|
|
|
|
||||||||||||||||||
 |
||||||
|
|
Reviewed by Michael Aronson If LLT wants to be a psychological thriller, all it manages is a psychological baffler. I could stomach maybe a couple of the mysteries floating about Shiki’s macabre world, but not all of them combined. I really like that he’s beginning to see the world and judge people by the supernatural lines that invisibly cross their bodies, outlining the perfect cuts that could slice them to pieces. I even like that he’s haunted by dreams of indulging those lines with a knife and maybe even taken pleasure in the activity. But including the additional mystery of whether or not the evil Roa lives inside him, influencing his actions, bogs down all the suspense. Furthermore, Shiki has trouble trusting any of his supporting cast because they’re mostly all ciphers themselves. Ciel pretends to be his classmate but has really been monitoring him the whole time, Arcuied might know more than she lets on – or not – and a mystery man attacks him or might or might not be under the influence of Roa. Oh, and there are vampires too. It’s not that LLT thinks it’s being complex, it just tries to do more than it can handle. Some of this is due to clumsy action choreography and illustrations that don’t quite convey the otherworldly pyrotechnics they intend. It’s a cluttered presentation of a cluster of story elements which, taken alone, could be pretty damn interesting. As a whole, LLT is a misfire. Interested in writing for MangaLife? We're always looking for talented reviewers and columnists, so drop us a line! Charles Webb Editor-in-Chief, MangaLife.com |
1 September 2010
|
||||
 |
| home | reviews | news | features | about us | advertise | privacy policy | contact us |
