High Society: Welcome to the Inner Circle

Loved it. A few grammatical errors but nothing that will mess up the story. I look forward to reading the sequel.

Interesting!

Domu – Spoiler Free – Mixed Feelings  

TLDR  
Story – 4/10 – 4 x 0.275 = 1.1  
Art – 8/10 – 8 x 0.2 = 1.6  
Characters – 3/10 – 3 x 0.225 = 0.675  
Enjoyment – 6/10 – 6 x 0.3 = 1.8  
Total: 5.175 -> 5  

Story – 4/10  
Domu is a manga created by the legendary mangaka of Akira, Otomo Katsuhiro. However, unlike Akira, which, despite its flaws, is an exceptional work, Domu lacks depth. It's an extremely short manga—only one volume long—and doesn't explore many elements in detail.  

That said, Domu deserves credit as a precursor to Akira: there was only Akira because there was Domu. You can see that many ideas later refined in Akira were first tested here—the espers, mentally unstable characters with destructive powers, malevolent figures, and even the atmosphere.  

Domu acts as a kind of museum: through it, we glimpse the early stages of what would become Akira, but on its own, it offers little substance. The primary goal of this manga was to prepare for what would eventually become Akira, not to deliver a fully realized narrative.  

The plot itself is fairly basic: a series of deaths occurs, a culprit remains to be identified, and a disturbing psychic force disrupts the lives of the apartment residents we follow. The ending sequence is satisfying and sets the tone we'll encounter in Akira—total destruction at the hands of espers in an action-packed finale. Beyond these aspects, the story isn't particularly memorable.  

Art – 8/10  
The page and panel flow aren't perfect, making it challenging to follow the story at times. Still, once again, we sense a pre-Akira vibe—the quality of the art style, the intricate details, and the character designs all hint at what's to come. This is high praise, given how impressive Akira's art style is.  

Characters – 3/10  
There aren't many characters, nor are they well-developed, as the focus of this manga clearly lies in the plot. Etsuko and the detectives exist but receive minimal attention.  

Enjoyment – 6/10  
On its own, Domu isn't particularly noteworthy—it's a brief manga lacking in character development and offering a subpar story. Its value lies in being a relic: forever a proto-Akira, though not worth much outside of some action-driven scenes. The second half of the manga is better paced than the first, with less dialogue and more action. For all these reasons, it merits a "mixed feelings" verdict.

The manga garnered a large following. Its unique blend of being both entertaining and unsettling captured my attention, which I found intriguing. Witnessing adults commit heinous acts can be disturbing. However, children, with their developing minds, choosing to survive offers a glimmer of hope for the future. This is vividly portrayed on a grand scale in this comic. The contrast between youthful justice and adult bitterness is masterfully highlighted through the extremes of power and the setting of the entire apartment complex.  

While the storyline unfolds in a somewhat predictable fashion, the detailed depiction of the environment and the rich characterization breathe life into the plot, making it far more engaging and enjoyable to read overall.  
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This manga was truly revolutionary. I can only imagine that Katsuhiro Otomo had a vision, and suddenly realized what future manga should embody. The character designs were extraordinary, and quickly emulated by his peers (most notably Naoki Urasawa, or even in shoujo works like "Banana Fish"). Every detail in his artwork was stunning and marked a significant advancement for the medium as a whole.  
  
The pace accelerates noticeably compared to other manga of its time. And the psychological complexity might seem commonplace to anime enthusiasts today, but it hadn't been executed this effectively until Otomo arrived and infused existing ESP-themed manga with the intensity they lacked.  
  
It was "Akira" that made Otomo so influential, but "Doumu" came first, and I'd even argue it's a more gratifying read. While "Akira" is epic and may be criticized for having one or two chase sequences too many, "Doumu" is concise and delivers a powerful impact, like a jolt to the hypothalamus. It truly deserved all the accolades and recognition it received.  
  
"Akira" will endure in memory, but for me, "Doumu" earns extra credit as Otomo's first major work, introducing his suspenseful, intense, and occasionally gory style that fans adore in their favorite modern anime.  
  
Also features: breathtaking illustrations of exploding buildings.

