Anne Freaks

REVIEW: An earlier glimpse into the lives and minds of a group of killers who target criminals, some disturbingly overzealous, others reluctant, by Kotegawa Yua. IT ALMOST SEEMS A DRY RUN FOR HER LATER SEINEN MASTERPIECE "KIMI NO KNIFE". The artwork is weaker but bears similarities, with familiar character profiles, using well-known plot devices such as guilt-driven hallucinations and love plus circumstances pushing a mild-mannered, shy, guilt-ridden, and cowardly man onto the path of an unwilling killer... However, "Anne Freaks" is shorter, less mature, and less coherent, featuring less detail, realism, believability, and far less emotional impact, lacking its powerful mood-setting elements and strong introspection... SERIES DESCRIPTION: 10 years after a cult violently splinters into a small extremist terrorist core and a horrified majority of newly minted outcasts, many pursued or killed by their former comrades for their "betrayal", the cult leader's daughter Anne gathers her childhood friends, now teenagers, for her revenge - to end the cult once and for all... The three live in hiding; Anne knows the truth, while the two boys remember nothing beyond being haunted by strange dreams. Anne, a hunted fugitive since age 6, is an embittered stone-cold outcast raised hiding among yakuza, and has grown into a wildly reckless, ruthless killer that hunts down and brutally massacres every cult cell she can find. She doesn't hesitate to kill any civilians or police that get in her way. Meanwhile, Yuri, a mild-mannered, battered, studious, and somewhat creepy boy in glasses, has spent these ten years with a psychotic, abusive, and suicidal mother. Mitsubu, leader of delinquents and self-proclaimed "strongest student of Kyoto," resides with a hikikomori father who sleeps his days away, supported by an older sister forced to play mother and breadwinner in the household. As their seemingly-normal but not-quite-right lives unravel at the seams, Anne tracks down childhood friends Yuri and Mitsubu. Their families dead, themselves hunted fugitives, the two join her cause, to annihilate the extremist cult that wrecked their lives.

I was captivated by the cover and decided to give "Anne Freaks" a chance, and I'm glad I did. It has motivated me to explore more works by Yua Kotegawa.

The beginning hooked me immediately as it introduces Yuri Kitagawa burying his mother. This is an effective way to pique interest and keep readers engaged to discover his motive for such an act. While disposing of his mother's body, a mysterious girl named Anna Todou appears, offering her help on the condition that he agrees to kill her father. As the story unfolds, we learn more about the characters and the cult Anna's father belongs to, known as The Kakusei Group. The plot is decent and maintains engagement without becoming dull, though it isn't groundbreaking, which is acceptable given its brevity.

Because "Anne Freaks" is relatively short, elements like character development and the storyline feel somewhat condensed. However, this isn't necessarily negative since I enjoyed reading it despite its minor flaws. The artwork is also quite good, adding extra value.

As I continued reading, I found myself increasingly invested in the characters and their quest for revenge against The Kakusei Group. The plot remained interesting throughout, and I genuinely appreciated the book for what it is.

There are moments of humor sprinkled throughout, some of which work well while others seem slightly out of place. If you're looking for a concise, intriguing read with elements of romance, violence, and psychological depth, "Anne Freaks" delivers and is definitely worth your time.

Ugh, why did the ending have to be so abrupt?!?! 😡😡😡😡

Anyway, it's about a "bae" murderer named Anna who teams up with Yuri, a dropout, and Mitsuba, whose family was killed by a cult called the Kakusei Group. Together, they engage in rampant killings. This also involves the pastor, an ex-cult member of that group, and Moe, who loved her mother and trained Anna from a young age. The character development in this old-school manga was decent, but I have to give major props to Nishikama. My god, she is a badass inspector that you rarely see in cop action stories. I just wish the whole manga wasn't rushed because I see potential for it to be something any action genre fan would enjoy!

Regardless, it's worth reading for anyone who isn't afraid of gore to check out!

I must admit to being one of those impatient readers – if a story doesn't grab me quickly, I tend to lose interest. That said, the opening of Anne Freaks not only grabbed me, it gave me a good shaking by the metaphorical scruff of the neck. It's clear from watching Yuri dispose of his mother’s body that he’s not the most mentally balanced person you’re likely to meet and within a few more pages, we realize that young Anna herself is about as sane – and dangerous – as a bag full of wasps on LSD. Admittedly, given that there’s only 24 chapters to tell what becomes a fairly convoluted tale, there isn’t really much time to dilly-dally, and apart from a brief wobble halfway through, the story doesn’t let up the pace, nor does it lose its focus.

Equally impressive are the number of layers surrounding the basic plot. Yes, it’s essentially a tale of revenge, except you’re rooting for some rather poisonous anti-heroes (in typical Bonnie and Clyde style, I guess). Even when the police become involved (and we are faced with a rather clichéd good cop / bad cop team at this point, although they are both female, so score one for Women’s Lib), you’d rather they didn’t catch the young killers… well, at least not until revenge has been had.

