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ドラゴンヘッド [Dragon Head] #1
ドラゴンヘッド 1 [Dragon Head 1]
The end of everyone was just the beginning...Returning home by train after a class trip, Teru Aoki takes a most frightening ride inside a mountain tunnel. When the train derails, nearly everyone aboard is killed. Amidst the bloody carnage, Teru discovers two survivors - but salvation is far from their grasp. As they try to dig out from the wreck in order to come up with a plan to stay alive, the lack of light and food, combined with the stench of death and decay, will lead one member of the group down a dark and demented path. And with sudden, violent earthquakes shaking the tunnel, escaping to the outside world may lead them to an even greater danger...
Paperback
First published February 6, 1995
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About the author
Minetarō Mochizuki
69 books66 followersMinetarō Mochizuki (望月峯太郎) is a manga artist. He is best known for his apocalyptic thriller series Dragon Head (ドラゴンヘッド Duragon Heddo), as well as the comedy series Mai Wai. Mochizuki has also written one-shot manga such as Zashiki Onna.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 121 reviews
March 8, 2023
I'm eager to read more, but I also worry that it will get monotonous and repetitive after learning that the entire series takes place in this one location.
November 20, 2011
Man, what a trip! The tension in this story was so high, I almost had a stroke at times. At the same time, the characters behaved so ludicrously, I felt like my IQ was lowering 20 points while reading.
So what is this all about? It’s survival thriller at its best. The art alone is made so good, you are literally drawn into the setting. The characters seem like ants before the hundreds of panels full of post apocalyptic sceneries. Even their mentality is shown through close ups to the devastated ruins of civilization, a much direct and successful way to make you understand how they feel without fancy psychedelic imagery. Only grip is the faces of the characters which feel crude and usually lifeless.
Story and Characters must be judged alongside, as they are one and the same. A major catastrophe occurs and the few survivors are looking for a way to fix their lives and find happiness once again. At first it sounds quite corny and common, as there are many famous survival stories out there. Well, I guarantee you that they all pale in comparison to this work. The amount of dread and destruction in any other work I have watched or read simply feels far less scary to Dragonhead. We are talking about endless eruptions and earthquakes and storms, tornados, nuclear winter and lots of other shit. Thus it is not a story of people fixing their lives the day after. The dread is not over in a few hours; it goes on endlessly.
This gave the characters a perpetual unrest as they never seem to get a break. Also, the story makes sure to point out they are living amongst hundreds of corpses and are yearning for their loved ones all the time. They are hungry, thirsty, in pain, in terror. Their mentality is depicted in an amazing way, as does their slow descent to madness. And for once, it doesn’t feel that far fetched for a change. You really believe it could happen.
Unfortunately, the Story and Characters are not without their flaws. The main issue is the motivation of the characters. As the name suggests, a survivor is someone who survived and keeps trying to stay alive. Yet most of the cast has a death wish as they keep running towards certain doom or a way to get killed instead of going the other way. This made their misery to feel forced as they seem to be chasing trouble instead of solving problems. Also, the way some events occur feel quite convenient and if you could calculate the chances, they would in normal situations be astronomically slim. Yet, look, it looks like the most impossible thing happens every hundred pages.
The ending is another debatable thing. In one way it feels completely psychological and explains all the trouble in a totally mental way. On the other hand it will feel very disappointing. It’s like everything happened for no reason at all. There is no reward or explanation to what followed; it just leaves you to the dark scared shitless.
I really recommend this manga to all the fans of survival thrillers as one of the best in the field. But I do come with a warning and that is “Don’t try to make sense out of it because you will be deeply disappointed.”
Suggestion List:
A Spirit of the Sun
Akira
Barefoot Gen
Bio Meat: Nectar
Blame!
So what is this all about? It’s survival thriller at its best. The art alone is made so good, you are literally drawn into the setting. The characters seem like ants before the hundreds of panels full of post apocalyptic sceneries. Even their mentality is shown through close ups to the devastated ruins of civilization, a much direct and successful way to make you understand how they feel without fancy psychedelic imagery. Only grip is the faces of the characters which feel crude and usually lifeless.
Story and Characters must be judged alongside, as they are one and the same. A major catastrophe occurs and the few survivors are looking for a way to fix their lives and find happiness once again. At first it sounds quite corny and common, as there are many famous survival stories out there. Well, I guarantee you that they all pale in comparison to this work. The amount of dread and destruction in any other work I have watched or read simply feels far less scary to Dragonhead. We are talking about endless eruptions and earthquakes and storms, tornados, nuclear winter and lots of other shit. Thus it is not a story of people fixing their lives the day after. The dread is not over in a few hours; it goes on endlessly.
This gave the characters a perpetual unrest as they never seem to get a break. Also, the story makes sure to point out they are living amongst hundreds of corpses and are yearning for their loved ones all the time. They are hungry, thirsty, in pain, in terror. Their mentality is depicted in an amazing way, as does their slow descent to madness. And for once, it doesn’t feel that far fetched for a change. You really believe it could happen.
