Bizenghast Volumes 1 and 2By: M. Alice LeGrow
Reviewed by: gothiclolitamaiden, 15
Rating: It was alright...
“When a young girl moves to the forgotten town of Bizenghast, she uncovers a terrifying collection of lost souls that leads her to the brink of insanity. One thing becomes painfully clear: The residents of Bizenghast are just dying to come home.”
This is the sort of OEL (Original English Language) manga that tends to set manga purists against English manga. I don’t know if it should even be considered manga, since there is very little manga influence evident in the art, other than some gothic-lolita inspired outfits. One of the problems with the series is the art, but I’ll get to that later.
The plot is not the most original, I must say. I am a big fan of the gothic horror genre, but only if it’s pulled off correctly. Dinah, the main character, has to help spirits move on, which is a bit like Bleach, but with less shonen action. Things move quickly enough to keep you interested, even if the plot is episodic and slightly repetitive in nature. Some of the jokes are funny, but they don’t really fit in with the mood of the story. The author hints that the heroes won’t have such an easy time helping spirits in the future. On a positive note, the panels are laid out so that they are easy to read.
Most of the characters are rather flat, unfortunately. The most interesting character is Edaniel, the first tower guardian. Other than Edaniel, the other characters are boring or even slightly irritating. I thought that Dinah would stop screaming every time she sees a ghost and get used to it, but she gets spooked every single time.
Another big problem is the art. No, I am not an art snob, but in a genre that relies on art as the medium for the story, the art needs to be acceptably consistent. Some of the art in Bizenghast is very pretty (the covers, chapter titles, certain panels) but only in panels that the artist obviously put considerable effort into. Most of the other panels aren’t drawn very well and there are anatomy issues. At best, the regular panels (the ones that the artist doesn’t put much effort into) are mediocre, at worst, they are sloppy. The backgrounds aren’t half bad, I must admit, and they lend the story an appropriate creepy, gothic atmosphere.
Bizenghast is certainly not the best addition to the growing selection of OEL manga. The artist probably needs more experience with art and storytelling, but is still quite promising.
Recommended to: Fans of the gothic genre 13+ Anyone who doesn't mind angst and bad art that is supposedly manga-inspired
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