Kebangkitan Nyonya Su

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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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.  

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Strongly disliked this manga.  

For some reason, I had high expectations for this one. I recall it being heavily hyped in the horror manga community when I was in high school (or at least that's what I remember), but I didn't get around to reading it until now. I was extremely disappointed. I feel like I might have confused it with something else, or maybe everyone who praised it just has poor taste.  

I'm not sure if I'm the problem and the plot was too complex for my ADHD brain, or if the plot genuinely didn't make much sense. It failed to keep me engaged. I really struggled to get through it. The second part of the book completely lost me.  
Spoiler! The two rape scenes were entirely unnecessary. They felt like they were added just to meet a page count. They definitely did not enhance the story; honestly, they made me dislike it even more. Of all the things to include in the plot, rape should have been at the bottom of the list.  

The cursed kokeshi doll was creepy, though—I'll give them that. I wish there had been more gore.

I had an incredibly dull experience reading Portus.  

As pointed out in another review, the story feels overly complicated due to the author blending too many themes and subplots. While the narrative seems intricate, it's actually quite simplistic at its core. In essence, it's artificially complex. Certain events are clearly forced in an attempt to shock the reader, but alas, they fall flat. When these moments occur, you're left wondering why the characters behave so abruptly and inconsistently.  

The artwork is poor—truly terrible. If you have even a basic understanding of drawing or are accustomed to appreciating good art, you'll quickly notice that the anatomy is consistently inaccurate and the perspective is severely lacking. Even scenes intended to be frightening end up being laughable (in the worst way). A prime example is when the author attempts to depict "realistic" close-ups of faces meant to convey fear or horror. Instead, these efforts fail miserably, resulting in expressions that resemble meme trolls' faces.  

Regarding the characters, most are poorly introduced and remain one-dimensional and artificial throughout. I found myself unable to empathize with any of them.  

In terms of overall enjoyment, this manga leaves much to be desired. If you've never heard of "The Ring" and this happens to be your first horror story, it might serve as a mediocre (around 5/10) starting point. However, for seasoned readers or horror enthusiasts, I cannot recommend it—it's truly pitiful. Fans of the genre will likely find themselves disappointed.  

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Portus was the first Horror manga I ever read, and perhaps that's why it left such a profound impact on me. It's a one-shot volume with an incredibly unique storyline. The narrative weaves together themes of revenge, friendship, love, and despair.

Throughout the story, I could genuinely feel the characters' fear as I turned each page. The facial expressions were meticulously detailed, adding depth to the horror.

The disturbing imagery experienced by the characters can leave a lasting impression, even though they are just illustrations. The author did an exceptional job of bringing this tale to life. There's only so much that can be shown and described on paper, yet the emotions the author aimed to evoke in the reader are crystal clear.

The characters move toward their conclusion as if guided by destiny, fulfilling their fates.

The story concludes with a bizarre twist, one that you'd never anticipate. Two thumbs up!

So good and worth the journey. If you find this book, you are in for a treat

Love this book!

love this book and the Rossi men