Oct 09, 2021
I must confess that, at first, I too was a bit reluctant when I saw it was a horror, because I avoid this genre lately. Seeing that the main character was a bad guy (he killed people on a whim), didn't feel appealing either. However, as I cope better with physical violence and bloodshed than with psychological horror, I took my chances. Besides, there was something about Jack that hooked me in from the first chapter. When the Death Game appeared, I've gotten even more interested since I love battle tournaments. They feel very inspiring! To my satisfaction, more nice surprises followed 😄. I enjoyed greatly the Blue Nasties team: the way they bonded, their interactions, how they teased each other while also covering for each other when things went bad. It reminded me of the teams that usually appear in adventure stories. But the best part was that it proved to be so much more than a battle for the Life and Death dagger. Merely physical battles became equally spiritual confrontations that guided the characters to an adventure beyond the reality. The lore of Slashers is incredible! I loved the Dungeon Universe, especially its description when the Ringmaster first brought everyone there. I was enamored with that imagery!
I admit you have a great imagination! Leaving aside the Dungeon Universe (which will remain my favorite), I was captivated by the world of the sharks and the history of Mars. The diversity of masks and the Spirit Beasts were no less amazing! I confess that I wished there were more details about the Spirit Beasts. While the relationships between the characters were so attentively illustrated, the slashers interactions with their Spirit Beasts were so mysterious and scarce.
Great development of characters! You have my whole admiration! I found each one of them perfect! I was also overjoyed to see them act heroically. Frankly, I didn't expected that, but I was elated! My favorite character is Sam 😁 and how glad I was that she had such a significant role and that I could see her so often in action! Surprisingly, another character that I took a fancy to was Alice. I can't explain why, but I was fascinated of her attitude, looks and most of all her lines. "Time for a tea party, Hatter? Jolly good!" - this is just brilliant! I can't get enough of it! But I liked her other lines too! Marilyn was quite the surprise for me! Though I can hardly say I like the character, it was very well done! I do like one of her lines very much, since I feel it is so representative of her personality: "Your little lives are mine to spend." I recall having resembled Marilyn and Jack to Dalila and Samson after reading the first 2-3 chapters. Well, I take that back 😅. Marilyn is definitely something else and Jack didn't prove that naive either.
Wisdom! Some of the character's statements really gave me some food for thought and I'm grateful for the opportunity: Puck saying that women fought for nothing else than family; Colonel Ripper stating that Jack suppressed his understanding to avoid seeing how much he decayed; Jack and Sam being resembled to the Scarecrow and the Cowardly Lion from the Wizard of Oz; the reflection on the media's influence over the society. Very nice!
A lot of good humor! Honestly, I rarely laugh at jokes, but some of the jokes and funny moments from Slashers really made me laugh. Sam and her angel and devil screaming was totally surprising 😂!
A few elements reminded me of anime that I enjoyed (some of them greatly): Fubsy the Clown's clones reminded me of Naruto, Mezu's zanbato reminded me of Bleach and the Dungeon Universe reminded me of Paprika. It felt nostalgic!
The ending definitely makes you wish for more 😅, especially since some aspects remain a bit unclear. Marilyn history and motivations seemed a bit compressed and the world of slashers (how they appeared, what made them different from other people, could anyone become a slasher, were the slashers' slayers just like slashers) was not very much detailed. Jack's backstory was a bit vague too, considering he was the main character. Nonetheless, this doesn't hinder the overall story. Having rushed information is in tone with the intense pace of the story which can be an advantage. It helps you immerse more easily into the battle rhythm. Even so, I was still very confused when I discovered that Marilyn had an engagement ring 😂. I couldn't recall Jack having bought her one. This is certainly a minor detail though, so don't mind my odd curiosities 😋.
As a conclusion, I would like the opportunity to read a Slashers manga! So I wish you the best of luck in the contest !😉