In a strange and slightly twisted way, it’s also a love story – albeit a very one-sided love story. Mentally broken from years of abuse and the recent trauma, Yuri becomes besotted with Anna, seeing her as a kind of redeemer who saved him from his past life. She exploits this to the maximum, ensuring his slavish loyalty. When a rival appears on the scene, who not only witnessed Yuri with his mother’s body but wants to use that to blackmail him into going out with her (didn’t her mother warn her about boys like that?), Anna is pretty quick in making sure she won’t bother Yuri again… ever. It’s round about this point that I started to realize that calling Anna a cold-blooded killer would give other cold-blooded killers a bad name. That said, the characters are not merely portrayed as ruthless killing machines. Kotegawa gives us glimpses of their human side too, one of the funnier examples being Anna muttering jealously (as many adolescent girls might) about the size of the female detective’s chest. It’s simple, but effective – if they were simply mindless killing machines, I doubt the story would be able to sustain our sympathy for very long.

When Mitsuba, another troubled youth, is drawn into the fold, it adds another dimension to the dynamic of the team. Soon she’s playing the two boys off against each other, making each prove their loyalty to her (even if it just be via a shopping trip, or cooking supper), whilst being equally careful not to let the rivalry escalate into jealousy. She’s just happy knowing that they’ll do whatever it takes to please her. It might be stretching the metaphor a bit far, but you have the impression that if she rang a bell, they’d both start drooling. Certainly, it’s a performance that would have Svengali nodding and taking notes. Therefore, you could also add that it’s a tale about people and their interactions. It would have been nice to see some more ink used on character development, but it is interesting to watch what we can of the developing relationship between Anna, Yuri, and Mitsuba.

Finally, underlying all this is a very subtle streak of very dark humor. I don’t think it’ll have you laughing aloud, but it’ll wring a wry smile from you occasionally.

The central cast of characters is kept small, apart from a small army of expendable cult members, which gives us time to get to know them and their back-story, even if the story doesn’t allow much time for character development. Maybe character deconstruction would be a better phrase as we first watch Yuri and Mitsuba fall under Anna’s spell (not to mention watching Yuri lose touch with reality, illustrated by his frequent flashbacks to his mother), then realize that Anna herself has been carefully molded to fulfill this role by people I’ll call her mentors (to avoid any potential spoilers).

The artwork is crisp and clear with good attention to backgrounds and little details that might just as easily pass unnoticed. Even the crowd scenes are filled with individuals (well, within reason anyway), not faceless blobs. It’s nice to see Kotegawa giving the character design a feminine touch, making everybody variously pretty or handsome – but not overly so.

It might even be borderline shoujo-esque. I don’t mean this in a bad way - after all, there’s something to be said about pretty girls with guns… sorry, I thought I heard an angry buzzing sound just then.

It’s also not afraid to occasionally switch to chibi mode for a couple of frames – normally just before something nasty happens. It might be a cheap attempt at shock value, but used in moderation, it does work. In addition, Kotegawa also scores points for her attention to detail when it comes to weaponry. I’m no expert on guns, but I’m guessing any fancier worth his salt wouldn’t have trouble identifying those used in the manga.

The real skill of the mangaka comes through in the action scenes. Firstly (much like Aida Yu of Gunslinger Girl fame), the frames aren’t cluttered with unnecessary sound effects, or action lines, yet still manage to convey the impression of motion and force. Secondly, much of the violence (and don’t get me wrong, although this is a fairly violent manga, it does pause to take a breath now and again) is implied rather than shown.

Taking a leaf from Hitchcock, you’ll be shown a before and after frame, and maybe a hint of what’s happening in between (one of the nastiest involves a glimpse of bloody scissors). Just how much violence is actually happening is left up to you and the size of your own personal bag of wasps. A picture might paint a thousand words, but the imagination makes movies…

Take all that, then add a plot that twists and turns on itself, a cast that straddles that fine line between the perception of good and evil, a climax that covers the better part of the last 2 volumes (including a bit that will hopefully have you going “I can’t believe he did that…” and stir vigorously. The result is a pretty decent, fast-paced action tale, that doesn’t really pretend to be anything else. Even its conclusion, which might be described as “open-ended” and probably not as “happy” should leave you satisfied.

If you’re looking for a fairly quick read, that’s not too taxing on the mind and if you don’t mind a spot (or a splash, in this case) of violence, Anne Freaks is worth looking at. Now, if only they’d make the live-action version…

Anne Freaks, an unusual title for a manga, but this is definitely one book you shouldn't judge by its cover.

You're plunged into the action, mystery, and romance quite swiftly (given it's only 24 chapters), yet it unfolds in such a captivating way that you'll find yourself engrossed and finishing the series before you realize it. I found the conclusion both fitting and enjoyable.

I highly recommend this series to anyone who appreciates a good romance. I've reread it multiple times, and it remains a favorite to this day.

This manga delivers an engaging experience, quickly drawing you into its narrative much like the author's other works. Despite my desire for a different ending, the story is masterfully crafted, consistently staying on track with its main arc. Even when it veers off, it offers glimpses into the lives of other characters and their intentions, leaving you guessing until the very end about potential betrayals. One aspect I appreciated was how the manga handles themes of murder, violence, and crime in a way that remains surprisingly easy to read, prompting self-reflection on why such content is enjoyable. However, don't be fooled; this manga will still shock and move you with its intense actions. The characters are fascinating as you watch their descent into madness and misguided revenge. Yet, the humor attempted by the author doesn't quite mesh with the overall atmosphere. Nevertheless, for me, it's a solid 9 out of 10 as a psychological thriller (since this isn't really a mystery). While it doesn't reach the heights of "Kimi no Knife," which I consider the author's best work and one of the greatest manga ever written, it stands out due to its more grounded, reality-based approach compared to other psychological thrillers that often delve into the supernatural.