I had such high hopes for this manga, and it unfortunately missed the mark for me.

Most fans of this manga tend to simp for this character "Sato", the main villain of this manga. Understandably, the scenes featuring the main villain (Sato) are incredibly breathtaking, but it did not do enough to change my stance on how I much enjoyed the story---where I have a bias of weighting the overarching narrative over a single character's beautiful performance.

ART/ACTION: EXQUISITE/10 (was 9/10 and became a 10/10 once the new author wanted to go more batshit insane with the scenes)

PLOT: LOST TRACTION/10 (was 8/10 became 3/10)

CHARACTERS: NOBODY CARES ABOUT THEM/10 (was 6/10 to 3/10) Rationale: because in the new direction, the author doesn't bother fleshing them anymore, introspection-wise---at first I cared but the more it went on the more the inconsistencies in behavior was baffling, so I stopped caring since the new author also stopped caring.

Recommendations:
- It is like Solo Levelling, if you don't mind the plot losing its way/steam, you'll SUPER DUPER ENJOY IT.
- If you love western comics/movies, you'll loooove the SFX!

Unfortunately, that ain't enough to make me enjoy it. As my enjoyment and reasons to read do not come from the visual. Things feel like a mess, with the amount of actions weighing over the other types of sequences. (It started more or less metaphysical then went full on action---not the best type of transition) For me, a few cool action scenes was fine. But then it tried to engulf me with a buffet of them, I had to puke them all out. (I do enjoy series with lots of actions like Blue Lock and 4 Cut Hero; so it is not that I hate action; but the problem is, this series' other facets than actions are just LACKING. Lacking to the point thatt I can't enjoy it anymore)... Think of it like this, there's this restaurant, serving this 5-star course meal, and you are invited to attend everyday. HOWEVER, you only get the dessert, while yummy, YOU CAN ONLY EAT THE SAME TYPE OF DESSERT EVERYDAY... Some people can do it, eating the best dessert ever on a daily basis, but not everyone. And unfortunately, I'm not one of these people.

After reading by some commenters where it is said that the author has quit the story halfway and relegated to the artist (new author stand-in), I can totally see it. Hard agree with @exo_genesis' review. The parts where the cool Sato sequences ain't in the are just a boring snoooozefest (after the story direction change occurred)

I think the disappointing score is mostly the expectations set for the change of style/direction of the story. I found the initial premise fascinating and wanted to stick with it, but it didn't deliver due to the change in staff.

Why did I give it such a score? Because if we were to convert this story to a novel version, without the outstanding visuals, it will become bland and flop. However, the good thing is that the manga medium allows the good parts of this series shine. I'll probably enjoy this series as much just by framing the cool scenes as posters, make a cool YouTube video with matching beats and AMV. Like this, you'll only get to enjoy the best part of the series without the middling part. You get the good parts of this manga now? It can exist as a standalone WITHOUT IT BEING A MANGA IN THE FIRST PLACE.

(Perhaps, an artbook can work too...)

... Last updated on February 17th, 2024, 7:56pm

Top tier action scenes
Top tier villain
Top tier art and panelling

One of the most easy to read and enjoyable action manga, the whole settings about almost unkillable humans may just be a setup for drawing cool af action scenes lmao

There is some parts in the manga where i think that is not really necessary(?) Towards the final chapters, and i thought that this manga will expand its mythology after beating the villain but the ending is neat.

I remember reading this when I was in university for my bachelor's, and that was almost 10 years ago. After reading the first volume, I know that I was in for a ride, and I was not disappointed. Sato is probably one of the best villains I have seen in manga. He may not be the most powerful or sympathetic, but he sure was entertaining. I feel like in the latter part of the manga, he may as well be the main character with the amount of screen time that he has. I really like Kei as the main character as he seems to be the perfect contrast to Sato. The other supporting characters are also good too, as they have their own defining personality, and motivation and have a role in the story, and not just as background filler. Overall, this is a very entertaining manga with a really good concept, good execution of that concept, and overall entertaining characters.

... Last updated on April 11th, 2022, 7:14am

It's straight-up badass and big-brain, all the characters have their own stories, the protagonists and antagonists are all well-written, amazing art, I felt satisfied after reading and want moar

