Omori, Band 1

OMORI #1

by OMOCAT (Writer), Nui Konoito (Illustrator), Miryll Ihrens (Translator)

Nach einem tragischen Vorfall bricht Sunny mit seinen Freunden und verlässt so gut wie nicht mehr das Haus. Einige Jahre später entscheidet seine Mutter, dass es nicht so weitergehen kann und sie die Stadt verlassen werden. Doch kurz vor dem Umzug begegnet Sunny erneut seinen alten Freunden und ein Abenteuer beginnt, das alte Wunden erneut aufreißen – oder heilen – könnte …

Genres: Manga, Horror

208 pages, Paperback

First published November 21, 2024

About the author

OMOCAT is an illustrator known for a variety of work that ranges from very personal art and comics (Pretty Boy!!) to fanart of various video games and anime. Aside from being an artist, she runs her own website / online store with a very successful clothing line featuring her original artwork as well as collaborations with other independent artists.

Her most recent project is OMORI, a project that has been on her mind since the start of her career.
(- https://omori.fandom.com/wiki/OMOCAT)

Reviews

[kat · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to NetGalley and Kodansha Comics for providing me with an ARC of this book in return for a voluntary and honest review!

I will say I have previous knowledge of Omori so I knew what I was getting into by reading this manga but it was super enjoyable nonetheless! It was really nostalgic to jump back into this world and storyline - I by no means think that you need to have any prior knowledge of this world to jump straight into the manga, if anything you'll just join the club a slight confusion and intrigue lmao

The art style is insanely pretty but also pretty horrifying - this story is a psychological horror and you can definitely tell that the storyline will be disturbing just from the art style alone! If I had to compare the art to another popular manga I would say its somewhat similar to The Summer Hikaru Died and I mean that in the best way possible!!

Super excited for the second volume of this to be released in summer - I'll definitely be continuing it!

[Curious Madra · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thanks Netgalley and publisher for allowing me to read this manga after its game release!

Now I never played the game but oh boy, it’s really really dark even as a volume 1. You’d really feel for our boi Sunny here with the amount of hallucinations he faces while he’s with his friends and also coming into terms of his sister Maris death. It really does show the mental illness quite well with curiosity and pain that Sunny feels. It reminds me a mix of Higurashi: hear they cry and From the new World animes with making you confused but more interested to find out on seeing more.

[ari · Rating 4 out of 5]

as a huge Huge fan of the game, i really enjoyed it. but i can see how it can be a bit confusing for people who haven't played it,, dont give up on it plz!.!.!!! >_< i love the art style and im excited to read more volumes in the future :)

[✨ Flo ✨ · Rating 3 out of 5]

I’m not totally into it yet (probably because I haven’t played the game) but it is very intriguing.

[Jacob Jordan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thanks to NetGalley and Kodansha for this ARC!

Omori is a very interesting and depressing story. The way this story is told through this new medium is excellent. The art style and design choices blend video game design with an almost cosmic horror level of character design that was unexpected. While the story is very intriguing, it may be too confusing to follow for those that are unfamiliar with the video game that this book is based upon. That said, I would still recommend this manga for lovers of horror manga and (obviously) those that played the game.

[Xirimoya · Rating 3 out of 5]

mmmmm muchas opiniones sobre adaptar a manga este jogo

[Papież Avery · Rating 3 out of 5]

Jest git, ale sposób rysowania tych postaci... nie wiem. Ogólnie jednak nostalgia gry bardzo wpływa na czytanie tego. Mam mieszane uczucia...

[Miosz · Rating 3 out of 5]

I loved the game and decided to give manga a try and yes, it's still good.
Some of the facial expressions the characters have were weird to me, maybe that's just not my style, but it's not something, that will make me hate this book.
My rating is more like 3,5 I'd say.

