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Ajin, Volume 1: Demi-Human (2012)

by Gamon Sakurai, Tsuina Miura (Author)

Other authors: See the other authors section.

Series: Ajin: Demi-Human (1)

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2385111,770 (3.61)1
Kei Nagai, a high-school student, should have died when the truck hit him. Instead, he comes back to life and his world is changed forever. Kei learns he is an Ajin or demi-human, a mysterious creature that cannot die. Frightened by the prospect of what might happen to him, Kei, helped by his friend, Kai, flee from civilization only to encounter a group of demi-humans who are hostile to humans. Who should Kei side with?… (more)
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Showing 5 of 5
My introduction to the Ajin series was when I first saw it as an anime on Netflix. The "black ghost" shown on it's blurb kept catching my attention until I eventually watched it. All of it, both seasons, in 2 days. Needless to say, I really enjoyed the anime. And like I figured, the black ghosts are my favorite part about it, though I do have many favorite parts. I had read that the anime was based on a manga and when I saw that this manga had 9 volumes and was still in the process of more, I was super excited! I loved the idea that I could get more story out of this series.

First thing I was extremely grateful for: the anime is not the manga basically frame by frame. There is more story to the manga that wasn't included in the anime and I love that because it means that I can enjoy both without having to feel like I'm just going over the same thing again, just on paper. I also love the extra pieces of story that are given because they completely fill in information I wish I had while watching the anime. The manga shares more backstories to characters and it also shows a bit more of the black ghosts, which of course I loved. While still on the topic of anime, I think they did a brilliant job of translating from page to screen while still keeping a uniqueness to each that allows fans to equally enjoy both while getting some more stories from this world. The style of the animation also perfectly captured the characters' appearance and expressions, as well as the reanimation of the Ajins and the "summoning" of their black ghosts.

Moving on from comparisons to the anime however, this story is just amazing. I love so many of the themes that run through this series. I think it's perfect how the Ajins themselves are feeling a lot like the humans still because they always have been but also in the way that both beings really don't understand what being an Ajin means yet. This means that there is both hope and fear lingering between the humans and Ajins. A fear of the unknown and a possible clash of two species, and yet a hope that perhaps they can learn to live alongside each other.

Kei's character is brilliant. And I mean that as in literally brilliant and also just plain awesome and well suited to the story. The reader is left to ponder on whether Kei's unique personality might somehow be related to the fact he is an Ajin, and how that might shape his Black Ghost. It also sets up for the struggle between human vs. Ajin by showing that though Kei seems so calculating and cold most of the time, he does have people he is loyal to and actually cares for and he has breakthrough moments where he seems to empathize with people. Does he allow being an Ajin turn him into a monster? Or does he accept his role as Demi-human and capable of actions, thoughts and feeling that encompass both beings? I believe this is something Kei struggles with the most throughout even this first installment to the series. The characters already all have such complexity and a complete uniqueness to them down to their distinct movements, ticks, ways of speaking, relationships to other characters, motives, backgrounds, etc.

The artwork is stunning. I particularly enjoyed the full spread drawing that was half Kei and half his black ghost. I spent a lot of time on each page just looking at all the details and the interesting art style. I feel like even details down to what shirts characters are wearing are important to the story. For instance, part of Kai's character is that he always seems to have something on him with a smiley face on it, and it really represents the atmosphere he brings to the page as well. The movement created in this volume was also something that stood out to me. The art style combined with the sound words and the zooming in and out on different aspects in different panels really made the whole thing seem more action-y and also more suspenseful. And seeing as Ajins are kind of forced into a position to be on the run a lot of the time, this is a very important part that they were able to get down.

