Skyhigh: Karma

I also liked the relationship between the protagonist and her mother. Most manga seem to find it necessary to depict parent-child relationships based on abuse and neglect. It's a nice change to see a mother and daughter duo who are ready to love and protect each other until the end.

The artwork is pretty crude, but clear enough that it doesn't bother me.

In the end, this is a fairly decent horror story accompanied by an adequate level of psychological realism that is well worth a quick read for any fan of those two genre.

... Last updated 14 years ago

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As expected of the Skyhigh series

by markdarkangel
16 years ago

Rating: 8.0 / 10.0

I pretty much enjoyed the first series of Skyhigh and i also enjoyed this one too. I didn't find this one better than the original because it only focused on one charater and not muliple charaters, but it was well worth the read.

Now if a group can start the next part of the series that would be great 🙂

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Good

by wait321
16 years ago

Rating: 7.0 / 10.0

This is a great story, but, like Tsutomu's other long stories, it's not presented well. There's a distinct sense of abruptness to the flow that distracted me. The story jumps around and tension at the end of one chapter is completely gone at the beginning of the next. There's also a fair amount of (Japanese?) spiritual lore in the story that I'm not familiar with, so some parts seemed rather odd and hard to follow.

It's like the author had a plan of where he wanted to go, but each step was poorly executed. Overall, this is a decent manga, but I think it could have been amazing if the flaws were fixed.

... Last updated 16 years ago

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Takahashi's greatest work

by Crenshinibon
16 years ago

Rating: 7.5 / 10.0

Takahashi Tsutomu is- with good reason- a well-recognized author in the seinen fanbase. His pieces are often elaborate, with a distinct art style to compliment them. What makes Skyhigh Karma so much better than the others- and in particular the original- is that it lacks the storytelling flaws that are often common in his other works. It's consistent, unlike Jiraishin and Skyhigh whose episodic nature caused a lot of hit-or-miss storytelling, and comes with a firm pacing that it never deviates from. It also doesn't become so convoluted that the author has to actually explain the meaning in order for the audience to understand it ala Blue Heaven.

Pointing out the flaws of other series aside, Skyhigh Karma is more brilliant simply for its level of narrative complexity and skillful high-tension storytelling. From the very outset you're dragged in and not let go until the series' completion, as the lives of the characters and their meanings are whirled around with all the intention of a professional juggler. The art is top-notch as always, but I can't help but feel that this, like Skyhigh, is the environment it was meant to support in the first place.

All in all, this is definitely worth a read to fans of supernatural works with some depth in them. Try giving it a shot.

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