Unfortunately, the Story and Characters are not without their flaws. The main issue is the motivation of the characters. As the name suggests, a survivor is someone who survived and keeps trying to stay alive. Yet most of the cast has a death wish as they keep running towards certain doom or a way to get killed instead of going the other way. This made their misery to feel forced as they seem to be chasing trouble instead of solving problems. Also, the way some events occur feel quite convenient and if you could calculate the chances, they would in normal situations be astronomically slim. Yet, look, it looks like the most impossible thing happens every hundred pages.
The ending is another debatable thing. In one way it feels completely psychological and explains all the trouble in a totally mental way. On the other hand it will feel very disappointing. It’s like everything happened for no reason at all. There is no reward or explanation to what followed; it just leaves you to the dark scared shitless.
I really recommend this manga to all the fans of survival thrillers as one of the best in the field. But I do come with a warning and that is “Don’t try to make sense out of it because you will be deeply disappointed.”
Suggestion List:
A Spirit of the Sun
Akira
Barefoot Gen
Bio Meat: Nectar
Blame!
December 31, 2018
Trigger Warning: It goes without saying that this is a very graphic manga series. The imagery of dead bodies may be highly disturbing, so go in carefully if that bothers you.
***
The first volume holds promise for the series. I wasn't as pulled in as I would hope. The artwork is very dark and graphic. If it were in color, the whole book would be red, let that tell you something. Not much happens in the first volume, so I could understand why some people might not care to continue the series.
There are three characters in volume one. The male main character (just seems like your typical school guy who is put in the "lead/hero" role), another male who is going insane and gets the "creepy/scary" role, and a female. From the little we see of her her (she is unconscious most of the manga), she gets the "helpless female" role. One of her main lines is "You are a man aren't you, go and fetch help! Do something! Otherwise, we won't get out of here! I wanna go home!"
Girl, you can do something, too!
***
The first volume holds promise for the series. I wasn't as pulled in as I would hope. The artwork is very dark and graphic. If it were in color, the whole book would be red, let that tell you something. Not much happens in the first volume, so I could understand why some people might not care to continue the series.
There are three characters in volume one. The male main character (just seems like your typical school guy who is put in the "lead/hero" role), another male who is going insane and gets the "creepy/scary" role, and a female. From the little we see of her her (she is unconscious most of the manga), she gets the "helpless female" role. One of her main lines is "You are a man aren't you, go and fetch help! Do something! Otherwise, we won't get out of here! I wanna go home!"
Girl, you can do something, too!
October 26, 2023
After reading some really far out horror manga lately, I finally found something that's more my style. We have a train trapped underground after some type of disaster, and so far only 2 teen boys and a 1 teen girl have survived. (I have a feeling more survivors are going to pop up in future volumes.)
At this point it's all claustrophobic horror and fear of the unknown, as we have no idea what's going on in the outside world or what really caused the disaster. One of the boys starts to crack, and we have a real horror story going on here. The art is great and fits the story well.
If you like horror manga but prefer it to be slightly more grounded in reality than most, this is something you should out.
At this point it's all claustrophobic horror and fear of the unknown, as we have no idea what's going on in the outside world or what really caused the disaster. One of the boys starts to crack, and we have a real horror story going on here. The art is great and fits the story well.
If you like horror manga but prefer it to be slightly more grounded in reality than most, this is something you should out.
November 20, 2025
Thank you to NetGalley, and a huge, huge thanks to Kodansha Comics for the auto approval. Minetaro Mochizuki has quickly become one of my favorite mangakas, and every time I pick up one of his works I am struck by how distinct and unexpected his storytelling is. The range and variety in his catalog continue to impress me. His stories often feel so different from one another that it can be hard to believe they come from the same creator, yet each one carries a strong and unforgettable voice.
Although survival based, claustrophobic, disaster driven stories are not usually my preferred genre, I could not resist this one. From the very first pages, Dragon Head 1 pulled me in with its atmosphere of dread and its intense focus on how people respond when the world suddenly collapses around them. I thoroughly enjoyed the experience, even during the moments that made me deeply uncomfortable, and I found myself unable to look away from the spiraling tension.
The volume offers a powerful commentary on psychological breakdown and the slow descent of ordinary people into fear, confusion, and desperation. The characters react in ways that are frightening, heartbreaking, and very human. At times the story reminded me of Battle Royale and Lord of the Flies, not because of similar plots, but because of how each work examines the fragile nature of humanity when stripped of safety and structure. The unsettling atmosphere builds steadily, and there were scenes that were so disturbing that I had to pause. Some sections felt slightly stretched, but even those moments contributed to the overwhelming sense of dread that defines the reading experience.
Overall, Dragon Head 1 is gripping, thought provoking, and haunting. Mochizuki’s ability to combine psychological horror with raw emotional tension is remarkable, and this volume makes me eager to continue the series. I am grateful I had the chance to read it, and I highly recommend it to readers who appreciate dark, immersive, character driven storytelling.
