Publisher: VIZ Media
Release Date: October 4, 2016
Price: $9.99
Creator: Tsugumi Ohba (Story), Takeshi Obata (Art)
Format: 192 pgs., Black & White, Trade Paperback
ISBN: 978-1-4215-9063-9
Age Rating: 17+
ICv2 Rating: 4 Stars out of 5
For a book that starts with such an optimistic first line, this is some seriously dark reading material. No, seriously… if you look at the back cover for this book you'll see that it's rated "Mature," and within fifty pages you'll absolutely understand why.
From the creators of Death Note comes this story about a boy named Mirai who tries to kill himself on the day that he graduates middle school in order to escape from the misery that he calls life. After losing his entire family when he was seven to a car accident, he was taken in by his aunt, uncle and cousins who abused him horribly both physically and emotionally. Fortunately for him, his suicide attempt goes awry when he is saved at the last possible moment by his guardian angel.
The angel then informs him that he, along with twelve other people, are being chosen to compete to be the next god. Armed with both the ability to fly faster than the human eye can see thanks to angel wings and make anyone he wants fall in love with him for thirty three days with red arrows that he can shoot out of his wrists, he and the others who have been chosen are being graded on how they use these powers over the course of a thousand days, though some have already figured out that if they take out the other contestants, they'll become the next god by default.
If you're already familiar with the previous works of Tsugumi Ohba and Takeshi Obata, the darkness that is presented to you within these pages shouldn't shock you in the least. However if you've never read any of the previous series created by these two, you are in for a startling awakening once the blood starts spraying, the sex orgies begin and the angels take a very lackadaisical approach to it all.
What's remarkable about this book, however, is that while it might be shocking to some to see this kind of content within a Shonen Jump manga, none of it is done purely for shock value. There is rhyme and reason to everything that happens and while I won't spoil specific details within this review, consider yourself warned that this book will challenge you to find a place to put it down whether it's from the sex, violence or even merely the idea that angels don't give a flying hoot about what happens to humans so long as they get what they want at the end of this little contest.
Platinum End is already shaping up into a story that will not be easy to read. There will be times when you will want to put it down for a short period to give your mind a break. But if you are intrigued at all by the first chapter (and trust me when I say that many of you will be), you will find that these breaks will not last long as you will be desperate to know what happens next in the story.
This is a great book for those who are seeking a darker story that will challenge their thoughts, beliefs and notions while also giving them something that is twisted yet entertaining. However those who find that they are turned off by the first chapter should put it down right away because it will only get worse from that point onwards. Overall though, this is a solid read that those in the target audience will not want to put down.
--L.B. Bryant
