“After God” Volume 1 – Manga Recommendation

With story and art by Sumi Eno, After God is a tale just begging for an anime adaptation. It’s shonen with a twist or two backed by marketing to faint for.

The manga cover for After God Volume 1 is beautifully woven. It doesn’t spoil the characters, their motivations, or plot. The cover grabs your attention. Looking at subsequent volume covers, it appears this is a consistent pattern. It’s After God‘s thing. If you are not familiar with dark horror manga or anime, then you will come to see how After God conveys it’s story is kinda it’s thing. Make no mistake, this is shonen fare; however, the dark tone, adult-tier psychological themes, and horror traits make this a unique read.

I managed to read this one on a flight to Tokyo in between dimmed lights – which definitely added to the ambiance.

The cover captures your attention even in the mosaic of manga recommended by your favorite bookseller. What the cover depicts does not become apparent until you read the book. Admittedly, I bought the manga because the cover looked cool and it had an interesting premise. I stayed for the body horror. That was unexpected.

The setup of Gods invading Japan, ever encroaching slowly over the land, leads to interesting themes: humans as useful or not, control vs agency, the body as a weapon, and mental health.

The protagonist Kamikura Waka is determined to push through her story wherever it may take her. Over time, this audacity will brush off on the reader as they turn each page. And the reader will become just as confused and intrigued as they encounter the phenomena and strangeness manifested in this version of Japan.

A place where Gods, media, and organizations use people as weapons for their own ends. A world where it is up to the human in question to determine which side you take.

After God Volume 1 is a solid start to a manga narrative centered around the conflict between Gods and mortals. The cliffhanger is just enough of a tease to prod you toward a Volume 2 purchase.

Ultimately, the After God manga is primed for an anime adaptation.

It’s just a matter of when.

Author: Rakim Reid

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