Here's a classic plot for ya: a bunch of death-row inmates, many with extraordinary or even supernatural powers, are conditionally released on a dangerous mission in an unknown environment to try to earn a pardon, followed by "parole officers" meant to kill them if they try to slip their leashes, and in the process brush up against something a lot bigger than they expected. Except, you know, in medieval times rather than modern ones.
Hell's Paradise is a great example of the modern school of shonen manga that has replaced the seemingly endless stories from my youth. It's tight in terms of storytelling, pressing endlessly forwards without ever getting so wrapped up in quibbling detail that it slows down or gathers moss. Characters are reasonably fleshed out, with a variety of different designs and styles, and they bounce off one another well in both dialogue and fight scenes. The creepy, mysterious atmosphere of the otherworldly island where most of the story takes place is well-realized through gorgeous, spooky backgrounds, and the finale moves skillfully between many different tones to produce a variety of powerful emotional moments amidst all the carnage. I also liked that the creators clearly tried to add in some intellectual elements, dealing with a variety of Eastern religious traditions and historical events in a surprisingly nuanced way.
But that same relentless focus on pace and avoiding being bogged down, which made it feel so refreshing to my eternally-teenaged mind that's used to older styles of storytelling, also represents Hell's Paradise's greatest weakness. Nearly half the cast is ruthlessly culled pretty early on, and while this does mean it doesn't lose sight of what's important, many of the dead characters feel like they had potential that this move squanders. The story does a slightly better job with most of the survivors or with characters introduced after this purge, but a lot of them still get pretty unceremoniously squashed in the finale, or have some elements of their personal stories that never see resolution because ain't nobody got time for that. And while some parts of the ending work extremely well, the final flash forward just begged too many questions for my liking.
Don't take away from this that Hell's Paradise isn't worth a read, 'cause it is, and it won't take you weeks and weeks to do it. Just be aware that it's the kind of story that thinks keeping up a good solid pace and a good solid feel is more important than fully making sure there's no juice left in the fruit.
Manga Never get bogged down, never look back, no matter what...
Here's a classic plot for ya: a bunch of death-row inmates, many with extraordinary or even supernatural powers, are conditionally released on a dangerous mission in an unknown environment to try to earn a pardon, followed by "parole officers" meant to kill them if they try to slip their leashes, and in the process brush up against something a lot bigger than they expected. Except, you know, in medieval times rather than modern ones.
Hell's Paradise is a great example of the modern school of shonen manga that has replaced the seemingly endless stories from my youth. It's tight in terms of storytelling, pressing endlessly forwards without ever getting so wrapped up in quibbling detail that it slows down or gathers moss. Characters are reasonably fleshed out, with a variety of different designs and styles, and they bounce off one another well in both dialogue and fight scenes. The creepy, mysterious atmosphere of the otherworldly island where most of the story takes place is well-realized through gorgeous, spooky backgrounds, and the finale moves skillfully between many different tones to produce a variety of powerful emotional moments amidst all the carnage. I also liked that the creators clearly tried to add in some intellectual elements, dealing with a variety of Eastern religious traditions and historical events in a surprisingly nuanced way.
But that same relentless focus on pace and avoiding being bogged down, which made it feel so refreshing to my eternally-teenaged mind that's used to older styles of storytelling, also represents Hell's Paradise's greatest weakness. Nearly half the cast is ruthlessly culled pretty early on, and while this does mean it doesn't lose sight of what's important, many of the dead characters feel like they had potential that this move squanders. The story does a slightly better job with most of the survivors or with characters introduced after this purge, but a lot of them still get pretty unceremoniously squashed in the finale, or have some elements of their personal stories that never see resolution because ain't nobody got time for that. And while some parts of the ending work extremely well, the final flash forward just begged too many questions for my liking.
Don't take away from this that Hell's Paradise isn't worth a read, 'cause it is, and it won't take you weeks and weeks to do it. Just be aware that it's the kind of story that thinks keeping up a good solid pace and a good solid feel is more important than fully making sure there's no juice left in the fruit.