[★julia✿ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jaka piekna kreska... cudowna.
No a mangi nie ocenię obiektywnie bo oczywiście wiem co sie dzialo w grze, wiec nie wiem jak odbierxe to osoba ktora tego nie zrobila. Mimo ze jest to doslownie adaptacja gry (dialogi te same itp.) to masa rzeczy jest pominieta, bo manga bylaby za nudna.
Moj biedny chlopiec Sunny / Omori... Wlasciwie juz ti jest roznica bo z tego co pamietam w grze nie bylo od poczatku wiadome ze on sie nazywal Sunny. Kocham go, biedny chlopiec. Jedyna postacia ktorej nie lubie jest Aubrey... Kazdy inaczej reaguje na traume i ona akurat zareagowala staniem sie bullym ale jakos jej nie umiem polubic

[Zoe · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really good art with the story of the game. I really enjoyed it but I also feel that if you don't know the story beforehand it will be extremely confusing to follow/connect the story

[Kata · Rating 5 out of 5]

manga to trochę speedrun gry, ale to nadal omori, więc fajne.

[Waldkauzz · Rating 3 out of 5]

A tentative yes for interested readers; to people familiar with the game it is adapting as well as new ones.

Omori adapts the same-named, surreal horror rpg about a young boy who, with only a few days left in his hometown, finds himself confronted with the friends he isolated himself from after a horrible accident. At the same time, the reader follows the same but differently behaving characters in a fantastical world. But, the true past begets to be unveiled.

First: The art and its composition are well drawn, especially in tender or horror moments. Secondly, the work manages to adapt a silent protagonist without it being off-putting or disruptive to the story.

As someone familiar with the original story, I enjoyed all the effort in the characters' and the world's depiction, but the story could appear slow and meandering to readers without that prior knowledge. Knowing the full picture (but not the following volumes), I believe this story could be worth the initial confusion to first-time readers, but it asks for the readers' patience.

Thanks to NetGalley, the authors and publishers for providing an ARC for an honest review.

[Astrophel R · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to NetGalley and Kodansha Comics for an arc. All opinions are my own.

Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★
Genre: Horror Graphic Novel
Are There Gay People in this?*: idk and I feel like if I get it wrong the diehard omori fans will be mad at me

I played the first half of Omori years ago but never got around to finishing it, so I am by no means an expert on the game. However, by my recollection this is a pretty direct and faithful adaptation of the beginning of the game. I do think the first chapter of this was a lot harder to follow in manga form, but everything starts to make more sense as you keep reading. The are is SO cute. And Kel is there, my beautiful baby boy in all his glory.

* I count a book as including gay people if any of the main or secondary characters are implicitly or explicitly queer or trans. This does not necessarily mean the protagonist is queer or that there is a queer romance

[Kiri · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you NetGalley for allowing me to read a digital copy of this book in exchange for a review. All opinions are my own.

"Omori" is a manga based on the popular horror indie game. The main character SUNNY becomes a shut-in after his sister's accidental death. His parents decide moving to a new city will help, but before they leave SUNNY's friend KEL shows up to hang out one last time. KEL wants them to reunite with their old friends but after being shut in for so long the world and everyone is different. As the story progresses more and more dark secrets come to light.

I have not played the video game so the story is a bit difficult to follow, but that did not stop me from enjoying it. I mostly like the atmosphere it creates and the back and forth between reality and fantasy is interesting. I don't know if I'll play the game myself, but I'm very tempted to watch a playthrough after reading this book.

[Loreleï Loreleï · Rating 5 out of 5]

Omori is one of my favourite games, so I've been eagerly awaiting the manga adaptation since it was announced.
It's a joy to reconnect with these characters, who all hold a special place in my heart.

Nui Konoito's illustrations are fantastic; beautiful, expressive and frightening (when necessary).
The atmosphere is well conveyed, and you can really feel the Omori/Sunny divide between the two ‘realities’. I also like the additions to the ‘video game’ aesthetic, such as speech bubbles and graphic effects at certain moments, which cleverly recall the original material.

I feel like it's a little fast-paced, but it remains faithful to the original game, and I don't think you need to have played it to enjoy it.

I can't wait to read the next volume!

