Jisatsu Circle

Jisatsu Circle is an adaptation of the Suicide Club film released in 2002 written and directed by Sion Sono. The manga was originally meant to follow the film, however, Sono asked Usamaru Furuya to put his own spin on the story, giving the franchise a fresh makeover and a new plotline.

Having not watched the original film, reading Jisatsu Circle was my first look into this franchise and I was a little hesitant. It took me a while to decide if I would read the manga or watch the film first and I finally decided on the manga as it was a somewhat 'alternate universe' to the original creation.

I surprisingly enjoyed this. Following the story of a suicide club with an opening of fifty-five high school girls jumping in front of a high-speed train, this manga starts things off fast and then immediately slows them down. Following the mystery as to why one of the girls survived, we're slowly taken across a story of intrigue trying as Kyoko tries to figure out what is happening to save her best friend Saya.

There is quite a little bit of hype around this in the horror community as one of the best jisatsu genre one-shots, and similar stances, and although I thoroughly enjoyed this, I feel like it fell a little flat. We go from a simple suicide club plot line to an intricate maze of clues and frankly I feel like it was a little bit far fetched for what Usamaru tried to do with the story. The art was well done and the gore scenes definitely caught my attention. I skimmed this more than I read it, looking through the art and not paying much attention and I still managed to understand and get the entire story. It's simple enough to understand, simple enough to read, and it has a decent presence.

I'm not quite sure what was a little lacking in this for me. I believe it was the plot point that Usumaru went for in his work, the overall why they were doing this and it didn't feel as authentic as it could have done.

Still, it's a good seven out of ten for me, chilling to flick through, but not as prime as it could have been.

Disturbing.

I stumbled upon this manga while looking for something short to read. Suicide had always intrigued me as it is the very essence of giving up and finding solace in death. It is one of those few things that those with the will to live can never understand and for that reason I was eager to read this manga.

Story: Unfortunately this manga had more of a horror taste (perhaps to be expected) than a profound psychological one and I was left relatively unimpressed by the time I had reached the end. The manga is quick to shake you as it begins with a scene of mass suicide; nothing is explained. While the shock-factor may intrigue you at first as it did me, I quickly found that this was the only thing that enticed me to finish the story. They did not delve deeply into the minds of the girls who joined the club nor did they explain much of how the protagonist felt - things simply happened. And perhaps it is my lack of exposure to Japanese culture but in spite of the protagonist's tragic upbringing I felt myself unable to relate or feel sympathy while feeling that the whole thing was unrealistic and simply designed to be disgusting. By the end of the story nothing is resolved. There is no depth. The story succeeds in its role as a horror manga however and for that reason I reward it a7/10

Art: The art was quite good and effectively magnified the story's dark and disturbing flavor. Bodies are drawn in proportion and 'impacts' are realistic to say the least. The character's were all consistently ugly. They are not afraid to go the extra mile. Everything is done to make this manga look as disturbing as possible.

At this point I don't really feel like analyzing the rest of the categories as I normally do. The characters like the story, were 2-Dimensional at best. And while the story was enjoyable in the sense that it kept you reading - it won't add anything of value to your life. The story was not insightful. The art was not astonishing. The characters did not make you cry or smile. This manga was meant to disturb. It is designed to shock you. And that is what it does well. Had they gone more in depth into the idea of suicide, how and why it occurs for different individuals and considered the topic on several levels while maintaining the existing mood of disturbia, it would be much better. Overall: 6/10

One word Disturbing and thrilling.
From the begining to the end you want more, you want to understand why and at the same time you don't want to... because the answer will probably freak you out more than the question.

This manga, make you wonder about your own life, about the society, maybe about a friend who is like one of the characters... because it doesn't matter wich country is, there is always a 'Saya Kota' in all the societies.

Well I've seen other reviews around here all crying disturbing or whatnots...

Story:6
Well I do not really think it's THAT disturbing... but rather a little disappointed in the execution of the manga. The mangaka is quite a master at executing grim stories... unfortunately I do not really see a very realistic portrait of this whole "Mitsuko" incident. Remember what people said about this Mitsuko... that she's something of a sage... that she brings tangible benefit to them, that they feel peaceful when they look at her.

O rite... and about the dead ppl bbs... it was not explained properly.. I think.

And there are a lot of spaces in-between some huge events, like after the train mass suicide incident did no police or counselors approach "the only girl who survived"? Besides, there are a lot of strange points, how no one complained many different high and middle school girls congregated at a school? And how did Saya get so many followers over a summer?

Well seeing this as done over a month I can't possibly say that much about it. But it's quite a pity... since most of the content seems to be mired in tragedy and horror. IMO, it wasn't very solid.

The ending wasn't that well too... I simply do not get how Kyouko and Saya suddenly got so well with each other again... it seems too rushed.

Art:7
I do not like the naked child scenes. But other than that it was still all right. Except for Yoko's face.... sometimes it looks a bit weird, especially the placement of her eyes.

Character:5
Some character development, mostly to justify the birth of 'Mitsuko-chan'.

Enjoyment:6
Argh it leaves a bad aftertaste and a bad during-taste too.

Overall:6
Overall, I do not like it but it's not that bad of a series. It is not a retelling of the original movie by the same name. It is modified by the mangaka with the permission of the original creator. And it was created within a month.

And PS. read the mangaka's other works like Picasso's ?? and 51 Ways to protect your Lover to catch his awesomeness^_^.