Although survival based, claustrophobic, disaster driven stories are not usually my preferred genre, I could not resist this one. From the very first pages, Dragon Head 1 pulled me in with its atmosphere of dread and its intense focus on how people respond when the world suddenly collapses around them. I thoroughly enjoyed the experience, even during the moments that made me deeply uncomfortable, and I found myself unable to look away from the spiraling tension.
The volume offers a powerful commentary on psychological breakdown and the slow descent of ordinary people into fear, confusion, and desperation. The characters react in ways that are frightening, heartbreaking, and very human. At times the story reminded me of Battle Royale and Lord of the Flies, not because of similar plots, but because of how each work examines the fragile nature of humanity when stripped of safety and structure. The unsettling atmosphere builds steadily, and there were scenes that were so disturbing that I had to pause. Some sections felt slightly stretched, but even those moments contributed to the overwhelming sense of dread that defines the reading experience.
Overall, Dragon Head 1 is gripping, thought provoking, and haunting. Mochizuki’s ability to combine psychological horror with raw emotional tension is remarkable, and this volume makes me eager to continue the series. I am grateful I had the chance to read it, and I highly recommend it to readers who appreciate dark, immersive, character driven storytelling.
November 2, 2020
Oh my goodness, this manga was all the creepy goodness I was asking for in October. Essentially, the story is about a boy who is riding a train with different classes on a school trip. When the train enters a tunnel, an explosion causes the tunnel to collapse, killing most of the passengers and trapping the survivors in the tunnel. The entirety of the manga is this kid chillin in a tunnel, but let me tell ya, it was so good. 😂 The artwork is great. It has a lot of solid blacks to bring about a spooky, unsettling atmosphere. I also love how the reader is left in the dark about how this explosion came about, and also what is going on outside of the tunnel. It makes the story more than just horror, but also a little bit of a mystery. That mystery is really what propels me to read the next volume, because I need to know what is going on, haha. I would definitely recommend reading this if you are a fan of horror manga. I believe it is out-of-print, but I was able to find it online in e-format. Overall, this is a four-star read for me!
October 26, 2020
Low 3 for me. Art was fine. Not much story. Some tension, anxiety, mystery.
March 1, 2022
I think I'm over trains.
August 16, 2023
Aku awalnya nggak berharap banyak sama komik ini tapi ini beneran epic, gila, dan "sakit". Bahkan awalnya aku sempet nggak pay attention banyak sama komik ini. Tapi begitu membaca bagian awal, komik ini langsung menyedotku ke dalam ceritanya.
Bercerita tentang Teru Aoki yang sedang mengikuti tour sekolah. Awalnya semua tampak normal-normal saja. Kereta yang digunakan pun tampak membawa suasana yang bahagia sebagaimana anak-anak yang sedang ada di sebuah study tour.
Namun kecelakaan naas menimpa mereka. Teru Aoki terbangun dengan keadaan serbagelap, dan hanya ada dirinya seorang yang sadar dan bangkit, dengan kondisi semua orang tewas. Teru yang mencoba mencari jalan keluar juga harus dihadapkan dengan fakta bahwa kereta yang membawa mereka sebenarnya terperangkap batu-batu raksasa, di kedua sisinya.
Pertanyaannya, mampukah Teru bertahan di kondisi seperti itu?
Wagelaseh ini bener-bener komik yang bikin tegang sepanjang baca. Apalagi aku bacanya ini malem-malem. Suasana merinding dari komik ini bikin aku juga tahan napas di sepanjang membacanya. Another recommended underrated manga.
Bercerita tentang Teru Aoki yang sedang mengikuti tour sekolah. Awalnya semua tampak normal-normal saja. Kereta yang digunakan pun tampak membawa suasana yang bahagia sebagaimana anak-anak yang sedang ada di sebuah study tour.
Namun kecelakaan naas menimpa mereka. Teru Aoki terbangun dengan keadaan serbagelap, dan hanya ada dirinya seorang yang sadar dan bangkit, dengan kondisi semua orang tewas. Teru yang mencoba mencari jalan keluar juga harus dihadapkan dengan fakta bahwa kereta yang membawa mereka sebenarnya terperangkap batu-batu raksasa, di kedua sisinya.
Pertanyaannya, mampukah Teru bertahan di kondisi seperti itu?
Wagelaseh ini bener-bener komik yang bikin tegang sepanjang baca. Apalagi aku bacanya ini malem-malem. Suasana merinding dari komik ini bikin aku juga tahan napas di sepanjang membacanya. Another recommended underrated manga.
April 12, 2019
I wanted to try reading some horror manga and this series was one of the only ones I could find in my library system. I didn't realize it is a YA manga, but decided to give it a try anyway.
What I liked:
The story is interesting. Three students heading home from a school field trip are trapped in a train that is trapped in a collapsed tunnel. Everyone else on the train is dead. All we know is that there was some kind of emergency and people were supposed to evacuate... and there might be something outside... and it is really hot.
