"Between the world of boys and men,
there lies holyland
Where laws don't matter and the strongest rule
In that world, "he" roamed
Kamishiro Yuu, he was there"

Holyland is a story about the struggle of a young man in finding his identity and finding something that makes him feel more alive. It's a journey of someone that want to know about the world and the reason of why he exist in that world.

The meaning of Holyland as explained in the first page of every volume, is a place between the adult world and the children world, where a human being wants to belong in order to grow as a healthy person without being discriminated. Holyland offers something like most of martial arts manga do, the story of the weak victim (Kamishiro Yuu in this manga) finding the strength and drive to change is a theme that have been used a lot in any shape form of media but the way it was done was brilliant.

One great point in this manga is the effort that the author puts in narrating the dynamics of martial arts in general that have an actual practical use, most authors just simply put some characters out-of-the-blue describing a textbook, but in here the author shares its knowledge in a narrator kind of way, while going throught the main dynamics. With that fact alone, this manga also encourage me to do more exercises more than i usually do.

The characters are the biggest point in this manga and have definitely been a major factor in my enjoyment of this manga. The characters are portrayed not always positively as they are relatable in many ways, with weaknesses and problems and issues that add to the realism of the story, showing they’re not just the perfect images some may view them as but have problems just like anyone else that they have to work passed. Watching these characters struggle with the their problems individually and together has only made them more endearing allowing the readers to empathise with them and feel more connected with them especially if they’ve experienced some of the problems themselves which is highly likely. The most interesting character for me beside is Masaki. He is the overseer of the streets and faced hell like Kamishiro did. He managed to rise from the ashes to become a new person.

To be completely honest, this manga seems to have just gone by so quickly but i've been left with a satisfying feeling with what i've read, from the epic fight scenes, to the heart warming friendships and even some romance which i did not expected that coming. I still remember the feeling of the after effects of its brilliant plot after finished reading it. This manga is outstanding and it's deserve more recognition as one of the best fighting manga out there.