After God #01

アフターゴッド [After God] #1

by Sumi Eno

In einem Japan, in dem große Teile des Landes zu Gefahrengebieten erklärt worden sind, weil die gefährlichen Götter über sie herrschen, erwischt der Wissenschaftler Tokinaga eine junge Frau namens Waka dabei, wie sie durch einen Grenzzaun starrt. Als er sie zur Rede stellt, behauptet sie, sie sei hergekommen, um eine Freundin zu treffen. Tokinaga weiß, dass sie ihn anlügt, doch er ist sich nicht bewusst, dass Waka die Kraft besitzt, das Schicksal der Welt zu verändern …

Genres: Manga, Horror, Fantasy, Comics, Comics Manga, Seinen, Graphic Novels

192 pages, Paperback

First published December 1, 2021

About the author

大学で４年間、美術作品の歴史とかなんとか
美術史学的な東洋美術史専攻に学んだりして
卒業後にはその勉強内容を９割方忘れ、
卒業してから１年経ち、２年経…つ、ちょっと前、
２０１４年１２月に裏サンデーで商業デビュー、
連載開始できました。

一応漫画家を名乗りだしますが、
決して先生ではありません。
黄色人種ゴリラ類です。

Reviews

[Ricarda · Rating 3 out of 5]

I loved the artwork, but the story was all over the place and couldn't really intrigue me.

[DianaRose · Rating 3 out of 5]

this was clearly very heavily inspired by chainsaw man (i initially thought it was from the mangaka that created chainsaw man due to the gore and art style).

i think while this genre of shonen — specifically filled with gore and apocalyptic/psychological horror — has become popular, the storytelling/goals of characters (especially the antagonists) is rather unclear. waka’s
goal, however, is to kill the “gods” that have mysteriously appeared in the world decades ago, after her best friend shion was murdered by one.

anyways there’s a talking cat so i may possibly return to this series to see if it survives🙏🏼 i’m sure this series will take off, especially if mappa picks it up to animate

[tig :3 · Rating 4 out of 5]

consider me CAPTIVATED by the creatures !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Kelli · Rating 4 out of 5]

Oh. This is VERY cool.

Eldritch horror-esque gods running amok and humans with blessings that transform them into body horror nightmares? You’ve got my attention.

I said this is cool. But, really, I think this is SICK—in the best ways.

In this first volume, we are introduced to a world ravaged by “gods”. Everywhere these creatures have risen, they have left a wake of ruin. Japan is being slowly but surely invaded. Much of the region from Hokkaido to districts of Tokyo has been classified as an uninhabitable zone. Only unfortunate souls and researchers like Sachiyuki Tokinaga call these regions home. A researcher at the Anti-God Scientific Research Institute, Tokinaga is determined to find a way to stop these gods.

Enter Waka Kamikura.

A high schooler, Waka is in search of her dear friend. After she disappeared into the exclusion zone, Waka decided she would try to find her. But, it’s not safe for humans to enter into the vicinity of the gods.

Well, it’s not safe for most people.

Waka, as it turns out, isn’t like most people though. She’s got a secret—a dangerous one. And, it just might put an end to this godly scourge once and for all.

It’s such a cool and gripping concept. I’m always impressed by how creators outside the influence of western, Judeo-Christian beliefs reimagine the religious mythology into something unexpected and visceral. Like, yes—make the gods Eldritch monsters. Make the divine ugly and twisted. Show us the face of god and have us fall back in revulsion. Love it.

This story has some sharp teeth to it already—and I’m looking forward to reading more. It’s already more compelling plot wise than most of its contemporaries. This first volume introduces themes that revolve around morality, ethics, and sacrifice.

Who must we become to not only face our gods—but overcome them?

So good.

Pick up this story—it’s great! Especially if you already enjoy darker manga reads and/or if you have an appreciation for really gruesome body horror illustrations, this will not disappoint~

[Rebecca · Rating 4 out of 5]

The gorgeous art and clever premise are what initially grabbed me, but it's the themes explored and the eccentric characters that will definitely keep me reading.