Some of the cells are beautifully balanced and composed. There is one in particular where Teru, the protagonist, is sitting with his elbows on his knees across from Seto, who is lying unconscious on the floor with one arm across her stomach. In the middle, dead center between them, is this empty food container and an empty water bottle. The cell is in a birds eye view perspective and it does a great job of conveying loneliness, dread, and and isolation. It is beautiful.
There is great sense of doom. As of right now, there seems to be no way out of the situation the characters are in and that fascinates me. They are almost out of food, it is hot, and the bodies are starting to rot. How on earth will they make it out alive?
What I didn't like:
The faces are ugly. It is hot and Teru is sweating, but the was it is drawn looks like large, saggy pimples instead of sweat. Its just bad. Nobuo's eyes are really far apart, like, unnaturally so. Maybe he is supposed to look as crazy as he is, but his appearance is more distracting than anything else.
Not much happens. This book feels more like a prologue. It was published in January of 2006 and the sequel didn't come out until April of 2006. No way would I have picked the second book up if I had to wait 4 months.
Some interesting things happen, but end up going nowhere. Nobuo, an antagonist of sorts, is going crazy and is convinced he hears something "not human" outside the tunnel. Seto is on her period and I was really interested in how she would deal with that while being trapped in a tunnel with two boys. But she has Teru get her purse and changes her tampon and that's the end of it. Maybe these things are continued in book 2?
Here's what bothered me the most... I don't read a lot of manga or graphic novels, but I've read enough to get that the appeal is that the storytelling is compelling because it is primarily visual. Teru is alone for most of the first 75 pages of this manga (except for the opening and some flashbacks). But the kid just kept talking and talking and talking. He was saying things like "it's so dark", "everyone's dead", "thank God! A flashlight!", "the whole tunnel could come down", etc. All of this information should have been shown visually. It didn't make sense for this kid to be basically narrating his thoughts and actions because nobody would do that in his situation. So, he was doing it for the reader, which was very, very distracting.
My rating:
I gave this three stars because I found it to be a balance of good and bad, which made it just "ok". The fact that the story interested me gave it a little more weight on the "good" side, which is why I am going to give the next book a shot. I hope things pick up in the next installment.
What I liked:
The story is interesting. Three students heading home from a school field trip are trapped in a train that is trapped in a collapsed tunnel. Everyone else on the train is dead. All we know is that there was some kind of emergency and people were supposed to evacuate... and there might be something outside... and it is really hot.
Some of the cells are beautifully balanced and composed. There is one in particular where Teru, the protagonist, is sitting with his elbows on his knees across from Seto, who is lying unconscious on the floor with one arm across her stomach. In the middle, dead center between them, is this empty food container and an empty water bottle. The cell is in a birds eye view perspective and it does a great job of conveying loneliness, dread, and and isolation. It is beautiful.
There is great sense of doom. As of right now, there seems to be no way out of the situation the characters are in and that fascinates me. They are almost out of food, it is hot, and the bodies are starting to rot. How on earth will they make it out alive?
What I didn't like:
The faces are ugly. It is hot and Teru is sweating, but the was it is drawn looks like large, saggy pimples instead of sweat. Its just bad. Nobuo's eyes are really far apart, like, unnaturally so. Maybe he is supposed to look as crazy as he is, but his appearance is more distracting than anything else.
Not much happens. This book feels more like a prologue. It was published in January of 2006 and the sequel didn't come out until April of 2006. No way would I have picked the second book up if I had to wait 4 months.
Some interesting things happen, but end up going nowhere. Nobuo, an antagonist of sorts, is going crazy and is convinced he hears something "not human" outside the tunnel. Seto is on her period and I was really interested in how she would deal with that while being trapped in a tunnel with two boys. But she has Teru get her purse and changes her tampon and that's the end of it. Maybe these things are continued in book 2?
Here's what bothered me the most... I don't read a lot of manga or graphic novels, but I've read enough to get that the appeal is that the storytelling is compelling because it is primarily visual. Teru is alone for most of the first 75 pages of this manga (except for the opening and some flashbacks). But the kid just kept talking and talking and talking. He was saying things like "it's so dark", "everyone's dead", "thank God! A flashlight!", "the whole tunnel could come down", etc. All of this information should have been shown visually. It didn't make sense for this kid to be basically narrating his thoughts and actions because nobody would do that in his situation. So, he was doing it for the reader, which was very, very distracting.
My rating:
I gave this three stars because I found it to be a balance of good and bad, which made it just "ok". The fact that the story interested me gave it a little more weight on the "good" side, which is why I am going to give the next book a shot. I hope things pick up in the next installment.
September 15, 2009
Minetaro Mochizuki, Dragon Head vol. 1 (Tokyopop, 1995)
I've read various horror manga over the past few years, and with the exception of Hideshi Hino (who does gore/extreme horror, not atmospheric Koji Suzuki-style horror), I've never been impressed with them as horror. Yeah, some of them are very well put together from the writing standpoint—character, plot, what have you—but I haven't found one that really gives you that creeping feeling at the base of your spine. Dragon Head is not that series, at least not yet, but it's on the right track, and it's the closest thing I've encountered so far.
