Usogui

I recently finished Usogui around mid-february and I gotta say this is one of the most creative, original, and well written works that I've read. I was very lucky to come across this manga because if I didn't stumble across this very detailed panel from the manga I would've never known of it's existence.

Unfortunately there doesn't seem to be that much discussion about this manga online and that's shame because it's a real piece of art. Probably the main reason why that is could be because the manga is about 500+ chapters long. Now I know what you're thinking. "500+ chapters?!? that's like half of One Piece!" and you would be right. But don't worry! I will try my best to explain why this series is so great and why you should give it a try. Now right off the bat this manga does something that I haven't seen done in any other manga. It features gambling and fighting and mixes them together into this thrilling combo of psychological mind games and intense fights with high stakes. The choreography of the fights on here are done exceptionally well. It isn't the usual punch, punch, kick like other series does. Every hit matters and serves its purpose in trying to subdue the opponent. The gambles are the real kicker in here. They start off with regular common gambles like a slot machine and poker but (without revealing too much) as the story progress the gambles become more and more intense like real life hangman, a physical maze, and many more.

Another reason why this manga is great is the characters. One of the main protagonists, Baku Madarame aka Usogui, is a mastermind gambling addict. His motives and actions are well thought-out and are so calculated that it sets up for this insane foreshadowing that you would've never realized or expected until it happens. This series also contains about 50 or more characters and in my opinion all of them are done very well. They all have an intriguing backstory that shows you why they are the person that they are, all while having the personality to match that. Everyone plays their part and in addition to that because of the way the story is written, no one truly feels like a side character. Their positions are very crucial in elevating the story that if they were to be changed or removed it would effect the story drastically.

Last but not least, the art. Now I won't sugarcoat it at all the first 100 or so chapters of Usogui has some pretty abysmal art. There's a lack of detail in the characters faces most of the time and body proportions can be wonky in a lot of the panels. By chapter 200 and up, you start to see a significant change in quality and by 400 and up it doesn't even look like its from the same manga, it's insane.

My only gripe with Usogui is that the gambles can be very confusing to understand however, the manga does have the courtesy to explain the rules more than once and the translators do a great job of explaining the games and any confusing parts of the story at the end of each chapter. With all that said, I do hope that after reading this review that it piques your interest into Usogui and that you give it a read. You won't regret it.

10/10