[‎ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to the publisher for sending me an advanced copy!

I really liked the art style, it was one of the first things that caught my attention. I haven’t actually played the game yet, but now I really want to. I’m curious to see what it feels like to experience it myself and whether my opinion will change once I’m the one moving through the story. From what I’ve seen, the storyline seems strong and meaningful. There’s an important message behind it, especially connected to the main character, and that made it feel more personal and emotional.

I enjoyed it so much that it honestly felt too short, which I guess is a good sign because it left me wanting more.

[Madison Runser · Rating 3 out of 5]

Omori is one of my favorite games so I was super excited to get a copy of this from NetGalley even though I don’t read much manga! I enjoyed it, but I think it’d be pretty confusing for someone not familiar with the story. It switches back and forth between storylines abruptly and doesn’t give much exposition, so I’d definitely recommend playing Omori prior to reading this. I wish the art style was a little more similar to the art in the game, but still thought the visuals were well done!

[Wiolcia Parasolcia · Rating 2 out of 5]

spirtualnie dałem temu dziełu 1 gwiazdkę przez to że uważam że jest to obraza dla gry

[Rin · Rating 4 out of 5]

read this in japanese, i like it as a standalone piece but don’t think it’ll ever be as good as the game

[Nev Corey · Rating 4 out of 5]

This honestly had me gripped at page 1! The artwork was super compelling and beautiful! It was a really good story and a fun read!

[★ · Rating 2 out of 5]

meu principal critério quando se trata de adaptações é bem simples: ela deve ser independente. uma pessoa que nunca jogou omori na vida deve conseguir aproveitar o mangá assim como um fã da obra, algo que não acontece aqui — a história tem ritmo confuso e rápidos demais, os personagens que são extremamente carismáticos no jogo têm o carisma de uma pedra. omori é ótimo como jogo, e não consigo entender como estragaram tanto uma obra assim.

[lauras_garden_of_books · Rating 5 out of 5]

„Du musst sie unbedingt finden… Die Wahrheit, die du in dir verschlossen hast.“

OMORI ist eigentlich ein Computer-Rollenspiel, das nun als Manga adaptiert wurde. Diese Prämisse ist an sich schon super spannend und ich war sofort neugierig auf diesen Mystery-Titel, als Altraverse ihn vorgestellt hat. Die ersten 3 Kapitel kann man sogar gratis lesen, in diesem Printband sind 4 Kapitel enthalten.

Ich persönlich stehe auf mystische Geschichten, wo man zunächst ausschließlich Fragezeichen im Kopf hat, sich an Hinweisen entlanghangelt und man nur nach und nach ganz kleine Brocken zugeworfen bekommt, die man zu entschlüsseln versucht.
Nur wenn du sowas auch magst, solltest du zu diesem Titel greifen.
Denn es ist alles super verwirrend. Wir bewegen uns in zwei verschiedenen Welten; in der dunklen Realität und in einer Traumwelt, die einer Gaming-Welt gleicht.
Sunny hat seit einem traumatischen Erlebnis vor 4 Jahren das Haus nicht mehr verlassen und den Kontakt zu seinen Freunden abgebrochen. In 3 Tagen wird er mit seiner Mutter in eine andere Stadt ziehen, als ein Freund von damals an der Tür klopft und Sunny mit nach draussen nimmt…
Wir bewegen uns durch düstere Panels hin und her, Sunny sagt den kompletten Band über kein Wort und in der Traumwelt heisst er OMORI.
Es herrscht durchweg eine sehr beklemmende Atmosphäre und es häufen sich mystische Vorkommnisse, die den Schrecken des damaligen Ereignisses immer wieder heraufbeschwören, uns aber noch weiterhin völlig im sprichwörtlichen Dunkel lassen. Was ist damals passiert? Ich bin richtig gespannt auf den weiteren Verlauf!!!

Übersetzt aus dem Japanischen von der wundervollen Miryll Ihrens!

[Alex Wandrey]

Chapter 15