Amatsuki

Write review
Become lord
Alternatives: Japanese: あまつき
Author: Takayama, Shinobu
Type: Manga
Volumes: 24
Chapters: 158
Status: Finished
Publish: 2004-07-28 to 2017-08-28
Serialization: Comic ZERO-SUM

Reading

Want to read

Read

Remove

Reading

Want to read

Read

Remove

4.2
(5 Votes)
60.00%
20.00%
0.00%
20.00%
0.00%
0 Reading
0 Want to read
0 Read
Alternatives: Japanese: あまつき
Author: Takayama, Shinobu
Type: Manga
Volumes: 24
Chapters: 158
Status: Finished
Publish: 2004-07-28 to 2017-08-28
Serialization: Comic ZERO-SUM
Score
4.2
5 Votes
60.00%
20.00%
0.00%
20.00%
0.00%
0 Reading
0 Want to read
0 Read
Summary
History isn't Tokidoki's strong subject. He's even forced to do make-up work at a high-tech history museum to bring up his failing grades. After losing an eye to a virtual reality monster in an Edo period simulation, he finds himself unable to leave the game. Could it be real?

(Source: Easy Going Scans)
Reviews (5)
Write review
Amatsuki review
by
NotArt3mis9
Apr 04, 2021
Story: While hard to follow, Amatsuki has one of the best stories I've seen in a manga in ages. It starts off with a fairly ordinary premise: a boy gets trapped in another world. However, there's more to the story than just this generic, straightforward plot; questions of how Toki is trapped inside the game and what Amatsuki really IS keep you guessing throughout the story and make the whole concept of "a new world" far more intriguing than it usually is. The story is very thought-out, everything is perfectly intertwined, and there are a handful of twists I certainly didn't see coming.

The story's greatest weakness, I think, is that it unfolds almost like a mystery novel at times and is presented in such a way that it can be very difficult to follow at times. It will probably require you to read through it at least twice before getting a true understanding of everything that's going on. 9/10

Art: Gorgeous and detailed. Not much else to say here. 10/10

Character: The strongest point of the manga. Although Amatsuki has a pretty huge cast, almost none of the characters have gotten the short end of the stick in terms of developement. The characters all seem almost real in the way that all of them have obvious strengths, flaws, and motivations for what they do. While some people complain that there is no obvious antagonist in Amatsuki, this is one of the best parts about it: there are no stereotypically "good" or "evil" characters, just characters on different sides, all with understandable motivations and a whole lot of depth. 10/10

Enjoyment: This is where the manga is hurt the most. Amatsuki, while an excellent manga, is not for everyone. This is a manga that requires a degree of thought and effort to be able to see it for what it's really worth. If you're just looking for a manga to read for fun and enjoyment, you should probably look for something else. Not that you CAN'T just enjoy Amatsuki without thinking about it, it's just not the best manga to read if you're just looking for something fun, fast-paced, and full of action. 7/10

Overall: Good plot, amazing characters, and gorgeous art. It's sometimes hard to follow, but definitely worth the ride if you're willing to figure it out. 10/10
Amatsuki review
by
Babarek15
Apr 04, 2021
I encountered Amatsuki as an anime first. I was curious when someone mentioned that it had a manga counterpart. I am the kind of person who would prefer reading/watching the original work before seeing the other version.

The story is not so unusual. It involves alternate worlds and realities. The mangaka chose to portray it via the VR (Virtual Reality) technology. The protagonist arrives at this other world when he encounters two unusual types of monsters, which he, at first, thinks of as part of the VR programming. However, he soon realizes that he is not in the VR world that he had come from. In the story, this is done quite seamlessly that you have to wonder how it could have happened. There are events that happen in the manga that make you realize that there is more to the "accidentally-being-in-an-alternate-dimension" coincidence, which we have experienced many times in a manga story. What makes this story different in my opinion is the unique way of how the mangaka portrays it. There are times, however, that I get confused in some instances of the story. There are certain blanks that are drawn, which I suppose is up to the reader to interpret or, probably, left in future chapters. This manga is not all serious. There are cute little moments that make you laugh, or at the very least, smile.

Despite the sometimes-confusing plot, what made me continue on reading this is the art and the character portrayal. Like the great Obata Takeshi, Shinobu Takayama (the mangaka) can seamlessly make his characters chibi to serious and vice versa. I may not be exaggerating if I say that the art is the reason why I'm going to continue on reading Volume 2. The art style for the characters is somewhat relaxed. The details that go in certain scenes are also great. I love how the mangaka's art just seems to flow in the pages. Subjectively, I am a fangirl. The guys are bishounen enough for me to find reason to go on. :D

The characters' portrayal have been compressed quite awkwardly in my opinion. It has only been seven chapters and yet I have seen many characters appearing in the pages, giving hints of their significant role in the story. There is the issue of Toki's seeming nonchalance of the events that happen to him in the other world. But, again, the mangaka provides hints of why that could be Toki's case. Also, I can easily warm up to the characters that appear. That is a problem in my case because I haven't found anyone that I can consider an antagonist. This is considerably bad seeing as I've just finished a volume. Also, this may be just my imagination, but the way Shinobu Takayama-sensei portrays the characters, it's like he's giving a definite go signal to yaoi doujinshi possibilities.

Another upside to this story is the appearance of random trivia. Of course, since this is a historical manga, historical trivia should only be expected. I am referring to the little bits of trivia that could definitely qualify to "I-didn't-know-that". It could, arguably, be considered useless trivia (useless, in the case of not really applicable in real life) but the discovery of certain little facts could definitely make you say a little bit of "Ooh!"

A little redundant, but I have to say this again. The art is simply wonderful! Especially the color pages. I recommend this manga even if only for the art. :D

Overall Score: 7/10