her work, unwittingly letting suspects escape and even endangering people around her. Somehow, it seems like she finds a way to screw up in everything that she does. Further, it's blatantly stated that she only got the job because of her father, who, creepily enough, requires her to wear high heels and a skirt while ON THE JOB (yes, that includes while she’s out in the field). His intentions seem to be to marry her off, but the fetishistic way in which he forces her to present herself is offensive both to the character herself (though she does nothing to preserve her dignity) and to the readers who would rather see her portrayed as a human character with an actual self-esteem rather than a moefied Ms. Fanservice. She has yet to show any improvement in character or in her line of work, though there has been plenty of opportunity for both. Also, rather than quit her daddy-given position and try to work her way up the legitimate way, she stays on the force despite the serious complaints from her coworkers, which are so pronounced that they border on bullying. She even directly acknowledges that she's a burden and promptly apologizes for it, yet she makes no effort to remove herself from a post she only has because of blatant nepotism. This treatment of her character makes her vapid and irritating, a burden to the readers themselves, and I wish the author had spent time developing her, as she has the potential to be a very intriguing character.

That’s more of a small complaint compared to my next point, which involves the overtly obnoxious attitudes of the male protagonists toward women that have arisen in the latest story arc. While the detective girl can easily be ignored, as she doesn't appear obtrusively often, this second point is quite prominent. In this arc, the protagonists are once again given targets to eliminate. There are two of them, a husband and wife who allegedly killed employees of their factory in order to claim insurance money. Shiki has an immediate reaction to receiving the wife as a target, stating that he is uncomfortable with the idea of killing a woman. I brushed this reaction off, as it’s not exactly unrealistic for a certain type of person to have reservations about harming the so-called fairer sex. However, when nearly EVERYONE, including Shiki’s normally ruthless partner, suddenly gets cold feet about the killing because a woman is involved, it became really impossible for me to ignore. First of all, there’s the sheer implausibility of it that took me off guard. According to the Bureau of Justice Statistics, 22.7% of homicides are committed by males against females (the second highest after male on male homicide), and according to the FBI’s Uniform Crime Reports 2011, almost 1/3 of female homicide victims are killed by their partners, which are, more often than not, male. Clearly, there are men who are perfectly okay with killing women, yet in the world of this manga, not one of these CAREER HITMEN has the gall to kill a female alleged MURDERER. And it’s not because they think she’s innocent, either. It’s simply because she’s a woman that they are uncomfortable with killing her. With the husband, there are no problems, as he’s a man. I get the impression that even if the wife had committed more atrocities than the husband, they’d still not want to kill her. As a feminist and a woman, I can honestly say that that this mentality in the manga irked me. I don’t condone killing people, even other killers, but I do think that you reap what you sow, and a female criminal ought to be punished in the same way that a male criminal is. Otherwise, it just leads to some unfortunate implications, as this manga sadly went along with.

So anyway, I’ll keep reading this manga for now because it is interesting and enjoyable to read. But since it’s lost some respect from me because of this unfortunate aspect of it, I can’t rate it higher than 7/10. I just thought I’d warn others ahead of time if they’re not into the whole double standards thing.

This manga does seem a little slow at times like the others said, but it does get interesting since everything is a buildup to the action. Also this manga has a funny part in chapter 17 where he repeats what he did before. Overall this manga is an interesting manga which can keep you reading even when things aren't heated up.

sometimes the pacing is slow, but when the action come you will get horribly excited as if your heart will burst. the characters are ok and easily likable. i had enjoyed some other hitman manga and it is quite good to read a different type where the protagonist is seriously messed up with the murders that he hallucinate. im not sure with the esp girl - i really want her ability to be of help or else there's no point introducing that kind of power is it? the art is smooth and neat, not remarkable but the ordinariness may help to make the actions and plot shine more. this is a very good manga!

well Toto don't be so sure about your predictable poetic justice
the mangaka other manga Anne freaks did end with the two protagonists not only escaping but killing the female police officer who tried to save them
and the other one portrayed the redemption of a killer with love and friendship
so its possible that the protagonist will be saved in the end or maybe not
some feminist woman complained of perceived anti-women BS
yet she didn't check that the mangaka is female

... Last updated on January 7th, 2013, 12:39pm

Poor lead is a bit wrong I think having to pay 4.5 THOUSAND a month in USD is a bit ridiculous just for the treatment alone not including your own living expenses plus her hospital bills.

It's been a while since I've enjoyed reading a series.

In all likely hood... the stories going to end like death note with a karmatic ending (poetic justice), because it's near impossible to allow the corrupt people of society to survive... It gives the "wrong" message. Very blah. Very predictable.

I'll just enjoy the ride while it lasts.

panos you would know what its like to kill someone... why did you even put that in spoiler?

Now for my review
Usually in the first three chapters I can tell when a manga is going to be good. Well I got an extremely good vibe from this one from the first chapter.

Firstly, the artwork. Very good, the author doesn't do anything exaggerated with the art which is perfect for a plot driven story like this.

Second, the story. Already the author has raised many ethical questions and thrown in a couple plot twists. He keeps me anticipating what will happen in the next chapter. Very good.

Third, the characters. Very interesting characters. The author makes sure to give you just enough details so you can try to guess the motives of each of the characters but he doesn't give you enough to make a full analysis. Except the main character that is.

Overall this is a very good manga and you should definitely start reading it. It is definitely plot driven so keep this in mind when deciding to read it as this might not be your thing. I wouldn't give it a perfect 10/10 just because I don't like giving anything a perfect score but I will make an exception in this case to counter balance the idiots that gave it a 4 and 6.