I have tried to keep this review mostly spoiler free. I do however talk about certain character's arcs. I have kept things as vague as possible but fair warning as everyone has different ideas of what they consider to be spoilers.
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This manga really got its hooks in me and wouldn't let go. It's quite a unique fighting manga with completely grounded and realistic combat. Even the strongest fighters in this manga are no match for a lynch mob and the characters know this. Even on the streets only one on one fighting has any meaning, and the ones that truly excel at this attain legendary status that only these nobodies could understand.
At times this manga comes off more as a treatise on martial arts and the reality of fighting. There are a lot of fourth wall breaks where the author talks directly to the reader to teach about the intricacies of fighting and martial arts, this happens almost every fight. I could see someone preferring these ideas to be depicted through the story more but I just personally found this writing style to be incredibly compelling. It helps that the author is clearly extremely knowledgeable on martial arts and has done a wealth of research so he is able to give really clear explanations for everything. The lessons definitely stick with you through the whole manga too, there is one in particular that sticks out in my mind. Pretty early on the author goes into great detail about the weaknesses wrestling faces in street fights, a big one being the hard concrete ground. Many, many chapters later this is revisited when the same character is running away from a group. He suddenly stops and the next panel simply shows a patch of grass and that's all you need to see to know this situation is about to turn on its head. This type of revisiting of the lessons happens a few times throughout and it is always immensely satisfying to see it play out.
Another reason I enjoyed the way the author wrote these lessons was the excellent use of the page turn. The author will ask the reader a question either about what is happening, a character’s style or something relating to the fight. Once you turn the page that character will answer the question for you visually, usually by brutalising someone. This really adds to the impact of whatever knowledge is being imparted at the time and some of the most memorable lessons use this technique.
The art itself is nothing special but I don't think it needs to be. The way fights are drawn keeps it realistic and the relative simplicity serves well to highlight how technical the fights can become. One of the flashiest moves is just a spinning kick and it's really sold as both hard to pull off and devastating to receive. You can probably count the number of double spreads on one hand but I can’t think of any scenes that desperately needed them.
I related to the protagonist a lot, particularly with the way his brain catastrophizes whenever he thinks he messed up, and also the feeling that he has no place in the world. His desire to get stronger and find meaning to his life leads him to the nighttime streets in a desperate search for his titular 'holy land'. Coming from empty nothingness the prospect of being sent back there is too painful for him to bear. With this in mind all Yuu Kamishiro can do is plant his feet and refuse to be pushed back. From obsessively using all his free time to train his fists he acquires the power to defend himself, but quickly realises the simple moves that work on drunk thugs won't work on real trouble. He frequently gets beaten to hell and back but will always stand back up to protect his place in his holy land. Along with his relatability it is this grit, this heart that made his character so easy to get invested in.
What I love about this setup is how much it requires the protagonist’s skills to develop while staying grounded. While he starts off as a simple boxer puncher with a wicked one two, he develops his own personal style and becomes a mixed martial artist. Absorbing knowledge from his opponents he is able to add different types of kicks, holds and throws to his arsenal. It's a really satisfying method of power progression that mimics real world fighting. Through this progression the fights can naturally become more technical and complicated as time goes on. Thanks to this it never feels like Kamishiro gets a power boost just because he's the protagonist. All his wins feel completely earned through either hard work or study.
If I had to describe Yuu Kamishiro I would describe him as cathartic. I needed him to win to keep his place. Losses felt crushing, watching his self-sabotage unfold. His victories however filled me with relief whenever he was able to overcome his most belligerent opponent; himself. Many of the people he fights become allies out of respect not for his skills but his heart and what he represents for them, the downtrodden. He transforms from a weak bullied kid into a beacon for his fellow losers, even if they don't understand why, and seeing this happen is pure catharsis.
The protagonist may have been one of my favourite characters but the supporting cast is still pretty decent. Masaki Izawa serves as a mentor and ever moving goal for Kamishiro. Known as 'The charisma of the streets' he spends most of the story being a mysterious almost mythical figure. I think the way he's presented builds up a lot of expectations and he didn't quite match them. I didn't connect as much with his reasons for being part of the street fighting scene and felt his character didn't quite live up to his potential. Despite that he's still an entertaining character. His conversations with Kamishiro are good checkpoints on the latter’s journey, and he does go through a bit of growth himself, he's just overshadowed by the better characters around him.
Shougo Midorikawa on the other hand I think is a fantastic character. A Karate expert who has an on and off again friendship with the protagonist, he served as a brilliantly written rival. His inferiority complex causes him to have both positive and negative character growth throughout the manga. No matter how far he sunk I always wanted to be in his corner, hoping he didn't lose himself completely. He can be frustrating at times, seeing him fall further and further down a dark path but it makes his rare moments of growth and maturity all the more satisfying. His style naturally leads to explosive fights and he consistently has some of the best action scenes making it all the more easy to enjoy his character. His final fight in particular I think is the best in the manga. Fully embracing the darker side of street fighting his character stands apart from the protagonist and is always exciting.
Some of the most memorable characters were the antagonists which is something really important to get right in an underdog story. Kamishiro fights many people throughout this manga, a couple of them are forgettable and feel like vehicles to give the protagonist new techniques, but most of them are compelling characters going through their own struggles. While I enjoy most of Kamishiro's opponents there is a difference between the many thugs he fights and the truly villainous characters, and those villains are where it really shines. They are scum, the things they do are utterly disgusting and it is here where the catharsis of Kamishiro's character is truly felt. The stakes become so high during his encounters with these people that the idea of him beating them is not enough, they needed to be destroyed completely in a way only Kamishiro could.
The story of Holyland is not exactly unique. It's a bullied kid learning to fight to protect himself, it's a classic underdog story. But along with the way fights are written, what sets it apart is the level of insight we get into the protagonists tormented mind. Getting strong doesn't suddenly make all his issues go away and I think that helps keep him grounded as an underdog. While he may become a larger-than-life figure for characters in the street fighting scene, to the reader he is just a boy desperate for acceptance. The fights are incredible but the battles he has with himself are the most meaningful. We see him struggle to contain all the rage his trauma has given him and then his self-loathing at being drawn into violence. It's a heartbreaking cycle but one that fuels the story being told.
The structure of the story does get a bit repetitive near the one hundred chapters mark, it became a bit formulaic for a while. During this time, it follows a rigid meet strong guy, train to beat strong guy, beat strong guy structure. This was still entertaining; the problem was it felt like the revelations the protagonist gained during these parts were repeated from earlier chapters and made it feel like padding. I'd say the manga could have cut about thirty chapters and tightened up the lessons learned beforehand. It was cool seeing him learn new techniques during this part but the mental and emotional growth was stunted. The manga does find its form again after a few rounds of this and then stays strong right through to the end. The final arc in particular is full of tension and masterful character writing.
This manga is after all very character focussed over plot. I don't think this is a bad thing, the plot just serves the characters instead of the other way round. This could be a negative if you don't like character focussed stories but I think even in that case the quality of these characters is strong enough that it would still be a worthwhile read.
Holyland is a gripping and sometimes maddening journey of self-discovery and one that I won’t soon forget.
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