Portus was a gift from a friend who purchased it on impulse, thinking the cover art would appeal to my tastes. However, after diving into it, I learned firsthand that judging a book by its cover can be misleading.
While the artwork was visually intriguing and the plot relatively intricate, the story failed to captivate me. I found myself repeatedly setting it aside, only to pick it up again later, often forgetting what had initially turned me off.
As for the ending, it wasn't much of a surprise. Around the midpoint of the narrative, it became fairly predictable—though I'll refrain from spoilers.
One aspect of the art style that bothered me was its excessive detail, which sometimes made it hard to focus on key elements. Overall, if you're curious about the story, I'd recommend borrowing it instead of buying—it might not be worth the investment.
Portus is essentially one of those "cursed video game" creepypastas but presented in a manga format. It begins that way, at least. However, explaining the story wouldn't do it justice. Let's just say it was quite engaging, with excellent pacing and turned out better than I had anticipated.
Artistically, the backgrounds are intricately detailed and unsettling, carrying a cinematic vibe. The... let's term them ghost photography segments of the artwork... are disturbing yet nostalgic for horror fans. They resemble the kind of found footage you might encounter online for SCP items, but since this is rendered in a near-realistic manga style, it reinforces the eerie notion that "this shouldn't be there" much more effectively. The characters' disturbed expressions also pack a strong emotional punch.
It's the type of book you acquire on a whim, forget about, and then end up devouring in under an hour one day.
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While the artwork was visually intriguing and the plot relatively intricate, the story failed to captivate me. I found myself repeatedly setting it aside, only to pick it up again later, often forgetting what had initially turned me off.
As for the ending, it wasn't much of a surprise. Around the midpoint of the narrative, it became fairly predictable—though I'll refrain from spoilers.
One aspect of the art style that bothered me was its excessive detail, which sometimes made it hard to focus on key elements. Overall, if you're curious about the story, I'd recommend borrowing it instead of buying—it might not be worth the investment.
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Artistically, the backgrounds are intricately detailed and unsettling, carrying a cinematic vibe. The... let's term them ghost photography segments of the artwork... are disturbing yet nostalgic for horror fans. They resemble the kind of found footage you might encounter online for SCP items, but since this is rendered in a near-realistic manga style, it reinforces the eerie notion that "this shouldn't be there" much more effectively. The characters' disturbed expressions also pack a strong emotional punch.
It's the type of book you acquire on a whim, forget about, and then end up devouring in under an hour one day.
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