Who doesnāt want to live forever? I mean, yeah, there is that problem that everyone around you dies. But you donāt have to. Think of all the video games you could play with all that time. Well, hereās a manga that offers a different perspective on the issue.
The manga is titled āäŗäŗŗā or Ajin (pronounced, āah-jihnā),
which means ādemi-human,ā and it paints a much bleaker picture on what it would be like if suddenly, there were people who discovered they couldnāt die.
What
Itās About
In the story of Ajin, the world has been shaken by the discovery of a new type of
human, called āAjin.ā What makes an Ajin different from a normal
human are two specific features: 1. An Ajin is capable of emitting a sound that
will temporarily paralyze a normal human, and 2. An Ajin cannot die. When an
Ajin sustains enough physical damage that would kill a normal human, the Ajin
ādies,ā but then immediately regenerates to a healthy state.
17 years after their initial discovery, 46
Ajin have been confirmed throughout the world. While research on Ajin and
why/how they regenerate is pretty much at a standstill, they are still sought
after by government agencies for research purposes. Unfortunately, the only way
to know if someone is an Ajin is for them to ādie,ā which means that
there are people living normal lives who donāt know they are Ajin. Initially
seen as the greatest discovery in human history, Ajin are no longer regarded as
āhuman,ā they have no rights and are hunted like reusable lab rats.
The main character of the story, Kei Nagai,
discovers that he is an Ajin after a traffic accident. He is forced to run for
his ālifeā as the darker secrets of the Ajin are slowly uncovered.
Review
On its surface, the story of Ajin is an action-packed, supernatural
thriller ā and there are some scenes of some seriously bad-ass action ā while
underneath, it tackles issues of society, discrimination, and of course,
mortality.
The story is well-paced with a very
convincing sense of perpetual threat hanging over Kei, from the very instant he
is hurled from the everyday life of your average high school student to being the
most sought-after potential research material in Japan.
The story also does a good job of exploring
the potential of the world and the rules it has set up, from how to fight against and
capture a creature that has a built-in reset button, to how such a creature can exploit its abilities. And then,
there are the secrets of the Ajin that have not been revealedā¦
The manga is not without its flaws, the
biggest being the main character himself. Kei starts out as a seemingly
innocent bystander, mixed up in something much bigger than himself; the perfect
vessel through which the reader can view this strange world where immortality
is the worst thing that could happen to someone. However, as the story
progresses and more about Kei is revealed, he becomes less and less relatable,
and consequently, less likable.
Another weakness of the story is Keiās
antagonist, the man in charge of his capture, Agent Tosaki. While Kei slowly
becomes unrelatable through the story, Tosaki is just uninteresting. From the
start, he is depicted as your standard āintelligent, capable, and
unyielding field agent hunting his markā and doesnāt really progress from
there. Even his motivation, when itās revealed, seems rather bland.
His
assistant, on the other hand, seems to have much more potential as a character,
much like the other Ajin that eventually show up. In the end, itās the
surrounding characters who wind up being far more interesting than the main
characters.
Conclusion
While it isnāt perfect, Ajin does a good job of making up for
its weaknesses with its mysteries and suspense. While it does explore the
psyche and personalities of its characters, ultimately, it feels more of a plot-driven story than a character-driven one.
The manga is still ongoing, so it
could just as easily turn into a pulpy mess as it could become a story for the ages. As it stands, I find it an incredibly enjoyable and entertaining
experience that shows that, in a world where immortality exists, there are
fates truly worse than death.
Info
Manga
Title:äŗäŗŗ (Ajin)
Author(s):
Gamon Sakurai and Tsuina Miura*
*Only volume one is by both authors.
Volumes two and three are credited to Gamon Sakurai alone.
Ongoing;
Yes
Volumes:
3
Ajin is currently being published in the semi-monthly magazine, good! Afternoon from Koudansha. The
first volume can be read here. (Japanese only)
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