Title: Dolls

Author & Artist: Naked Ape (group)

Chapters: 1-15 (scanlation)

Summary:

In a seemingly apocalyptic future, the crime rate in third Toutoh empire has gone out of control. A law was established to help expedite trials and relieve the pressure on the overcrowded prisons. The law states trials could be held without the presence of the accused criminals and sentence them to death, even if they haven’t been captured. To capture or kill such criminals, the Special Execution Police Force was created by the military to uphold that special law. These are their stories (Law & Order joke).

Why you should read it

Did you not read the summary (ignore last sentence)? That alone got my attention.

The story plays much like a cop show, though more like Criminal Intent. The beginning of each chapter usually is in the perspective of the killer, and then turns to the perspective of the special police force. Of course in the end, unlike those cop shows, the killer is killed instead. It’s that bitter type of Justice people prefer over lawyers.

Downside

There is always a flaw in Justice. In the case of Dolls, it’s the comedy. Yes, there is comedy in this manga. The only problem is it isn’t funny and feels out of place. In the story, the Special Execution Police Force (also known as Tokkei) are nicknamed Dolls by society for their lack of emotion when executing a criminal. Comedy is used to show they are human, but from a reader’s point of view it doesn’t work. It’s more like silly antics than comedic.

However, one downside shouldn’t stop you from reading an interesting story. Read at least the first chapter of Dolls. A great read.

Title: Doubt (Not the Shoujo one)

Author & Artist: Tonogai Yoshiki

Chapters: 1-20 (Complete)

Summary
Rabbit Doubt is a popular game taking over Japan. The instructions are simple: each player is a rabbit in a colony, but one of them isn’t. A wolf in disguise is among the rabbit colony and in every round, the wolf kills off a rabbit. Every round, the group tries to figure out which of the rabbits is actually a wolf. But what happens when the players choose to meet in person? Yuu, Mitsuki, Rei, Hajime, Eiji, and Haruka have decided to do just that. Unfortunately, one of them has taken it to a new level. The wolf of the group has already killed once. Everyone must find the wolf’s identity while trying to stay alive.

The Good

Setting

The story is set in a Saw-like stage. It’s not bad, but quite intriguing. The characters are trapped in a cell setting which adds to the horror aspect of the manga. From then on, the Saw part of the story is slightly forgotten and the story starts to stand on its own.

Pretty Short

You know how I like the my manga (most of the time).

Starting Plot

From the starting to the near end, I was always second guessing who the killer was. There was enough interest in the plot to keep me reading and enough suspicious background stories to change my mind. No, I wasn’t one of those people that thought the killer was obvious from the beginning. I ended up suspecting everyone unless they somehow died (may have sound stupid, but it worked). But I have to say, the starting of the manga got my interest. The only problem was…

The Bad

The Ending

The ending was a huge problem for me. I did not like it, nor felt any slight evidence in the story it was coming. I’ll elaborate more on this. Throughout the manga, the story had a logical flow. The potential killers all had viable reasons to be the killer, as did the methods of keeping the group locked up. Yet when the story reached the ending and the killer was revealed, the main method that kept the game going was completely illogical.

******Spoiler Alert*******
And some censored swearing

How the hell can you end a manga on mind-control hypnosis? Yes it may have been unexpected, but like I said, the manga followed logical reasoning and out of nowhere used some made-up supernatural bull**** as an ending. Incredibly disappointing.

Overall

I find myself in a questionable position. I want to recommend this manga for others to read mainly because of the starting, but finds the ending to be a terrible migraine. I have seen a few people who seem to love the manga, yet can’t say the same for myself. I give it a 3 out of 5 (it barely deserved that 3).

Ratings:***~~ (3/5)

Title: Safe Again Today

Author: Yoo Jinsu

Artist: Park Suhlah

Chapters: 1-14 (Complete)

Summary:

Illegal aliens are a hot-button issue in this country, but what about real aliens? If there are aliens (non-believer), then it would go something like this short read. The main character Choi Sera is a caretaker for illegal aliens and she has got her hands full. In her care is Hyunwood, the last of a royal lineage, the “twins,” whom are actually clones, Seunghyun and Seungmin (one part why it’s a mystery). Other alien characters such as Jaemin (I call him the smart one) and Uohmjee (the “?” of the group) help Sera with her daily care. But Sera will need more than that to help out these outsiders fit in. Creating individual identities for the twins, making Earth another home for Hyunwoo, all the while concealing their alien heritage from the public. A difficult process, especially while “hunters” are hot on their trail.

The Good

The Characters:

What continues to be the interesting part of the manhwa is how well developed some of the characters are, mainly the alien characters. Each character possess their own troubling back-story that adds to the mystery of whence they came from. Not only that but it’s fun to watch foreigners interacting with foreign items. The twins became my favorite characters in the entire manhwa, mainly because they are the only comic relief.

Artwork:

Not only are the characters interesting, but also how each one is completely distinctive from the other (besides the twins). I’ve read a few mangas where a change in the hair is the only distinction of a certain character. Luckily this is not one of those. The features of the characters are very good. The overall artwork is good too, but seeing as most of the “screen time” will be on the characters, that is the main attraction of the manhwa. It’s nice to actually see the differences in the characters rather than assume.

The First Chapter:

The beginning of the manwha is very well done.The beginning completely hooked me in. We get to see the perspective of a little boy accusing his neighbor Sera of hiding aliens. The little boy must find proof of his alien residents before the time of his moving out. The little boy was another favorite character of mine, even though he only appeared in the first character. Starting the introduction chapter with a mystery is a good start for a beginning manga (it worked for Watchmen).

Short Read:

The reading is short time-wise. Good for those wanting to get into manga or those looking for a short read.

The Bad

Change In Perspective:

As much as I liked the first chapter, the change in perspective from the first to second chapter threw me off a little. I wanted to see more of the little boy knowing full well he wasn’t one of the main characters. Not only that, but by the end of chapter one, I felt Choi Sera was the villian from then on (though that viewing has changed in later chapters).

Character Archetype:

Speaking of Choi Sera, her character seemed to be the weakest of the bunch. She can be used as an example of the common female archetype in manga, which is also the most annoying of the sort. The female manga archetype I am using usually is a girl (though in this case a woman) whom has the certain characteristics such of innocent, motherly, naive, dense, defenseless… I can’t go on. Sera is, by my estimate, somewhere in her early twenties, but somehow hasn’t been striped of her innocence. Sure, there could be women like Sera, but I find that hard to believe.

Story Incomplete:

Though I liked how short the read was, it interrupted the storyline. The ending did not conclude anything, only that the story is incomplete. I didn’t mark off points for the ending, but wished somethings could have been tied up.

Overall

Safe Again Today is a great read for beginners. Interesting characters keep the story moving even though the ending does not tie up all the loose ends. Although the main character inherits the common female manga archetype, it didn’t stop me from reading about the other interesting characters. I give Safe Again Today a 4 out of 5.

Rating:****~ (4/5)