“If you run now, where are the feelings of the people worrying about you suppose to go?”
-Holyland
Hey guys!
Today I want to talk about a manga which I recently finished reading, Holyland.
When I started this manga, I wasn't sure what to expect from it but this surely has left an impression on me. So, let's dig in.
Characters:
All the main characters in this manga are high-school teenagers. I really don't like books, movies, or mangas around teenagers because most of the time the characters are annoying, one dimensional or fake. But in Holyland, the author does a great job of making these characters look extremely real and sometimes way too relatable. Most of the characters have amazing development throughout the manga.
Kamishiro Yuu a.k.a Thug Hunter:
Remember that kid that got bullied in high school? Maybe you were that kid or maybe you were the bully. Whatever the case may be there is always that one kid that gets pushed over the edge and they feel that they have no place in the world. Yuu from Holyland is just that kid. He has no connection to his family and has no friends that he could share his pain with. He quits school but the bullying does not end. Frustrated with bullying, he tries committing suicide but cannot really jump off the building because he is too scared. One day, he picks up a boxing book to learn to defend himself.
After practicing a single move for thousands of time each day, he joins the school and decides not to be bullied again. His timid and nervous attitude always attracts attention from the wannabe thugs but little do they know that Yuu has a move up his sleeve.
One thing leads to another and soon Yuu is a monster roaming the streets, protecting his Holyland.
Shinichi Kaneda:
Shin is Yuu's best friend. Unlike Yuu, Shin is a non-fighter. He meets Yuu, roaming the streets at nights, and instantly becomes his friend. He understands what Yuu has been through in his life and is always there for him. He always accompanies Yuu to his fights.
Midorikawa Shougo:
Shougu is a karate fighter making his name on the streets. He challenges Yuu twice to fight with him but ends up thrashed both the times. They eventually become friends but Shougo always struggles with the fact that Yuu is better than him. This jealousy drives them apart and Shougo gets mixed up in gangs and drugs. Yuu and Shougo do patch-up in the end but Shougo ends up in jail for assault.
Izawa Masaki a.k.a Charisma of the streets:
Masaki is a pro-fighter turned street thug. He is badass with his moves and always mentors Yuu. Masaki has a troubled childhood which makes him run away from the boxing ring and become a street fighter. Masaki is older than rest of the characters and the backstory of how Masaki got to where he is now is extremely heartwrenching and relatable.
Izawa Mai
Mai is Masaki's sister and Yuu's love interest. She is an average girl with almost no significance in the story.
Art:
The art is pretty good. The action scenes are not as amazing as Berserk but are well drawn. There is a lot of art explaining different martial arts which can be very overwhelming sometimes.
Story:
Story is where Holyland stands apart from the rest. Despite the lack of complexities in the storyline, Holyland proves to be unforgettable due to its characters, gripping fight scenes and heart-wrenching emotions. To put it simply, Holyland is about a bullied kid Kamishiro Yuu, who has nothing that he can call his own. Frustrated with bullying, one day he decides to stand up and fight to protect himself. He keeps going at it and realizes that he has found his one true place, his Holyland.
Along the way, he finds that people around aren't going to sit around and let him be. He needs to fight in order to survive or he will be brought down and his Holyland will be snatched away from him. Through all of this, he finds that he is not alone. He finds friends and allies and his Holyland.
Overall analysis:
The story itself is straightforward; kid gets bullied, he gets strong and beats people up.
The manga is deeply character driven in which the character monologues dominate the progression of the story.
The most impressive part of the story is how the author is able to portray adolescent behavior. The manga revolves around drugs, suicide, and fighting unlike other teenager driven mangas which usually revolve around sex.
The emotions portrayed by the different characters are extremely human and relatable.
That's all for today guys!
I hope you enjoyed the post.
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I will see you in the next one.
Naresh out!