[Lucy · Rating 5 out of 5]

this is a series i would buy hard copies of 🙂‍↕️🙂‍↕️ i was originally interested bc of the art but lo and behold it also has my favorite things: horribly insane, morally grey characters... good balance of serious and silly moments ... lots of cats ...someone adapt this into an anime and my life is YOURS

[Aidan Hepler · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've got a lot of hope for this being the next chainsaw man level masterpiece, but volume one is definitely slow to getting you into the world.

[nicole · Rating 2 out of 5]

the art is cool and the concept is strong but it's a slow, convoluted start and the actual plot setup does not intrigue me that much. plus that cat thing annoyed the hell out of me

[Rick · Rating 4 out of 5]

(3.5 stars rounded up)

After God volume 1 shows a strong start to the series. The artwork is wonderful. The designs of the gods are super cool. The same goes for the characters and clothing. The style and the story vibe are very familiar, similar to many other manga, but I think there is enough uniqueness here to stay interesting. The second half of the volume starts to feel a bit convoluted, but that also feels similar to many other books in the same genre. It is not enough to scare me away from the series. The one thing that did bug me a lot was the number of typos. There were several spots where words were missing. It really pulled me out of the story. For large books with 100,000 words, a typo here and there can be overlooked. For a manga volume with far, far fewer words, it feels totally unacceptable. That being said, I am still going to grab volume 2 when it is released.

[Dxdnelion · Rating 3 out of 5]

After God would be the most interesting and unique manga I have read so far this year. It's like a combination of Heavenly Delusion, Hell's Paradise, and Chainsaw Man altogether. While I usually don't really like vague and complex stories, this manga intrigued me. It's quite hard to get into it at first, but the art style is just too gorgeous for me to drop it.

The exploration of a 'dystopian' setting, the battle of God, human beings, and 'weapons' to fight against God. It's really interesting and intense. There's so much unanswered question (especially on how things happen, their power system in details, etc.). I will pick up the next volume, but not for now, I guess. 

Its a series that needs full concentration; if you skim-read a panel, you would end up being confused and miss out on some of their explanation. 

Giving this 3.7. Can't wait to read the next volume.

[Ester · Rating 4 out of 5]

En un Tokio distópico, unos seres a los que llaman dioses viven entre los humanos, siendo un peligro para los mismos. Waka es una joven que los odia y quiere vengar la muerte de su amiga en sus manos y en aquellos que los idolatran. Pero no podrá hacerlo sin ayuda y, por cosas del destino, acaba en un laboratorio donde le dicen que puede unirse en la cruzada contra los dioses.

Leer la reseña completa sin espóileres en mi blog:

https://unabibliotecaentremundos.blog...

[Rhys · Rating 3 out of 5]

super interesting concept and setting (more so than the synopsis lets on, imo), art can be amazing (especially with the body horror and gore, less so for everyday scenes), and i'm definitely interested in where things are going.

the pacing, however, is so uneven and wonky. so many strange fake-outs and reveals that feel way too sudden. i love mixing horror with comedy but in most scenes the shift felt more like emotional whiplash. i also just wasn't sure what to think of most of the side characters.

still, i tend to be forgiving of first volumes of manga series (fingers crossed for improvement) and i definitely would like to read the next one.

[Chandra Summers · Rating 3 out of 5]

Story seems similar to Chainsaw man.
The character design for the gods was very cool, but the story so far feels kinda generic.
I found the cat character to be incredibly annoying and I think it would be better without him. He didn’t feel like he belonged in the world, it felt inorganic; like the author was just adding a gag into the story for the sake of it and it comes off very ham-fisted.

[huna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mind-blown. What an interesting concept

[Dario Boen · Rating 3 out of 5]

A solid three. Had some cool artwork fr. I'm not too sure what I just read as the plot seems complex or the descriptions were just a bit too dense. I'm interested to read the next tome

[Peter · Rating 3 out of 5]

I didn't really enjoy the first half of the first volume of After God. I thought the interactions between characters were kind of awkward. Also, there was the issue of the cat-like creature who makes frequent poop references. I especially didn't like that.

It picked up by the end, though. I like the direction the plot is taking, and I like many of the themes, such as the vengeance-driven dilemma which I won't further describe. The art is a bit messy in my opinion, and sometimes the characters look out of place. Simultaneously, there are also times when the art is very nice, particularly during close-ups of the characters. So I guess it evens out.