There is seriously not a thing I would wish to change about this book and I am so glad that Netflix made the anime because it is amazing and also because it introduced me to the original material of this Manga series. I excitedly and somewhat impatiently look forward to seeing more of this artwork, more of these complex characters, more story, and more arcing themes which tie everything together. ( )
  rianainthestacks | Nov 5, 2023 |
I really, really like how this story is put together, even coming at it after watching the series. ( )
  wetdryvac | Mar 2, 2021 |
The concept isn't wholly original, but I like how the creator is having fun playing around with it. The gore and fast pace can't quite cover up the limitations in storytelling ability though. ( )
  villemezbrown | Jul 28, 2018 |
Shocking scenes but really good! I fell in love with the characters & subject instantly. Fast paced and full of action! Can't wait for volume 2 and to watch the anime. ( )
  Erika.D | May 24, 2016 |
It was the cover art of Ajin: Demi-Human, Volume 1--a creepy image of disconcerting skeletal figure--that first sparked my interest in the series. When I learned that the manga was at least in part about immortals in addition to being fairly dark in tone, I knew that I wanted to read it. The exploration of immortality and its repercussions in fiction fascinates me. Series like Hiroaki Samura's Blade of the Immortal and novels like Fumi Nakamura's Enma the Immortal have actually been some of my favorite works of recent years. And so, I was very curious about Ajin. The first volume, written by Tsuina Miura and illustrated by Gamon Sakurai, was originally released n Japan in 2013. (Later volumes of the series are both written and illustrated by Sakurai.) The English-language edition of Ajin, Volume 1 was published by Vertical in 2014. The production values are particularly nice, with high-quality paper that really shows off Sakurai's ink-heavy artwork.

Seventeen years ago, the first demi-human was discovered. Immortal, and perhaps something a little more, demi-humans are considered to be less than human--feared, despised, reviled, and subjected to horrific experiments in the name of science and for the advancement of humankind. Demi-humans seem to be rare, only forty-six have so far been identified, but that's only because they appear to be normal humans, at least until they survive their first death. Most assumed Kei Nagai was an average high schooler, preoccupied with studying for his college entrance exams. But Kei's hopes and dreams of becoming a successful doctor are shattered when he dies in a traffic accident, his body smashed into pieces. And then he comes back to life. Now he's on the run, pursued by the general population, the police, the Demi-Human Control Commission, and even other demi-humans. His only ally is his friend Kai, who tries to help him escape, but that simply means that the two of them are in danger instead of Kei alone.

As in many other works about immortality, Ajin shows that living forever isn't always something to be desired and can in fact bring a tremendous amount of pain and suffering. There's the physical torment of death and injury in a body that revives again and again, but there's also the mental and psychological damage to take into consideration as well. Kei has suddenly lost all of his rights as a person, he is being hunted as something not worthy of being human, his family and friends are filled with disgust towards him--of course this is going to have an impact on the young man. It would be exceedingly easy for him to lose his humanity or his sanity. Glimmers of those possibilities can be seen in the first volume of Ajin as Kei struggles to realign his worldview with his newfound reality. Granted, Ajin, Volume 1 largely focuses on the action surrounding Kei's escape and explaining (not too subtly) the unusual abilities of the demi-humans. Not much character development has happened yet, but the potential is certainly there.

Ajin, Volume 1 is a good start to the series, though there is still room for improvement. In general, the artwork tends to be a little stronger than the writing at this point. The premise is interesting, and promising, but Sakurai's illustrations are what really give Ajin its effectively dark atmosphere. Particularly chilling are the "black ghosts"--malignant extensions of the self capable of extreme violence which are able to be manifested and controlled by certain demi-humans. (That disconcerting figure from the cover? That's a black ghost.) Humans are quite capable of shocking violence as well. Several examples of the gruesome experiments that have been conducted using demi-humans as test subjects are shown in Ajin, Volume 1. The methods are tortuous and the repeated deaths are cruel. So far, the only real difference between the two groups is that when bodies are mutilated or torn apart--which is not at all an uncommon occurrence in the first volume of Ajin--for better or for worse the demi-humans actually survive.

Experiments in Manga ( )
1 vote PhoenixTerran | Nov 12, 2014 |
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» Add other authors (2 possible)

Author nameRoleType of authorWork?Status
Gamon Sakuraiprimary authorall editionscalculated
Miura, TsuinaAuthormain authorall editionsconfirmed
Boccasile, LuigiTranslatorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Ransom, KoTranslatorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed

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Kei Nagai, a high-school student, should have died when the truck hit him. Instead, he comes back to life and his world is changed forever. Kei learns he is an Ajin or demi-human, a mysterious creature that cannot die. Frightened by the prospect of what might happen to him, Kei, helped by his friend, Kai, flee from civilization only to encounter a group of demi-humans who are hostile to humans. Who should Kei side with?

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