This woulda been good if the main wasnt such a douche.I never seen a protagonist that's so unlikeable in my life. Maybe the problem is that the author never really care to explain any of his motive.

I haven't seen the main character for more than 20 chapters.From a seinen manga with a brutal main protagonist,this turned supernatural, and then the main character is missing and the plot gets also far worse.I don't recall any manga that the main protagonist,where the whole story focuses around him puff disappears.

This manga was only good because Ryo Narushima had a cool attitude and now that he is gone the manga is gone down the drain as well.

... Last updated on February 5th, 2011, 4:32am

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

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.

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

This manga is an excellent story; our mangaka writes such a powerful story, that, despite our (not hero) protagonist, his amorality, and his lack of any self control (or even better, preservation), one can hardly let it be, once started. The fighting is first rate, and is well worth it. The scenes of rape and violence are, indeed, quite difficult to get over, and I would prefer not to have had to read those, but, despite my aversion for them, these make the story what it is. As disturbing as that may be.

I quite agree with Isara that it is very draining. But I must be quite the masochist, because some of my favorite stories are the draining ones... (I might add that I do love a "pump" manga, but which leaves the bigger impression, I might ask? Pain, or pleasure... [Pleasure only leaves a bigger impression when it's through an addictant. Sorry. =| ])

Ryo is such an awful person, it hurts to accompany him on his path to whatever he will be in the end (most likely dead).
The few light moments of moralty and emotionality could not carry me over the vast scenes of him raping women and being arbitrarily violent towards strangers.
Still, this take on martial-art is very captivating and I wouldn't believe it if there was a nice person in Ryos place.
This is the major plus of Shamo, it's dark and unfriedly yet not entirely hopeless view on human nature. Not to forget the superb fighting scenes, especially when he fights against people superior in skill. Another clever idea, not to create a main charakter with flawless technique and outstanding talent. Everything looks like hard work possibly not worth the effort (where did it take him anyway).
The art fits and there is beauty from time to time.
Better not read it at the end of the day though, since most of this drains every last positive feeling out of the reader.

I'm with the other people here. This story and the people in it are very ugly, but completely gripping. It's a great premise. The main character did something so unforgivable that "decent" people and criminals both instinctively hate him. Essentially, the whole world wants him dead - but he refuses to die.

For a while, it's a fantastic story. And then... Well, it goes completely off the rails. Is it gritty and realistic or shounen supernatural? Is Ryo a true monster or is he basically a decent guy? Is he weak or is he strong? From one panel to the next, you can never be sure. It's really confusing.

I'm still reading to see how it ends, but the series really went some bad places along the way.

... Last updated on January 8th, 2009, 3:01pm

its quite good if you like martial arts/seinen manga.


... Last updated on July 24th, 2009, 7:10am