This story was a bit too morbid for my tastes. The manga has atmosphere but the stories and events are presented in a disjointed fashion. It doesn't help either that the characters are so cold and passive that you can't sympathise or relate to them.

I read this about 5 years ago, and I remember thinking that it was really good and scary, too, especially at the scene of Yoru's flashback about playing hanging games with her sister. Her sister's expression is not something I want to remember.

Skimming through it again today, I'm spotting holes in this manga. Yes, I still love the art (I really wish Ooiwa Kenji would draw more psychological drama stuff) and yes, I still love the relationship between Yoru and the main guy, but after reading it to the end, I'm asking myself "Why doesn't he just let her die?" The main guy is supposedly obsessed with killing Yoru, and yet he jumps in and saves her all the time. Is there a reason why his actions contradict his character?

Could it be--love?!

Maybe twisted, morbid people fall in love too. In the author's note, Otsuichi mentioned that the concept was simple: knight saving damsel in distress. That was basically what was happening throughout the manga, but it would make more sense if he established the main "couple's" relationship better.


Perhaps an 8/10 would be more fitting of this manga, but I had to give it a 9, because it really does have so much potential.

... Last updated on January 15th, 2010, 7:21pm

The writer, Otsuichi, also says in the comic's afterword that he never meant to describe the mindset and deepest thoughts of abnormal folks or how they feel while in the process of killing. All he wanted to achieve (and was foremost to him) was to make readers think it's interesting, so he felt throwing in a suitable amount of abnormal psychology would keep their interest. I interpreted what he said as simply not going in-depth, but dishing out just enough to titillate.

Yeah it has so much potential, too bad it's just one volume. I liked this manga, it's fasinating.
I personally don't care if there were romance, they just strike me as really good friends that can be honest with each other. In fact, this manga can't be classified as shojo at all.
Kamiyama isn't really twisted, he's just curious like any other person. Besides, he really does care since he goes and save Morino all the time. He wasn't really obsessed with her being dead either, it was just a thought.
Morino is pretty weak but she's a great lead since the story kind of revolves around whatever happens to her.
It's cool how the term goth applies to those interested in torture and murders, I'd apply since I'm pretty dark myself.
A great read, it's not scary at all, not even gruesome. No horror or anything, just a great read. Maybe I'll go check out the movie sometime. Good art.

... Last updated on August 7th, 2010, 9:02pm

I thought I'd be able to read a long manga, on how he finds out all the murders and eventually get that girls hand or something. I wanted expected long, and honestly caught me completely off guard when I realized it wasn't autopager playing tricks on me again but the end of the manga...

But nevertheless it was a good read. Certainly a waste and disappointment seeing how short it was. Cut off perhaps? It did seem more seinen than shounen.

Did I mention the art is gorgeous? I dunno but I simply love it.

... Last updated on May 15th, 2012, 6:32am

the story was amazing as well. it's not the type of manga that should have gone past a volume or two. i just... i was really attracted to this manga. although if i were to change anything it'd be for a little more information about the main guy character. there should have been some sort of backstory for his passion for morbid things.
anyways, i just really loved this manga.
i was planning to read just one page and stop but the art attracted me so much that i just kept reading.
i'm so glad the art was so beautiful or else i would have stopped reading and i would never have known how great of a manga this is.

Dang. I read this a while back and there weren't so many comments on this page...
I guess getting printed by Tokyopop did wonders for this manga's popularity.

I agree with a lot of the commentors: GOTH wasn't truly a scary manga. From the cover and the summary, I expected something very edgy and dark. Or, at the very least, something very mindblowing. But the truth is, GOTH is just a fun spin at playing scary.

It gets you interested into the genre of psychological, but it isn't very horrifying at all(the only part that came close to this was the part about the serial killer). I'm more interested in the main characters themselves. Kamiyama is the brooding type who's supposed to be very 'dark'. Yoru is like this mysterious girl playing at being creepy. She's not.

And the ending wasn't creepy at all. But the story itself is very interesting, and keeps you thinking about it. I wouldn't mind a sequel for this one.

The artwork is absolutely amazing and the story is just as interesting. However, the characters become a little hard to follow if you don't look closely at the details surrounding them. I'd recommend reading the novel for a better perspective on the story.

Manga consists practicaly only of gruesome violence and the psychopaths have no real meaning behind their actions, they kill people because they feel like it. They are weakly portrayed and poorly developed. If the main heroes interesting conclusions are taken into account this manga could have gotten 4 at most. What really pulled it out was the last chapter.
Otherwise this manga is only for those who love brutal killings.

... Last updated on February 20th, 2010, 3:13pm

I use to say that I have a weak heart, so I tend to ignore horror mangas. But I tried this one out, because it interested me. This manga can play tricks on your head, and it will leave you mindless for a second to figure out the 'why' and 'how'. But I assure you that it is not confusing (sometimes it can be, but you'll recover quickly) and rather understanding (not from the characters point-of-view, though!).

I love the main characters, especially the guy. I think it's awesome how smart he is. And the art is one of my favorite part of this manga.