Dark Metro: The Ultimate Edition

by Tokyo Calen, Tokyo Calen (Illustrator)

What lies below Tokyo's subway system is more frightening than you could have ever imagined...

Deep beneath Tokyo there exists a rift between this world and the next, a gateway to a world of spirits and death. Guiding those who find themselves lost in this world-between-worlds is Seiya, a mysterious young man who has the ability to tell who is destined to live and whose fate it is to pass through to the other side. But where do Seiya's powers come from? Why do people keep slipping through the cracks between worlds? And just what is lurking on the other side?

In this collection of bone-chilling shorts, follow the twisted tales of death and hauntings that inhabit this horrifying underworld. This ultimate collector's edition includes the third and final volume of the original  Dark Metro  series, never before published in English!

Genres: Manga, Horror

496 pages, Paperback

Published December 4, 2018

About the author

Tokyo Calen (writer) has won many awards for scripts for dramas, and has also written scripts for radio plays. Has also done screenplay and directed a short film, “Koi no Pororon” (恋のポロロン)- 2007. "Dark Metro" is his first original story for the manga form. (From Tokyopop)
Name in Japanese 東京かれん

Reviews

[Donald Scott · Rating 4 out of 5]

Anyone who has ever ridden a near-empty or deserted subway train - especially underground, and at night - knows the genuine creepiness that can settle in around you. Or, as Dark Metro puts it: "They go through their day to day routine , never suspecting that in the subway tunnels is a gap between the land of the living and the land of the dead." This volume combines books one and two from the manga series, as well as adds the finale - book three - to this 500ish-page total of "Twilight Zone"-style stories carrying you through the various subway systems that snake around and under Tokyo. The black-and-white artwork is stylish and often freaky (bloody as well, God knows), adding to the "Twilight Zone" feel as readers are treated to what happens when a mother take drastic measures to rid herself of the little boy she doesn't love or want ... a group of teenage boys pay the price for acting as unwanted "matchmakers" for their female classmates ... or a samurai sword with a history of evil is reactivated by a greedy foreigner dying to own it. Too many good stories to mention, especially in the first third of the book, during which we're also introduced to the mysterious Seiya, the handsome young man and believer of justice who seems to be the only bridge between both worlds. The second half of the book gives us more information both about Seiya and the world beyond the train tracks, but ultimately it's the stories that shock and satisfy throughout, making at least this reader wonder how he may ever board a subway train at night again after reading this. The last third of the book - the newest addition - feels a bit rushed, the stories not as taught, but as a whole Dark Metro: The Ultimate Edition is as much a recommendation for a permanent place on your shelves as it is to simply read. Currently my favorite manga. 5/5 stars

NOTE: I received a free ARC of this book from NetGalley and the publisher, in exchange for an honest review.

[Wayne McCoy · Rating 4 out of 5]

'Dark Metro: The Ultimate Edition manga' by Tokyo Calen is a manga with a series of ghost stories set in different Tokyo train stations.

A young woman leaving dance practice tries to catch the late train, but misses it. She finds herself locked in the train station and a scary woman approaches her. She gets help from texts on her phone that leads her to a mysterious young man who is the gateway to the land of the dead. Other stories feature a train driver and a man who commits suicide, a man who keeps seeing the ghost of a woman he killed, and a group of young men who are invited to a party which turns out to be deadly.

My review copy only has the first volume of the two collected here, but I feel safe in saying that this was a collection of stories I really enjoyed reading. The art is solid, and the stories are creepy and interesting.

I received a review copy of this manga from Tokyopop, Diamond Book Distributors, and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for allowing me to review this manga.

[Ioanna · Rating 5 out of 5]

On the Tokyo underground, the midnight subways keeps a lot of secrets; and all of them are deadly. There's a realm between life and death, and it passes along those tracks. Seiya is the guardian, and this is a collection of stories that happen during night at the underground.

Dark Metro is a collection of compelling horror stories. They are short and terrifying, as any good horror story should be. Not to be missed by graphic novel fans.

[Matt · Rating 2 out of 5]

Quite bad. There is little character development, a hollow story that treads incredibly familiar ground, the panel layouts can be confusing and fail to convey the more visual sequences very well, among other issues. The only positive here is the artwork, which is competent, but even it feels like a pale imitation of Takeshi Obata's work. Just a weak horror story all around.

[Yuiko · Rating 3 out of 5]

This wasn't a bad lil series

[Jessica · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 ⭐

[Joshua Jonah · Rating 4 out of 5]

* Review Pending

[Caitlin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Glad that after at least ten years I finally got to read and finish this series since the final volume was released in English. Can’t wait to read some more spooky anthology stuff this year.

[Cibele · Rating 5 out of 5]

I would like to thank NetGalley for this ARC in exchange of a honest review!

Chilling, it's the first thing I can say about this manga! With great art, we have short horror stories about how on the underground of Tokyo there's a fine line between the living in the dead!

Short chapters with fast passed stories, with ghosts, vengeance and our mysterious Seiya!

I really enjoyed the read! Fast, horrifying, interesting! I recommend for those who like a bit of horror in their graphic novels!

[J. d'Merricksson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Calen's Dark Metro collection centres around, as the name suggests, a metro. Each chapter is a separate vignette with different characters, and unrelated stories. The only constant is Seiya, a mysterious man who serves as a guide to the underworld. And when the living stumble into his realm, by accident, or having been lead there by a dead person who wants, for whatever reason, to drag the living person with them in death, Seiya is the one who intercedes, shepherding the living back across the barrier to their own existence. Each story was tied to the Metro in one way or another. People's paths cross via the Metro, some jump. Some hunt prey. Accidents happen. I like the attention to detail in each vignette. Chapter Three is a good example. This involves the spirit of a suicide jumper. Let's just say, I've seen what a train victim looks like, and the art was spot on. Recommended!

***Many thanks to Netgalley and Diamond Book Distributors for providing an ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review.