Seeing as I mentioned this manga in my [OPINIONS] Another (manga) {Slight Spoilers} post, I thought I might as well write about my thoughts on it.
Emphasis...on "it"...ehehe...
Basics
So, Ibitsu comes in two volumes. The total number of chapters is fourteen (technically fifteen). Two of those chapters are unrelated stories that have to do with separate urban legends, so the actual story of this one:
-is thirteen chapters. The reasoning behind this is that one of the sites combined both the sixth chapter and the bonus story into one slot, making it fourteen chapters instead of fifteen. Ergo, I say both just in case if I am incorrect. :) Now that the
basics are gone, let us begin!
Plot
So this guy Kazuki is an average guy, just taking art classes, being bugged by his sister. One day he goes to the dump site in front of his home (apartment complex-thingy) to take out the trash. There sits a strange girl, who asks if he has a little sister.
After he answers "yes", strange and disturbing things happen.
Now, in my opinion, I am not sure if this is a real urban legend. If it is, then all the...better? Not sure. It would make it certainly more scary! Though the plot is fairly generic (average person + out at night = doom), this story at least makes it frightening!
A lot of people who read it actually consider it the scariest manga they've read.
Not sure why I thought it was a good starter horror manga after I read those comments.
Also, it was fairly paced. It didn't drag on for years, and it didn't all happen in one night. The story took it's time and developed into a nice little tale that will scar people of all ages for years to come.
Art
The art seemed fitting to the story. Wonderful shadows and great details. If I had a complaint, it would be that Ibitsu seems to be like a pickle at times.
Meaning that she seems a bit too flexible. Though, she is "the strange girl from the dump", so I can't exactly criticize this extensively.
Characters {Slight spoilers}
Horror stories do not commonly have a lot of character development. Mostly due to the fact that the characters end up dying anyways. Yet, as short as this is for a manga, there is actually some character development/personality. For example, Kazuki takes
an art class. He's interested in art, obviously. He has a smart friend and a rather dumb one (too much to rant about for him). His sister has a friend who loves sports. The list goes on for a bit.
The story also touches on how much of a monster Ibitsu is. After all, she does tend to drive people crazy and go crazy herself (whether a bit or a lot).
(*Cough**Cough*Becausestuffedtoyscanscream*Cough**Cough*)
To Conclude
Though the plot is generic, I finished it. I could understand the characters and where they were coming from. I enjoyed the art very much (though it was too creepy for me at times). Lastly, it scared me. There was tension and horrific elements of suspense.
Not just jump-scares (if manga can have jump scares that is). It was horrifying, enjoyable, and I am glad that I read it.
A bit.
The "scared for life" portion could have been left out.
Question for those that read this:
What was the scariest manga you ever read?