This is the first time I've written a review for a manga and I truly think of this manga as an outstanding one among those ecchi and harem stuff(sorry because I hate all those kinds of fan-services, even something related to romance in action, psychological, and horror mangas).
I love the fact that every character is so real - I mean they are "rational" in their own way, especially the protagonist- Kei Nagai. He is not the kind of the main character we always see: "badass", always think of other's sake first, or say "I want to save the world", etc. He is a realistic one, or someone may say he is selfish. I don't have the right to impose my mindset on others, but think more deeply, if we were in his shoes, would we act differently? Who will have enough bravery to be against the government, the "villain" Sato, or the bias thinking of most people who judge Ajin as if they were monsters? If they have, then "how"? How to go against all the things? Will they just shout like crazy" I wanna change the world" or" I will never give in", then wait for a"buff" or an unexpected power coming from rage? Maybe Kei also thought so. He thought that he himself alone can't change anything.
He is a genius, a distinguished strategist, and what? He is just an individual and an individual can't do anything. Thus, when dangers come, he just wanna hide and live in peace. No one wanna die, especially a person brought up in a "rational" environment. However, throughout the timeline and events, his personality changes more or less, or we should say: he gradually opens his heart and tears the safety mask he has been wearing. It's excellent character development, and not only him but other characters have their own good character development as well. For example, Tosaki first appeared as an annoying villain but after that, we learn he had a rational reason to do so and I can't tell that I like or hate him. Sato is truly an unforgettable villain because he is a real villain. It may sound funny but how many villains like him can we find in mangas today? An intelligent, unpredictable, and maniac villain who can make us excited and afraid at the same time is not that many. Every character is real as if they were people we can run into these days.
Lastly, one trivia matter confusing me now is the "real" thought and personality of Kaito. At first, i saw the relationship between him and Kei is like the one between Hide and Kaneki. But when some thoughts of Kaito were revealed at chapter 69, I suddenly understand that he is not carefree and kind as he may seem, but ya, the manga ended, so it is such a loss not to dig more information about himself.
In general, good and appealing art, good character developments, unique protagonist, dark theme(when we consider how indifferent the attitude of people there towards all the horrible events). If you want an action manga in which people always care and think of others first, this is a bad option.

... Last updated on February 19th, 2021, 6:38am

Some people seem to really miss the mark about this manga so I thought I would put my quick share on why this manga is amazing. Lets get one things straight first, the torture/abuse of immortal humans in this manga is a super small part that is mostly glanced over other than 1 character constantly referencing it to affect is personality. The real meat of this manga comes with the villain Sato who might be the most entertaining villain to watch ever. Ever time the author feeds us some of his backstory it becomes a joyous moment, and his overall dynamic with the main character is really fun to watch. If you are turned off by the comments about the gore side of this manga I would say to mostly ignore them. It really looks like the reviewers complaining about that side stopped at those chapters. But if you want a fantastic action manga with fantastic art and great world building, constantly talking and figuring out the rules of the powers HxH style then Ajin is the manga for you.

There are a few chapters near the beginning where the main character’s personality seems out of sync with his past and future characterization, but that stops and the story is better for it.

This started out as a very elaborate and well-down "outlaws against a cruel society" story, with a great Terminator-type character, and lots of exciting fighting. Now, around chapter 30, it's turning into a "society against a terrible villain" story. I don't know about you, but I find it easier to to root for outlaws. I guess I'll have to drop it.

@jeffreymgibson What fairy tale do you live in? First of all, you have a shallow understanding of the world and the people in it. People quickly toss aside their morals for profit. You can think highly of yourself all you want, but you're the same way. These scientists see immeasurable promise by studying Ajin. If you really think there is no more human experimentation these days, you'd be mistaken. Whether it's by the government or a powerful corporation, these things happen behind closed doors.
As far as the story is concerned, the public doesn't really know about the Ajin experiments (something you'd know if you paid attention, as they mention it quite often). The citizens seem to think everything they see on it is CGI (a common theme, makes me wonder if there's any truth to it in reality) or that it's some urban legend, up until the plane crash.
Also, you mistake fear for hatred. Imagine if you watched someone you know get mangled by a vehicle just to regenerate. You'd freak out. It's the fear of the unknown that makes people act irrationally. And yes, background characters tend to be one-dimensional. Fascinating insight. Seeing as the manga revolves around Ajin, I wouldn't expect there to be many humans with much character development.
One last thing, you think this is suited for middle school kids? Are you mentally impaired? A seinen manga for children, that'd be a first. I'm sure they could wrap their heads around the adult themes, like torture or terrorism. Oh, but there's violence and gore, so you must be right lol.

In short, all of your points are based on something besides this manga, because pretty much all of them are addressed. Like the scientist who helped Kei, the fact the public doesn't know about Ajin experiments or if they actually exist for like the first 25 chapters, and the fact that there are some humans that aren't one-dimensional. I wonder if you've bothered reading more than a couple chapters.

The one thing I don't like about this series is the numerous atrocities the government inflicts upon the ajin. The experiments conducted on them is just too much. And whats worse, no one seams to care at all. I found myself rooting for the ajin to kill all the humans.

This manga makes humans out to be plastic one dimensional characters and their only character trait is hatred for ajin. It's unlikely that the whole world would hate these guys for no reason. The fact that the scientist can commit the experiments without the slightest bit of guilt is also unreal. This story just lacks any depth.

I could see someone in middle school enjoying this manga, but thats about it.

... Last updated on May 15th, 2016, 2:15am