From the creator of Akira, if you enjoyed that manga, I'd suggest giving this one a try. It's a fast read with many comparable elements. Additionally, fans of Stranger Things could find it appealing.<br /><br />This manga has the potential to become an excellent Netflix or HBO 12-episode miniseries. There are some strong concepts here that might benefit from further development to enhance their impact. For instance, the deaths happen so suddenly that they lack suspense or emotional weight, making it hard to care deeply about specific characters. Moreover, revealing the killer too early in the story diminishes the mystery; saving that revelation for later would have been more effective. That said, as a short one-shot, much of the narrative needed compression.<br /><br />Overall, what will stick with me most about this manga is its intriguing premise and delightful art style. It's good, though not exceptional.

This manga is one of Katsuhiro Otomo's early works and lays the groundwork for Akira. Here begins the review.  
  
Story: 6/10  
The story introduces an intriguing premise: a series of mysterious deaths surrounding an apartment building. It seems like the cops are searching for answers, and the start of the manga is quite compelling. Hypotheses are presented and work well while some characters are introduced. However, from the middle of the manga, there’s a sudden descent into confusing violence that lacks justification and leaves many things unexplained by the end. I’d say it starts off strong but becomes confusing halfway through and ends with little clarity.  
  
Characters: 5/10  
There isn't much to elaborate on here. A few characters are introduced—a police officer, a girl, and a few others—but due to the short length of the manga combined with the nonsensical violence in the second half, there’s not much more to discuss.  
  
Art: 9/10  
Two words: Katsuhiro Otomo. The drawings are highly realistic. Even though the action may lack meaning at times, the art is beautifully crafted with unique illustrations. There’s nothing negative to say about this aspect.  
  
Enjoyment: 6/10  
It was interesting and entertaining overall, with an engaging beginning and a well-executed fight scene. Despite the unclear ending, it wasn’t a waste of time.  
  
Overall: 6/10  
While it’s not a masterpiece, the manga is still interesting and enjoyable. If you’re looking for something casual to pass the time, it’s worth checking out.

A dreary apartment complex somewhere in Japan has been plagued by a series of bizarre, unexplainable deaths for several years. As the story begins, the police are investigating yet another suicide.

We follow the lead investigator as he goes through the routine procedures of trying to uncover what's happening. By the end of the first chapter, we're introduced to our antagonist, hovering slightly above the ground, adorned with the spoils of his demented war against ordinary working-class individuals just trying to live their lives in peace.

The malevolence exhibited by this elderly man is truly despicable, not only because of his actions but also due to his age, which one typically associates with helplessness. His attitude towards destroying lives is chilling. It’s the kind of evil often seen in children, which forms the ironic core of the entire narrative.

Katsuhiro Otomo's "Domu" continues his exploration of abnormal powers in the hands of unstable characters who wreak havoc around them. The apartment block serves as an intriguing backdrop to the mental and psychological battles between the cantankerous antagonist and his youthful nemesis. These cat-and-mouse conflicts are intensified by the fact that the residents of the apartment complex are threatened as potential collateral damage, making for gripping, edge-of-your-seat reading.

The setting of "Domu" offers many glimpses into the lives of the characters living in the apartment complex. This diverse cast humanizes the story, preventing it from becoming a mere series of isolated incidents involving a hero, a villain, and explosions. The potential for telekinetic and mind-control powers gone wrong impacts numerous people, their families, and friends. Suspense is meaningless unless the stakes are high.

The scene composition and pacing in this manga are reminiscent of Alfred Hitchcock possessing Otomo, with wide-angled shots of running characters shadowed by towering buildings, close-ups of sweating individuals, and ghostly appearances of deceased friends that disappear again, heightening the suspense with skillful precision. The empty corridors of the apartment complex provide numerous eerie scenes that fans of crime/horror thrillers will relish.

The suspense eventually gives way to the kind of destruction Otomo is renowned for: concrete foundations are torn apart, towers topple, and glass shatters into countless pieces in an action-packed climax filled with masterful staging, pace, set pieces, and panels of stunning art. There is barely any dialogue in the last half of the manga, which some might consider a flaw, but I find it a refreshing change from lengthy monologues or speeches during action sequences that can disrupt the flow of the story.

"Domu" keeps me engrossed from the first page to the last, leaving me as breathless as everyone else when the dust finally settles.