Ultra Heaven: A hidden gem written over a decade ago. That's obviously my opinion on the piece, but let me explain what it is and why I enjoyed it so much.

Ultra Heaven was written in response to the re-discovery of DMT in the early 2000s. DMT is a psychedelic compound known as the "Spirit Molecule", as it is a compound the brain naturally creates and releases during certain stages of REM sleep, and more importantly, the instants before death. It marks transcendence from conscious states, being sleep and wake, or life and death. Kabu, the main character and protagonist of the story, comes across this powerful drug and experiences life-changing moments of oscillation between different states of consciousness. It is important to know that in the story, drugs are represented in such a way that they are immediate routes to change your state of consciousness and have emotions available at your very fingertips. When drugs were legalized, it was meant to be a landmark in human development, but addicts like Kabu got caught up in the ride. He says it this way. "When I was a kid, there was a TV show I liked. It aired once a week, and I could hardly wait. I was already beside myself, 30 minutes before it started. However, excitement gets tiresome, and I'd doze off eventually, and by the time I woke up again, the show was already over. Thats how I feel right now (before dosing). But, that was when I was a kid. Now, you can just ask for whatever show you wanna watch."

I give the concept and execution a 10/10. Ultra Heaven REALLY reminds me of "Brave New World" by Aldous Huxley. However, UH is more accurately a dystopia hidden within. I felt the total freedom associated with the world, but knew first hand what kind of slavery it housed for addicts like myself. Kabu was entirely relateable to me, and not just to me. Other people I know who have read the book, even kids who dont have a drug problem, got something off of Kabu and the world he lived in. And still, the execution was groundbreaking. The trip scenes did what Palestine did to comics, and stretched the medium beyond its original intention, creating an alternative style. Then, when the style became regular, its chronological sequencing was very unique. One of the most compelling examples is in the first 3 pages. I feel like explaining it would be a spoiler, though.

The art gets a 10/10 as well, because it is very intricate. I almost believe that Koike Keiichi tried psychedelic drugs himself before writing Ultra Heaven. The development in his art is just outstanding.

The character gets a 9/10, and a high 9 at that. There aren't too many characters in the manga, but theyre all interesting in many ways. They each represent some involvement in the spiritual movement and in the drug culture. Kabu has already been explained as a drug addict and small-time peddler, who is trapped in the new world order. The girl, who oddly doesnt need a name, is the most pitch-perfect example of a neo-hippie, who uses an amplifier to send and receive magnetic frequencies used to "highten consciousness." Everything she does with it assumes its true, too. Seven is a really cool steampunk guy, and a great friend I would love to have by my side. He doesn't show up enough, though, which is the only reason i knocked it down.

If you are interested in Drug Culture, seeing where Manga can go, or you like alternatives to the realm of storytelling, read Ultra Heaven. I promise you that you wont want your time back.