The series begins, quite literally, with a bang, as Teru Aoki, our central character, wakes up disoriented and slowly comes to realize that the train he's on jumped the tracks when they were going through a mountain tunnel. Stuck in pitch blackness, he feels around until he finds a light source, a lighter on the dead body of one of his teachers, and surveys the situation. Not only is the train derailed and almost everyone else dead, but the tunnel is blocked on both sides. Teru eventually finds two other survivors, but one seems mentally unstable and the other is unconscious, though seemingly not seriously harmed. With the parameters of his new world defined, Teru turns his mind to the question of how they should get out of their predicament. And, more importantly, whether they should. Something obviously happened to cave in both ends of the tunnel at once, and the heat is unnatural...
I think the reason horror manga don't really work as horror is that the mind can conjure up far worse things than the artist can (and who, other than Shinya Tsukamoto in his 2005 film Haze, is willing to actually start out with an extended scene of pitch blackness? Teru cannot see in the beginning of the manga, but we can, so his revelation of his surroundings is no surprise to us). Still, it's a great concept, and as long as the series ran I'm not the only one who thought so. I've got high hopes for this one. *** ½
I've read various horror manga over the past few years, and with the exception of Hideshi Hino (who does gore/extreme horror, not atmospheric Koji Suzuki-style horror), I've never been impressed with them as horror. Yeah, some of them are very well put together from the writing standpoint—character, plot, what have you—but I haven't found one that really gives you that creeping feeling at the base of your spine. Dragon Head is not that series, at least not yet, but it's on the right track, and it's the closest thing I've encountered so far.
The series begins, quite literally, with a bang, as Teru Aoki, our central character, wakes up disoriented and slowly comes to realize that the train he's on jumped the tracks when they were going through a mountain tunnel. Stuck in pitch blackness, he feels around until he finds a light source, a lighter on the dead body of one of his teachers, and surveys the situation. Not only is the train derailed and almost everyone else dead, but the tunnel is blocked on both sides. Teru eventually finds two other survivors, but one seems mentally unstable and the other is unconscious, though seemingly not seriously harmed. With the parameters of his new world defined, Teru turns his mind to the question of how they should get out of their predicament. And, more importantly, whether they should. Something obviously happened to cave in both ends of the tunnel at once, and the heat is unnatural...
I think the reason horror manga don't really work as horror is that the mind can conjure up far worse things than the artist can (and who, other than Shinya Tsukamoto in his 2005 film Haze, is willing to actually start out with an extended scene of pitch blackness? Teru cannot see in the beginning of the manga, but we can, so his revelation of his surroundings is no surprise to us). Still, it's a great concept, and as long as the series ran I'm not the only one who thought so. I've got high hopes for this one. *** ½
February 1, 2018
Estado: todos los tomos leídos.
Tuve ciertos problemas con este manga, pese a esto seguí leyendo porque estaba interesante. Sin embargo una vez que salen del túnel, la tensión y el drama eran como olas que no lograban mantenerse, y por tanto se ha ganado 3 penosas estrellas.. porque penosas? porque tenía todo para salir a flote y se perdió en la corriente.
Los primeros tomos transcurren en el túnel y debo decir que el mangaka me sorprendió creando una situación claustrofóbica
y un trazo atractivo (En mi opinión, lo.mejor del manga transcurre en estos tomos).
No obstante, conforme avanza la historia se hace evidente sus fallos y clichés: tras 10 tomos no llegue a conocer a los personajes y sus motivaciones (siendo la exepcion Nobuo) aparecen flasbacks que intentan explicar esto, pero los sentí vacíos. Siempre salían triunfantes pese a ser la minoría en número (ohh por sus buenos sentimientos y el poder de la amistad). La chica fanservice que se desmaya en los peores momentos posibles (ni siquiera cuando su vida está en peligro se despierta o hace un esfuerzo por no dormirse) y que después se la pasa reclamando todo (mal agradecida!!!). Y al final, la naturaleza del miedo es más que obvia.
En fin, es un manga que si entretiene, pero al verlo tan recomendado en el género de terror psicológico esperaba más que olas, quería que la marea de mantuviera alta.
Tuve ciertos problemas con este manga, pese a esto seguí leyendo porque estaba interesante. Sin embargo una vez que salen del túnel, la tensión y el drama eran como olas que no lograban mantenerse, y por tanto se ha ganado 3 penosas estrellas.. porque penosas? porque tenía todo para salir a flote y se perdió en la corriente.
Los primeros tomos transcurren en el túnel y debo decir que el mangaka me sorprendió creando una situación claustrofóbica
y un trazo atractivo (En mi opinión, lo.mejor del manga transcurre en estos tomos).
