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Shin Megami Tensei: Kahn #1
Shin Megami Tensei (KAHN) Volume 1
The terrifying manga based on the hit video game! Nobu is a troubled teenager with a dark past. His old high school was sucked into the Underworld, where he and his fellow students battled hordes of demons led by the Demon Lord, Hazama. However, Nobu and a demon-possessed girl named Yumi managed to claw their way back to the Surface World, hoping to start new lives at new schools. But it isn't long before Nobu uncovers a government conspiracy to raise Hell on Earth, and he and Yumi are once again forced to face their worst nightmares...
- GenresManga
192 pages, Paperback
Published February 12, 2008
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
July 16, 2017
I should begin by saying I'm a huge fan of Shin Megami Tensei and its spinoff series. I've played nearly every game that's actually been translated into English, so I consider myself pretty well-acquainted with the general themes and mechanics that each entry shares.
That said, I picked this two-volume series up, not knowing it was essentially a direct sequel/continuation to the story in Shin Megami Tensei If, one of the games that hasn't gotten an official English translation. So, instead of an original story, I was thrown into an ongoing plot, for which I was expected to have a large body of pre-existing knowledge. Kahn pays lip service to the establishing events (an entire high school was pulled into the Underworld, only two students fought their way free, and another student was somehow responsible for it all), but it assumes you've played the game. Since I haven't, a lot of plot elements, and even characters are just brought in, seemingly out of the blue, and that certainly had a detrimental effect on my investment in the story.
That said, Kahn did manage to capture the general feel of a Shin Megami Tensei game/story: society is corrupt, the line between "good" and "evil" is often blurry, and the course of history/the world could feasibly be reshaped by the actions of one person. So while the details of the plot might not have grabbed me as much as they should have, at least the atmosphere was right.
As for the art, it's a mixed bag. The character designs are definitely from an older style, and there's nothing wrong with that--in a way, it's almost kind of refreshing. That said, the faces are definitely the weakest part of the artwork; depending on the angle they're drawn from, they can look strangely pinched or out of proportion, while from other angles they look fine. The backgrounds are decent, and more prevalent than in many modern manga, which is nice. (Though there are still a lot of panels with just speed lines or blank space behind the characters.)
All in all, without any background knowledge of the game it's based on, Shin Megami Tensei: Kahn is just an okay manga so far. There's a decent amount of action and horror, but without a stronger investment in the characters, none of it really grabbed me. Your mileage may vary, if you've actually tracked down an English ROM-hack of the game (or if you speak Japanese and have played it), but otherwise, there's nothing really thrilling to be found here. I'll still read volume 2, since I picked these up as a set, but I'm not expecting much.
That said, I picked this two-volume series up, not knowing it was essentially a direct sequel/continuation to the story in Shin Megami Tensei If, one of the games that hasn't gotten an official English translation. So, instead of an original story, I was thrown into an ongoing plot, for which I was expected to have a large body of pre-existing knowledge. Kahn pays lip service to the establishing events (an entire high school was pulled into the Underworld, only two students fought their way free, and another student was somehow responsible for it all), but it assumes you've played the game. Since I haven't, a lot of plot elements, and even characters are just brought in, seemingly out of the blue, and that certainly had a detrimental effect on my investment in the story.
That said, Kahn did manage to capture the general feel of a Shin Megami Tensei game/story: society is corrupt, the line between "good" and "evil" is often blurry, and the course of history/the world could feasibly be reshaped by the actions of one person. So while the details of the plot might not have grabbed me as much as they should have, at least the atmosphere was right.
As for the art, it's a mixed bag. The character designs are definitely from an older style, and there's nothing wrong with that--in a way, it's almost kind of refreshing. That said, the faces are definitely the weakest part of the artwork; depending on the angle they're drawn from, they can look strangely pinched or out of proportion, while from other angles they look fine. The backgrounds are decent, and more prevalent than in many modern manga, which is nice. (Though there are still a lot of panels with just speed lines or blank space behind the characters.)
All in all, without any background knowledge of the game it's based on, Shin Megami Tensei: Kahn is just an okay manga so far. There's a decent amount of action and horror, but without a stronger investment in the characters, none of it really grabbed me. Your mileage may vary, if you've actually tracked down an English ROM-hack of the game (or if you speak Japanese and have played it), but otherwise, there's nothing really thrilling to be found here. I'll still read volume 2, since I picked these up as a set, but I'm not expecting much.
January 26, 2022
the art was decent the rest was really bad
April 7, 2019
Too violent and gross for my taste, but that was the style back then! It's also obviously a followup to something I'm not familiar with.
March 4, 2008
well 'What I learned from this book" was not to buy manga no matter how tempted I am because it is set in a video game universe I love. Pretty much one giant stereotype,which is sad seeing how the Shin Megami Tensei universe is so unique. If you like unreconizable art and nudity that makes no sense by all means jump aboard. I prefer my nudity to make sense dammit!
October 17, 2016
this is pretty disturbing - seriously, I am totally freaked out. fortunately, I have volume 2 close by . . .
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews