Apocalypse no Toride (Fort of Apocalypse) is definitely one of the best manga series I've read. It's packed with action, gore, interesting characters, a bit of fan dis-service, a bit of fan service, and a good storyline.

Story- 8/10
A good old zombie thriller. The zombie apocalypse starts and the characters have to find a way to survive. The setting starts at a juvenile detention center, but travels across different parts of Japan, giving glimpses of how the world has changed due to the apocalypse.

The plot progression is pretty good, too. It goes at a steady, but quick pace, bringing new information to the reader with each arc. The only complaint would be how each arc is so conveniently timed. The moment they solve one problem, the next one pops up. Realistically, I would think that these problems crop up in the middle of each other... But I give in to the suspension of belief.

The plot gets rather creative as the story goes on as well. It's a zombie series so it's a matter of shooting the undead and trying to survive, but this series gives a number of nice twists and turns as it goes.

The characters' decisions are believable as well. They match realistically with their personalities. "That is such an idiotic thing to do during an apocalypse!" ...well, he's an impulsive character who likes getting the last laugh so that makes sense.

Art- 10/10
How do you know that this is a main character??! Well, if they are good looking...

Inabe Kuze's art is gorgeous. From the characters to the scenery to the zombies to the weapons, all of it is amazing. The pretty boys and the pretty girl are all eye candy. The action scenes are smooth and the gore is well done. Occasionally, I question if someone with a snapped neck would move like that, but I imagine there are very few references for that out there.

But yea, the fanservice- pretty boys and girl
The fan dis-service- the zombies. ...The wonderfully terrifying abominations that will haunt me in my sleep.

Character- 9/10
The four main characters are well done. They're well fleshed out and hints of their hidden sides are shown early on. Unfortunately, what the author seemed to have traded in for character exploration was character development. There's not much of it throughout the series. It was, understandably, more of an action series than a psychological one. However, we do get to see how the main character goes from wimpy to badass.

Also included in my character rating are the zombies. The designs are creative, unlike the average slow moving, grunting zombies seen in movies. For a particular group of zombies, it was so terrifying that I simply stared at it in shock for several minutes. Maybe a bit of an exaggeration, but the shock was definitely there.

Enjoyment- 9/10
This was ultimately a very enjoyable series. There were heartbreaking and hilarious moments alike. And, of course, the terrifying zombie apocalypse moments! It ultimately loses out on a point from me simply because the story as a whole didn't feel complete. It felt like there was a lot more left to explore, but the author chose to end it where it was.

Overall- 9/10
Repeat from above on enjoyment.

It felt like a roller coaster ride of a story, but the rest of the amusement park was left unexplored.