No obstante, conforme avanza la historia se hace evidente sus fallos y clichés: tras 10 tomos no llegue a conocer a los personajes y sus motivaciones (siendo la exepcion Nobuo) aparecen flasbacks que intentan explicar esto, pero los sentí vacíos. Siempre salían triunfantes pese a ser la minoría en número (ohh por sus buenos sentimientos y el poder de la amistad). La chica fanservice que se desmaya en los peores momentos posibles (ni siquiera cuando su vida está en peligro se despierta o hace un esfuerzo por no dormirse) y que después se la pasa reclamando todo (mal agradecida!!!). Y al final, la naturaleza del miedo es más que obvia.
En fin, es un manga que si entretiene, pero al verlo tan recomendado en el género de terror psicológico esperaba más que olas, quería que la marea de mantuviera alta.
October 13, 2020
I read this so I could keep up with Donnie Goodman’s Horror Manga Mondays on YouTube.
First things first, this is the first manga I’ve ever read. Didn’t really go in with any expectations, just knew this was going to be some sort of horror story. And the situations these characters find themselves in is certainly that. Trapped underground with a derailed train full of dead classmates with no way out of the tunnel. No worries, right?
Once I learned how to read manga (told you I was a noob), I read this very quickly. Is there more happening here than meets the eye? How grounded is this story? Is there a supernatural element at play? Potentially getting answers will keep you speeding through the story until you reach the end....even though I was hoping we’d know more than we do by then.
The art is very gritty and at times realistic. Lots of shadows and because of the environment, things tend to be hard to identify. Is that a wall? Part of the ceiling? Hard to tell at times. Also, I don’t know if all manga is like this or not, but the sound effects aren’t translated. You can kind of tell from context clues what the characters may have heard, but I found it a little annoying.
That said, I’m definitely checking out volume two because I want to know what happens next.
First things first, this is the first manga I’ve ever read. Didn’t really go in with any expectations, just knew this was going to be some sort of horror story. And the situations these characters find themselves in is certainly that. Trapped underground with a derailed train full of dead classmates with no way out of the tunnel. No worries, right?
Once I learned how to read manga (told you I was a noob), I read this very quickly. Is there more happening here than meets the eye? How grounded is this story? Is there a supernatural element at play? Potentially getting answers will keep you speeding through the story until you reach the end....even though I was hoping we’d know more than we do by then.
The art is very gritty and at times realistic. Lots of shadows and because of the environment, things tend to be hard to identify. Is that a wall? Part of the ceiling? Hard to tell at times. Also, I don’t know if all manga is like this or not, but the sound effects aren’t translated. You can kind of tell from context clues what the characters may have heard, but I found it a little annoying.
That said, I’m definitely checking out volume two because I want to know what happens next.
October 5, 2016
This is my review for the whole manga series.
I sensed some Junji Ito vibe at the first volume and it's one of the things that kept me going.
The story revolves around a post-apocalyptic setting.
Nobuo is freaking creepy.
One time I read this before going to bed and I had nightmares. No kidding.
The story is dark and enjoyable for me.
I sensed some Junji Ito vibe at the first volume and it's one of the things that kept me going.
The story revolves around a post-apocalyptic setting.
Nobuo is freaking creepy.
One time I read this before going to bed and I had nightmares. No kidding.
The story is dark and enjoyable for me.
September 18, 2018
[Review is for the entire 10 volume series, so spoilers, obviously]
I got the first volume on Comixology for 99 cents and downloaded and read it out of boredom one day earlier in the summer and was so taken by it, I practically binge-read the entire series. Fortunately, the rest of the series was on sale at the time! The story when they were trapped in the tunnel was so unusual and astounding that I thought whatever came after wouldn't be able to keep pace but I was so wrong. It was so unusual and unpredictable, even for a post-apocalyptic story, which by its very nature has to have some predictable elements. Great characters, lots of action, brilliant and befuddling ending. Wouldn't be surprised if I read it again sometime.
I got the first volume on Comixology for 99 cents and downloaded and read it out of boredom one day earlier in the summer and was so taken by it, I practically binge-read the entire series. Fortunately, the rest of the series was on sale at the time! The story when they were trapped in the tunnel was so unusual and astounding that I thought whatever came after wouldn't be able to keep pace but I was so wrong. It was so unusual and unpredictable, even for a post-apocalyptic story, which by its very nature has to have some predictable elements. Great characters, lots of action, brilliant and befuddling ending. Wouldn't be surprised if I read it again sometime.
February 6, 2020
Es de lo primero que he leido en manga y quizas no haya sido una buena elección pues me ha dejado bastante que desear. El dibujo lo veo muy justito, pues estoy acostumbrado al colorido y bien definido bd frnco belga y aqui el gris monotono con mismo entorno todo el tiempo te hace desear que cambien de lugar a ver si se hace algo mass rico en contenidos. El guion muy limitado con muchos “hah” y ruidos? Debajo de la montaña. La trama es desarrollada muy lenta, en mas de 200 pags no pasa casi nada cuando lees otros comics de 56 pags y ha pasado de todo. Veo que se le califica por aqui de “horror survival”, quizas sea ese genero el que no me gusta
January 23, 2021
This was very dark and very focused. There has been some kind of disaster and we start with one person trapped in a train in a tunnel. I am not going to discuss what happens but it it dark and quite adult themed. There is a rawness and an honesty to it which I enjoyed a lot.
