Confessed to the Wrong Alpha

Absolutely love reading your books. I am looking forward to more.

I had this one on the back burner for a while, hoping it would provide a dose of intrigue whenever I felt the need, but it fell significantly short of my expectations. The concept is intriguing—a kind-hearted, handsome man with natural charm forced to kill for a foreign mafia—but it doesn't develop the premise enough to warrant further attention.

Crying Freeman feels like a humorless throwback to an '80s cop film. The overall aesthetic is bland and melancholic, with characters that fail to engage or evoke any real concern about the unfolding events. Side characters are introduced only to be violated or injured, seemingly to emphasize the grimness of the world, but this comes across as both flat and heavy-handed.

The art is decent, though lacking in flair or anything particularly unique. It adequately covers the action and setting, but the attempt at realism is underwhelming. It could easily be traced from real-life locations, which feels uninspired and unimaginative.

If you're in the market for a crime story, this might be worth a glance, but otherwise, Crying Freeman is so average that I can't genuinely recommend it.

I cannot say whether one should like or dislike Crying Freeman, as this title begins with immense potential but ultimately becomes a heap of nonsense. Indeed, if Crying Freeman started and concluded with its first story arc, I would consider it a manga classic that everyone should read. From this promising beginning, the series takes a sharp decline, plummeting into a murky abyss of mediocrity.

The narrative itself starts semi-realistic, not overly exaggerated for its genre, but gradually introduces increasingly absurd and silly elements, creating a disjointed feel. It's evident that the author must have been looking through a murky pool of mud, as the story goes nowhere and seems pieced together haphazardly. The characters are also a chaotic mix; some are refreshing and intriguing, while others are excruciatingly irritating.

The artwork stands out as a strong point, featuring the exceptional line work of Ryoichi Ikegami. His style is far more realistic than the typical manga norm, incorporating extensive detail and cross-hatching. This is one of his earlier works, so the art may appear somewhat dated by today's standards, but it still impresses greatly.

I enjoyed Crying Freeman initially, but my appreciation diminished over time. The first story arc is an outstanding piece, but by the third arc, the story feels silly and ridiculous. However, I enjoyed the first arc so much that I can still say I overall appreciated the story.

I would recommend at least picking up the first volume of Crying Freeman for the first story arc, as it is a standout piece in the mobster genre.

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This manga is challenging to get into, primarily because the main character is hard to empathize with or become invested in. The concept of an assassin who doesn't actually want to kill is intriguing and forms a reasonably solid foundation for the story. However, the plot takes a confusing turn when the protagonist becomes the leader of the organization that initially kidnapped him, which was portrayed as the villainous group. Suddenly, readers are expected to support them without any clear justification. This issue is further exacerbated by the lack of depth in Freeman and most of his companions' characters. A blank-slate protagonist can work if the supporting characters are strong and drive the narrative, but that isn't the case here. Freeman lacks personality, clear motivations, or goals beyond his immediate circumstances, yet he inexplicably pushes the plot forward most of the time. Combined with the absence of an overarching narrative, this results in a story devoid of substantial meaning and ultimately feels pointless.

That said, the manga does have its merits. Although Freeman's character may not be particularly engaging or relatable, his approach to handling situations is interesting and cool. While it doesn't matter much why he does what he does or who he is, the individual stories that compose the larger narrative are captivating. He faces opponents who often overpower him but manages to resolve conflicts in stylish and varied ways, delivering strong action sequences. This aspect helps sustain the manga's appeal to some extent.

The art style is peculiar; while it's evident that significant effort went into it, it appears unappealing, especially the scenes intended to be eye-catching, which ironically tend to be the least effective. However, I eventually grew accustomed to it.

tl;dr: A manga lacking overall substance but featuring a decent number of compelling moments.  

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Kazuo Koike penned what many consider the greatest manga of all time. So, why the hell did he churn out this trash a decade later?  

Crying Freeman revolves around an artist who, after witnessing mafia operations, gets kidnapped and hypnotized into becoming an unstoppable assassin. Yet, since he never wanted to be a killer, he weeps every time he takes a life. That's essentially his entire character, aside from his insatiable libido.  

Freeman doesn't need to evolve, mature, or even struggle. He can face overwhelming odds, surrounded by armed men, but as soon as he wields his knives, you know he'll emerge victorious with the opposition dead. There's no suspense because Freeman is already the ultimate assassin—no one stands a chance against him. If it seems like he's in danger, don't fret; it's probably part of his master plan.  

Kazuo Koike has used the static protagonist technique before in a far superior manga, where it succeeded due to the character's depth and the exploration of intricate themes. Here, it feels like nothing more than a power fantasy. It's not just in combat that Freeman has it easy. Whenever a woman enters the narrative, she almost inevitably becomes infatuated with him, and if she's attractive, chances are they'll end up in bed together soon. The abundance of sexual content comes off as juvenile rather than sophisticated, and characters fall in love for no apparent reason.  

This is evident right from the start, where Freeman and his love interest experience love at first sight. Somehow, this transforms Freeman from a tragic figure forced to kill without the soul of a murderer into an ambitious mafia boss. He's handed leadership of the world's most powerful mafia simply because of his assassination skills, without any tests of loyalty or leadership capability. Apparently, my initial impression of his character was mistaken—he's perfectly comfortable with killing and spends the rest of the series as a merciless leader dismantling rival mafias that dare oppose him.  

That's how the story progresses: another criminal gang attempts to seize control of his organization or crosses them somehow. Freeman handles them effortlessly, with little challenge. There's no buildup to a finale or climax—just a succession of these episodes until the series concludes. At least there are some violent fights, which don't shy away from gore.  

The art is decent. I appreciate how it emphasizes close-ups of faces. From afar, characters can appear somewhat lacking in detail, with thick brushstrokes possibly imitating the style of a much better artist Koike has collaborated with previously. The backgrounds are often highly detailed, creating a jarring contrast with the less refined characters. I wouldn't be surprised if much of it was traced.  

I loathed reading this manga. No character possesses depth. They start with a basic concept—"badass," "loyal wife," etc.—and never deviate from it with a single twist. Their decisions are illogical and lack believable justification, as they're merely written to conform to their base idea, regardless of how unrealistic their actions may seem. If I were feeling particularly generous, I might suggest it explores themes of loyalty and dedication. Does it genuinely say anything meaningful about them?  

If you genuinely just want a badass mafia man slaughtering people and don't care about the story being well-crafted beyond that, or if you adore the concept of mafia leaders adorned with animal tattoos symbolizing their gang's identity, then perhaps you'll find this entertaining enough to justify reading. Personally, I found it pure mindless drivel. I only read it because it originated from the same creator behind Lone Wolf and Cub. If you're considering it for the same reason, please, save yourself the trouble—it's not worth it.

amazing story ......️...️

I have read to over 1000 chapters.A good novel but got boring since the troupe get repetitive.Every heaven son is stupid and they does not pose a threat to mc at all.It woukd be great if the ennmies has some brains

So far, even if I only read to chapter 5, i find this story pretty interesting and enjoyable to read, i wonder how many chapters again until it ended, is it a long road or is it a stuck road?