After God has a very creepy and interesting premise, and the atmosphere matches that premise rather well. However, I probably won't continue the series, unless I happen to stumble upon the second volume in a library.

[Alex Richey · Rating 4 out of 5]

I hope this becomes an anime.

[Michelle Graf · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thanks to NetGalley and VIZ Media for the ARC.

I like the premise and the art style. It does feel like it's trying to ride on the hype for Chainsawman in some ways, and I hope the story develops more for its own sake in upcoming volumes.

[Lanie Brown · Rating 5 out of 5]

Review will be up tomorrow!

[el · Rating 4 out of 5]

artwork is gorgeous & the story is sick asf im HOOKED

[ana :3 · Rating 5 out of 5]

I don't even know how to put down my thoughts on how much I loved this series in a review. The themes are amazing, the art is beautiful, it's got such a good blend of horror and humour. A million times yes

[Lucille · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow j’ai adoré c’est une vrai dinguerie magnifiquement dessiné, j’adore déjà les personnages et suis très intriguée pour la suite. 5/5

[Toni · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 maybe

[Liza · Rating 2 out of 5]

The concept was interesting but the story is kind of all over the place.

Tokinaga also feels way too "normal" for the group he's in.

[Dandy ˙ᵕ˙ · Rating 4 out of 5]

the premise intrigues me but the way its being pulled off is not my favorite. i think ill give vol 2 a chance and if i feel the same i may drop

[Wiktoria · Rating 5 out of 5]

cudo

[Chaela · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love horrors beyond human comprehension (what a cool start to this series!)

[Mai · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.75

Beautiful art. Would like to see better characterization and background for Waka. The side characters too.

[Lisichka · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's an interesting story, but it didn't catch me that much. Not sure if i want to continue this manga.

[Rex Inanis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Extremst starker erster Band! Das Konzept ist echt geil, auch wenn das grad alles echt viel auf einmal war. Es wurde an manchen Stellen etwas verwirrend, aber alle Unverständlichkeiten, die mir kamen, wurden im Laufe der Geschichte aufgeklärt. Ich hoffe wirklich, dass die nächsten Bände genau so stark werden.

Allein für Nyababa sollten 5 Sterne verteilt werden. Genau solche Comedy-Faktoren brauche ich beim Manga lesen. Er lockert das ganze echt auf und obwohl die ganze Situation echt ernst ist spielt der/die Autor*in mit Humor und einer Leichtigkeit, welche das Lesen echt spannend macht. Normalerweise les ich einen Mangaband in plus minus einer halben Stunde, aber hier saß ich deutlich länger dran. Man will sich wirklich jedes Panel einzeln anschauen und ich hab auch jede Sprechblase mit Begeisterung eingesaugt. Hat definitv Potential für meine neue Lieblingsreihe. Leider findet man online kaum Community, aber das wird bestimmt noch!

Um das an einer Stelle meiner Rezession zu erwähnen: Tokinaga ist echt süß. Allein für ihn lohnt sich das weiter Lesen. Ich bin ja normalerweise niemand, der sich direkt am Anfang einer Story in den Hauptcharakter verliebt, aber er... Freue mich um so mehr auf die nächsten Bände!

Noch eine Sache, die hier drin stehen muss: Es ist wahnsinning gut übersetzt mit der Dialekt Sache. Auch die Jugendsprache und Schimpfworte sind gut übersetzt, es wirkt nicht so steif wie in manch anderer Mangareihe!

Das einzige was mich davon abgehalten hat sofort 5 Sterne zu bewerten war die ganze Sache mit Nayu Kozuru... Ich fand ihn schon vor der Vorstellung sehr seltsam und ich weiß noch nicht was ich von der ganzen (SPOILER AHEAD) künstlicher Mensch Sache halten soll. Sein Konzept ist sehr seltsam, auch dass er aussieht wie ein 15-Jähriger lässt mich ein bisschen Abstand von ihm nehmen. Aber jemand wie er soll mir nicht die Rezession vermiesen!

Der Manga war trotz Nayu Kozuru 5 Sterne wert! Kann ich wirklich nur weiter empfehlen.