Just caught up on MAD with chapter 42. I'm really enjoying it, especially the unique art style. While the plot can be a bit predictable and the protagonist is rather slow on the uptake, the story has me hooked. I'm excited to see where it goes from here.
MAD is a manga series by Yusuke Otori. The premise is set in a world where the majority of the human race has been wiped out by aliens that arrived in meteorites. A small group of survivors is doing their best to avoid detection, as being spotted means certain death. The protagonist is John, an ordinary guy just trying to survive. The story really kicks off when his group picks up a signal and decides to make their way toward it.
So we're way past the Jericho arc now at chapter 42, thank god. That whole section was intense. The pacing's been all over the place, honestly. Some chapters move fast, others feel like they're building to something. Not sure if it's intentional or just how it goes with this kind of survival story.
I haven't read Otori's other work before this, but the Fujimoto influence is impossible to miss. You get those quiet panels where characters just exist, and then everything explodes. Fujimoto usually hits you with emotional damage though. MAD's different. It's more about dread, that constant feeling something bad's about to happen. Reminds me of Carpenter's The Thing or Alien. That trapped feeling where the threat's always there but you can't see it.
The aliens work because we know basically nothing about them. No backstory, no motivation. They just kill. Way scarier that way.
John's interesting as a protagonist. He's not some hero type, just a normal guy who's been through hell. Former farmer who lost everything when the aliens landed. He's been kinda suicidal since then, which is rough. His sister Emma died early on and he keeps seeing her, hearing her voice guiding him. It took me a bit to realize she was a hallucination but looking back it makes sense. The Jericho people fed him alien meat without him knowing and he became an Adaptor. That transformation scene where he completely lost it was brutal. I worry about him even though sometimes he frustrates me.
The supporting cast is hit or miss. Bob's genuinely kind, which is rare in this manga. Makes me think something bad's coming for him. Then there's Alda and his pet lizard Bongo. Everyone keeps calling Bongo a Komodo dragon when he's not, which cracks me up every time. Apparently he smells terrible too. There's this moment where John saves Bongo from getting crushed and you can see Alda's whole attitude shift. Bongo does absolutely nothing useful but somehow he's become one of my favorite parts of the manga.
The art style fits perfectly. Sketchy and grimy, which works for the apocalypse vibe. But fight scenes get messy and hard to follow. I've had to reread action sequences because I couldn't tell what was happening. When it works though, the facial expressions are incredible. Those silent panels create so much tension.
The whole Adaptor system where eating alien meat gives you powers is cool but they haven't really dug into what that means yet. Feels like there's more coming.
I’m curious where this goes. The body horror's been great so far and I want to see what Otori does with it.