There are clearly Comic tropes and literary idiosyncrasies of Manga style that I do not quite get and I wonder if the cultural differences took me out out the story slightly.
Even if it did I was still very engaged. I enjoyed it and the sense of oppression, fear and claustrophobia was wonderfully realised.
This was a good read. I enjoyed it.
There are clearly Comic tropes and literary idiosyncrasies of Manga style that I do not quite get and I wonder if the cultural differences took me out out the story slightly.
Even if it did I was still very engaged. I enjoyed it and the sense of oppression, fear and claustrophobia was wonderfully realised.
This was a good read. I enjoyed it.
September 9, 2020
Well, the idea was plausible and interesting.
Three young students find themselves in a tight spot(quite literally) and the manga witnesses their struggle, both physical and psychological as they try to keep their wits about themselves. Needless to say, there are some disturbing elements which just reminds us how gruesome the situation truly is.
I'm not entirely sure what factors helped in the naming of the manga. It doesn't fit with the idea I've come across till now.
August 13, 2022
So you're telling me, after sitting through 89 insanely long chapters filled with disaster, destruction, death and other horrifics, that the series concludes in the most utterly depressing and dismal way possible? I'm all for shock value, but there was literally not one silver lining in sight 😭 Just a never-ending chain of madness as you desperately cling on the hope that Teru and Ako are saved somehow. Realism is truly ugly.
That being said, another masterpiece from Minetaro Mochizuki. Completely in awe of his art and story-telling style.
That being said, another masterpiece from Minetaro Mochizuki. Completely in awe of his art and story-telling style.
April 17, 2020
Hmmm
I saw the movie an thought perhaps it would be a good comic to read. I guess was expecting more an disappointed. The art is awful an the fact you have to buy nine more volumes makes this a purchase of comics a waste to get. AVOID THIS COMIC AN SEE THE MOVIE INSTEAD.
I saw the movie an thought perhaps it would be a good comic to read. I guess was expecting more an disappointed. The art is awful an the fact you have to buy nine more volumes makes this a purchase of comics a waste to get. AVOID THIS COMIC AN SEE THE MOVIE INSTEAD.
October 29, 2018
All three main characters annoyed me enough that I gave up on the series a few volumes in. Not for me.
January 10, 2020
Anyone know the significance of the title?
There are zero dragons so far. Nor anything else fantastical.
There are zero dragons so far. Nor anything else fantastical.
February 20, 2021
2.5 stars
I'm interested, but we weren't given much yet, and the art style is not my kind of thing. Will read the second volume.
I'm interested, but we weren't given much yet, and the art style is not my kind of thing. Will read the second volume.
December 22, 2021
ale mega rysunki
September 4, 2021
Je l'ai pris à partir de mon libraire d'occasions pour sa couverture attractive et son bas prix. Je ne m'y attendais pas. Le dessin paraît simpliste mais brûle de réalisme avec une pointe d'esthétique adolescente. Il retranscrit parfaitement l'ambiance des espaces. Ce premier tome ravive un amour enfoui pour les scenarios catastrophe.
February 28, 2024
Aunque la trama es bastante arquetípica y algunos planos me fallan un poco los flashbacks están bien llevados. Aún me falta un poco de chispa pero veremos en los siguientes tomos!
July 29, 2025
Interesante aunque se pudo llevar de mejor manera la historia.
Read
October 24, 2025Heureux de reposer le bouquin une fois fini mdrrrr #traumatisé
December 3, 2016
Dragon Head ha sido una sorpresa muy interesante, cuando empece su lectura, lo hice sin expectativas muy altas, pero debo decir que a pesar de algunos errores y personajes con actuaciones y planteamientos dignos de un adicto al LCD. Dragon Head es un manga resaltable en su genero, y uno que valió la pena leer.
El apartado artístico es maravilloso... Cuando hablamos de cualquier cosa que no sea una persona, ya que los seres humanos llegan a tener en algunas ocasiones expresiones deformes y ridículas, obviando esto los escenarios y sobretodo, el uso que le dan a estos es impecable. Mostrando a los humanos como seres insignificantes ante el desastre por el que pasan, poniéndolos como insectos indefensos frente a una fuerza superior e incomprensible para ellos... Y para el espectador porque nunca explican nada mas allá de algunos discursos psicológicos que francamente, veo difícil que alguno haya pensado por si mismo. Y me suenan mas bien como el mensaje que el autor quería expresar.
Otro problema radica en los diálogos de los protagonistas, tengo la sospecha que es mas culpa del Fansub que lo tradujo y no del autor (sobretodo por la cantidad indecente de horrores ortográficos que comete, dignos de una persona que aprendió gramática hace dos días) pero hasta que no lo lea con una mejor traducción no podre decir mucho mas, tal como esta los personajes describen la situación por la que pasan mas como la forma que tiene el autor de hacernos saber como se sienten y que harán, en vez de un pensamiento orgánico o razonable. Mas aun así y tienen momentos muy buenos y mayormente lo explica usando el ambiente y las sensaciones en vez del dialogo.