Warning: avoid cause of spoilers









One word: angry

Story: simple premise, girls kill themselves, one survives, survivor makes a new circle of girls, they commit suicide as well, the cycle continues. what makes me very angry is that they took a girl against her will to join and who was such a good friend; what right do they have to steal a life like that. I don't care about how she's like them, it's not right.

Art: works with the style of the story and I liked how they looked, even with the gore; its what I came for

Characters: Very much enjoyed Kyoko and her kindness until the end when she accepted her suicide attempt, then I got mad that she accepted so easily. I pitied Saya for a while cause I do understand her pain and downward spiral, but the same with Kyoko, I just don't accept her easy changed. She didn't deserve this fate but she also deserve this for being a horrible friend and person. Yes, death and suicide are always sad and are no laughing matter, but for how she is and what she did, she deserved the worst

Overall: I'd recommend if you're in for art and horror, but I do not recommend for someone that's sensitive of these topics or if you're like me and probably don't understand why the easy changes of these suicidal students

RED Dizziness
by radiantfire

Context:
For this review, I'll be analysing Jisatsu Circle by Usamaru Furuya. The concept of the series comes from a movie bearing the same title. While not a direct adaptation, it nonetheless comprises of the same elements: troubled children and suicide.

Story:
The suicidal dive of 54 schoolgirls at Shinjuku station is one of the most memorable opening sequences in any manga I have read. Gruesome and deeply biting, the opening jump alone sets what is profoundly a scary commentary on the state of Japanese contemporary society. It is on this note that Jisatsu Circle introduces one of the most disturbing stories I have ever experienced.

Art:
The horror theme of the manga is heavily accentuated by the art. Characters are drawn pragmatically, bodies are realistically ripped apart, and moods and emotions are easily conveyed through facial expressions. The odd styling of Furuya gives the series a strong grotesque frame of reference.

Character:
Saya is demented. All the girls in the club are demented. They mentally and physically break themselves down in order to gain a sense of happiness which is found, scarily enough, in their deaths. They are, in all sagacity, the fundamental source of horror in the series. Through them, Furuya highlights the importance and the profound fragility of life.

Enjoyment:
The series brought me a strange kind of experience. Although I was intensely engrossed by the story, I strongly felt a sensation of fragility. In all honesty, I have not read anything like it before. It brought me, what can be best described as, a bitter-sweet enjoyment.

Conclusion
Jisatsu Circle provides a terrifying and disturbing volume on Japanese contemporary society. It leaves us to question the very state of their world but also, our own mental states. A sickening and deeply depressing piece of horror, Jisatsu Circle is not one for the faint of heart.

You will be presented a mystery.
You will see images, meant to disturb and intrigue you.
The story will develop, but not the characters. The sad remain sad. and the helpless remain helpless.
As a result, you might not care much for the characters at all.
You just want a happy end so you can get on with your life with a sense of closure on this story.
You don't get it.
The mystery will be explained. Poorly.
The (entity?) that carried the plot will not be laid to rest.
The cycle goes on.
Why? Who knows?

In a nutshell, if you like satisfying conclusions and well-explained mysteries, stay away from this manga for it will provide you with neither.

One way i find my manga is through the reccomendations section of a manga i already read (and enjoyed). This manga was the recommendation of a recommendation (i typically dont read horrors, lol). Anyway, this manga is a good break to any other type of manga (unless its already horror your reading). A very MYSTERIOUS (in the good way) and yet DISTURBING manga at the same time.

Story:
Jisatsu Circle is a manga that truly shows what girls go through sometimes, with a lot of gore and body parts added into the mix. (as you will soon see when you read it *winks). Like most horror manga, it will start out with a massive shock factor that will horrify the reader into think "hey? WHY DID THIS HAPPEN? and try to read on". And there are many twists in the story, leading the reader to falsely suspect people. And some freaky un-explained occurrances.

Mainly focuses on suicide, girls' lives (what ppl dont know), gore, and cult.
DO NOT READ IF YOU CANT TOLERATE EXTREME GORE, even i (who i think can stand most shock factors, flinched a bit after viewing it in the first chapter :/ ).

Art:
The characters in this manga are drawn in an entirely different style than what most ppl who read mangas are used to. I must say, this is one of the only manga whose characters actually might look like real life ppl (the eyes are smaller, not all girls are lovey dovey and cute). For most people who like cute manga girls with large eyes and stuff, this manga might not seem appealing in this way, but the art is unique in this way and suits this manga well.

Character:
There is a lot of character information, and the main character Saya Kota develops very well in this manga. The manga is designed so that it is mostly told from a third person's point of view: Saya Kota's friend Kyoko. IMO the characters are very well explained in this manga, about how they came to be. Kyoko shares her memories of Saya from even when they were children, and how tragedy afflicted her friend. In the end, Kyoko is finally able to reach Saya just a bit, but it is too late...and the circle (or shall i say cycle) of horror continues.

Enjoyment:
Most ppl would enjoy the story more than the gore IMO. The story (along with explicit pictures shown) will make you feel horror, sadness, intensity, shock, and sometimes even disgust. But there are many twists, and you'll want to keep reading to find out the whole mystery of the story.

Overall:
Again, DO NOT READ THIS MANGA IF YOU CANT STAND GORE, otherwise it is a great manga, and is concise. Shows very well what girls may be suffering through, and has shock content and mystery to keep the reader on edge and the pages flippin.