First things first, this review is probably not going to have a structure at all. The reason? I just feel like rambling on and just getting all my thoughts out, that's all. This is also probably going to have a lot of images, so yeah.

Out is a delinquent manga by Tatsuya Iguchi with artwork by Makoto Mizuta. It's my third delinquent manga (although I would consider Holyland as more of a fighting manga & Tokyo Revengers as more of a suspense-thriller), and I think it's a pretty fantastic introduction to the genre. It has a lot of great elements which I'll be getting into in a bit.

Oh yeah, also, this is probably just randomly going to go from one point to another. Well I'm not really sure, I'm writing this before I'm done with the review, after all.

Okay, getting this out of the way immediately. If you're looking for some insanely deep story which will change your worldview, I wouldn't recommend Out to you. The reason being, it's not that deep. It's just a really fun delinquent manga with a gripping story, fun characters and great artwork, and that's not a bad thing at all. In fact, I have it above a lot of manga and anime considered to be "deep and insightful" because I just prefer it a lot more.

So the story of this manga follows a teenager named Tatsuya Iguchi. Sounds familiar? It probably does, because that's the name of the author. I looked it up and this is supposed to be a loose autobiography, sort of? It's apparently based on a blog this dude wrote, and it's still publishing, just not about delinquent stuff, I guess. Anyway, Tatsuya just got out of juvie and is in a new city, trying to live on the straight and narrow, working at his aunt's and uncle's restaurant. This is because if he gets in trouble again, he's going back to juvie, and he really doesn't want that. But he befriends some delinquents and gets involved in gang activity again, just not very actively. He's not a member of any gangs, and whenever he's asked to join a fight because of his skills, apart from some rare instances, he refuses, not wanting to make his aunt and uncle worry.

The story doesn't always follow him, though. In fact, he has only been slightly relevant in the past 100 chapters or so. However, that isn't a bad thing, as this manga does a fantastic job in making you care for the characters. I mean, it made me hate a character, then like him a bit, then hate him again, and now at this point in time, love that character. An example of how well the characters are done in Out is Minagawa Jousuke. You only mostly hear about this dude from other character and see this dude in small flashbacks, but these small bits have established the character so well. This character becomes one of the driving points of the story and the major motivation behind many of the characters, and you actually start to understand this dude through those characters, and I think that's pretty impressive. Another standout character is Taguchi, but I won't be getting into his arc due to spoilers. All I'm going to say is that this character takes you on a rollercoaster that you did not know you were getting on.

Now, being a delinquent manga, this focuses on fights a lot, and I mean, a LOT. They serve many things in the story, and well, they do not disappoint AT ALL. Every single fight is hype, and makes you care about at least one of the characters involved in it. Something I think that really helps in making the fights great in this manga is the usage of lines and the choreography.

Like, look at this. Most of it is lines, and it looks AMAZING. It also conveys a sense of motion effortlessly and makes the experience more fluid and smooth. Oh yeah, speaking of making the reading experience more fluid and smooth, the paneling in this manga is fantastic. It's so easy to read and the way the panels are arranged are varying, but every single time, it's done really well.

This is, in my opinion, one of the tamer examples of the paneling and it looks immaculate. The sequence of the events is laid out well and it's easy for the eyes to follow.

Also, the way the mangaka "frames" certain characters and objects is great. I don't exactly know how to explain this properly, so I'll just give a few images to try and get the point across.

This is what I'm trying to say, basically. The angles at which the characters are placed, how the characters are placed with respect to their backgrounds, with respect to other characters, even with respect to a bunch of panels in the background. It's just done really well and gives the moments in which they are done, a sort of gravitas, an additional tension, which is what the author intended.

The backgrounds in this manga also look really dope. I mean, I've been gushing about the art aspect of this manga for a while now, and I'll probably continue to do so for a bit more, so just bear with me. The landscapes are so well drawn, I did not expect the art in this manga to be this good.

Need I say more?

Anyway, on to the next target of my random ramblings. The character designs. This manga's characters look so varied, there is not even a single example I can think of in which two characters look even remotely similar (Ok, I can think of one example, but you get the point). The variety of the designs are great, and just the designs themselves look very cool. They give us an idea of the personality of the character as well.

The author is pretty great at giving a character a sort of presence. I mean, the dude on the left of the image just looks like a normal high school kid. I mean he's basically Tsukishima from Haikyuu. But the confidence we can see in the posturing and demeanor of that character gives him a sort of presence. While the character on the right just looks more badass and still has presence. So it's not just one or the other, the presence is there in both types of designs.

Also, sometimes the designs look goofy as hell, but that's part of the charm. The author plays around with anatomy sometimes and it hasn't led to any bad results, but some of them have been rather, uhhh, interesting.

Also, the characters are drippy as hell. I mean, just look at these dudes all dripped out in their Supreme hoodies and their "Emporno Arimni" shirts, not to mention this dude just looking like a boss wearing an apron. The drip in this manga is great. I mean, people praise the drip in Tokyo Revengers, meanwhile, Out trumps the drip in that manga easily. I mean, THIS MANGA CAN MAKE A DUDE IN AN APRON LOOK DRIPPY. Last I checked, TR couldn't do that (not dogging on TR, that manga does have cool character designs and drip, and a lot of strengths. The current arc is like a 4/10 though but hey that's a discussion for another time).

The humor in this manga is also great. Sometimes the gags are pretty absurd and out there, but most of the time, the comedy in this manga comes from dudes just hanging out and chilling, and I think it's pretty funny 99% of the time it tries to be. Speaking of some absurd stuff, this manga really revels in the absurdity of it's fights at times, which is not a negative at all.

I mean, these 17 to 18 year-olds are out here pulling out guns and katanas. I mean, it's believable, but it's still kind of funny to think about.

Oh yeah, did I forget to mention that moment when a brawl is going on, and this 17 year old just finds a crane and starts trying to scoop people up with it?

Yeah, this manga knows it's absurd a lot of the time, and revels in it, kind of like JoJo's Bizarre Adventure (but not to that degree, of course). And well, it's just a lot of fun to read. At the end of the day, that is the biggest draw of reading this manga. I mean, the characters are great, fleshed out and well-developed, and so is the plot. I mean, the plot of this manga surprised me with how good it was. I mean it wasn't some narrative that I would consider "peak fiction" but it was very tightly written, especially the current arc with how we see the perspectives of all the different characters and how they tie in to this one huge event. But at the end of the day, it's a very, very fun time, and that's what matters with this manga. Don't let the chapter count intimidate you, it is VERY quick to get through. I mean, I binged the entire manga in 1 and a half days, that's how quick it was. The chapters just breeze through.

So I guess that's all, I don't know if I'll be coming out with another review anytime soon, so, until next time,