Esta es una historia de supervivencia. Y nuevamente una de las mejores que he leído, pero tiene junto a una gran baza, un gran error. La catástrofe ocurrida aquí esta en un nivel mayor a cualquier otra obra que haya leído antes, no solo son erupciones volcánicas, terremotos, tornados, maremotos tornados y tormentas, también los pocos humanos que quedan han descendido a la locura y resultan un peligro considerable para el grupo protagonista, que a pesar de no estar exento de sufrimiento y daños de forma constante, sobrevive a veces de formas demasiado improbables.
Dragon Head es cuanto menos interesante, pero algunas errores en la escritura lo alejan de merecer una mayor puntuación, le doy un 6/10 que en nota de Goodreads se traduce en un 4 en el limite. Que todo aquel que disfrute de las historias de supervivencia, le de una bien merecida oportunidad.
El apartado artístico es maravilloso... Cuando hablamos de cualquier cosa que no sea una persona, ya que los seres humanos llegan a tener en algunas ocasiones expresiones deformes y ridículas, obviando esto los escenarios y sobretodo, el uso que le dan a estos es impecable. Mostrando a los humanos como seres insignificantes ante el desastre por el que pasan, poniéndolos como insectos indefensos frente a una fuerza superior e incomprensible para ellos... Y para el espectador porque nunca explican nada mas allá de algunos discursos psicológicos que francamente, veo difícil que alguno haya pensado por si mismo. Y me suenan mas bien como el mensaje que el autor quería expresar.
Otro problema radica en los diálogos de los protagonistas, tengo la sospecha que es mas culpa del Fansub que lo tradujo y no del autor (sobretodo por la cantidad indecente de horrores ortográficos que comete, dignos de una persona que aprendió gramática hace dos días) pero hasta que no lo lea con una mejor traducción no podre decir mucho mas, tal como esta los personajes describen la situación por la que pasan mas como la forma que tiene el autor de hacernos saber como se sienten y que harán, en vez de un pensamiento orgánico o razonable. Mas aun así y tienen momentos muy buenos y mayormente lo explica usando el ambiente y las sensaciones en vez del dialogo.
Esta es una historia de supervivencia. Y nuevamente una de las mejores que he leído, pero tiene junto a una gran baza, un gran error. La catástrofe ocurrida aquí esta en un nivel mayor a cualquier otra obra que haya leído antes, no solo son erupciones volcánicas, terremotos, tornados, maremotos tornados y tormentas, también los pocos humanos que quedan han descendido a la locura y resultan un peligro considerable para el grupo protagonista, que a pesar de no estar exento de sufrimiento y daños de forma constante, sobrevive a veces de formas demasiado improbables.
Dragon Head es cuanto menos interesante, pero algunas errores en la escritura lo alejan de merecer una mayor puntuación, le doy un 6/10 que en nota de Goodreads se traduce en un 4 en el limite. Que todo aquel que disfrute de las historias de supervivencia, le de una bien merecida oportunidad.
June 13, 2017
Book one of Dragon Head is claustrophobic to say the least. Our main character Teru Aoki has survived the initial impact of a tunnel cave-in while on a class trip, but staying alive is going to be difficult. The tunnel is pitch-dark and blocked on both sides by debris. The tunnel is also uncomfortably hot, which is speeding up the decay of food and the bodies of his classmates. Teru has only found two other survivors: one who is really hurt (Seto Ako), and one who has completely lost it after the realization that there's probably no rescue team coming (Takahashi Nobuo).
This book feels like more of an introduction than a full first volume, so I can't say too much about the writing yet. I'm pretty sure, however, that the next book is going to involve either pacifying Nobuo or trying to escape from him. I want to see this become a successful survival story in the end, but the tone of Volume 1 feels too bleak for that to happen.
I think the thing that might make me read more of this series is the art. Minetarō Mochizuki's drawings have their own unique style and, if anything, remind me more of American cartoonist/illustrator Adrian Tomine than of other styles I'm used to seeing in Japanese comics. He is also very good at playing with light and shadows and contrasts and midtones. Since the book takes place in a dark tunnel only illuminated by a flashlight and a lighter, the setting of this story so far is perfect for his artistic strengths.
This book feels like more of an introduction than a full first volume, so I can't say too much about the writing yet. I'm pretty sure, however, that the next book is going to involve either pacifying Nobuo or trying to escape from him. I want to see this become a successful survival story in the end, but the tone of Volume 1 feels too bleak for that to happen.
I think the thing that might make me read more of this series is the art. Minetarō Mochizuki's drawings have their own unique style and, if anything, remind me more of American cartoonist/illustrator Adrian Tomine than of other styles I'm used to seeing in Japanese comics. He is also very good at playing with light and shadows and contrasts and midtones. Since the book takes place in a dark tunnel only illuminated by a flashlight and a lighter, the setting of this story so far is perfect for his artistic strengths.
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