Manga Review: BTOOOM Vol. 9

I've finished "BTOOOM Vol. 9" by Junya Inoue.

Product Description

One wrong move, and it's all over!

The death game "BTOOOM" charges headlong into the final phase! Ryouta survives a fierce battle against his sworn ally, Kiyoshi Taira, but the scars left on his heart run deep. Meanwhile, Kousuke Kira, hungry for a rematch with Ryouta, wanders the island looking to get back into the game. But when he's cornered by a mysterious group with unfamiliar BIMs and a merciless team strategy, the devious junior high schooler will have to think fast if he wants to live long enough to settle the score with world ranker SAKAMOTO!

About the Author

Junya Inoue is the manga artist behind a number of horror series for young men, including survival drama "BTOOOM!" and horror mysteries "Otogi Matsuri" and "Youkai Hunter: Yami no Kyakujin."

Product Details
Series: BTOOOM! (Book 9)
Paperback: 192 pages
Publisher: Yen Press (February 24, 2015)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0316336254
ISBN-13: 978-0316336253

My Review:

Wow this volume was full of action-packed violence and death!

We see the return of the psychotic 14 yr. old Kousuke Kira who has a very exciting match with the leader of a group of four who he joins to help him in his rematch with Ryouta.

5/5

Thanks Hachette Book Group Canada/Yen Press for sending me this manga to review, greatly appreciated!

Manga Review: BTOOM Vol. 8

I've finished BTOOM Vol. 8" by Junya Inoue.

The demonic death game finally reaches a climax!

Sakamoto and Himiko have thus far succeeded in hanging on to their lives on the mysterious island battlefield, using their BIMs to compete in the murderous gameplay of live-action "BTOOOM!" The two find themselves pitted in a life-or-death struggle with Date, a victor from an earlier round, who has all sorts of knowledge about the game unfolding around them. After being cornered by Date, they escape his clutches and rush to the side of their third ally, Kiyoshi Taira, only to find that his state of terror and his horrific wounds have caused him to lose his mind?

About the Author

Junya Inoue is the manga artist behind a number of horror series for young men, including survival drama "BTOOOM!" and horror mysteries "Otogi Matsuri" and "Youkai Hunter: Yami no Kyakujin."

Product Details
Series: BTOOOM!
Paperback: 192 pages
Publisher: Yen Press (November 18, 2014)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0316336238
ISBN-13: 978-0316336239

My Review:

Date was a complete psycho in this volume and he didn't care about anyone but himself.  He got what he deserved.  Pretty violent issue!

4/5

Thanks Hachette Book Group Canada/Yen Press for sending me this manga to review, greatly appreciated!

Manga Review: BTOOOM!, Vol. 4 Paperback

I've finished "BTOOOM Vol. 4" by Junya Inoue.

What happens when you cross the ultimate line?

Men and women, old and young, have been forced onto an island in the middle of nowhere and into a murderous game using small bombs called BIMs. Now accustomed to the gameplay of real-life "BTOOOM!", expert player Ryouta Sakamoto coolly and calmly disposes of opponents and giant lizards alike as he protects his allies and their rations. But in the lawless microcosm of the island, is it really such a smart idea to play by the rules? When a mysterious player confronts Ryouta with not a handful of bombs but the cruel blade of a knife, will he be able to think outside the video game box long enough to find a way to survive?

About the Author

Junya Inoue is the manga artist behind a number of horror series for young men, including survival drama "BTOOOM!" and horror mysteries "Otogi Matsuri" and "Youkai Hunter: Yami no Kyakujin."

Product Details
Series: BTOOOM!
Paperback: 192 pages
Publisher: Yen Press (November 19, 2013)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0316245364
ISBN-13: 978-0316245364

My Review:

While Ryouta Sakamoto is trying to save his friends he is confronted by a knife welding psychopath who attempts to kill him.  Ryouta tries to reason with him that they should all work together and figure out how to get off the island and how they got there and why?  The psycho refuses to work with Ryouta and attacks him again and Ryouta barely escapes.  The psycho manages to follow Ryouta and cuts the Kiyoshi Taira's fingers off and kidnaps Himiko.  He tortures Himiko with his knife and sharp tongue.  Ryouta manages to find them and attempts to rescue Himiko.

This is a very pretty graphic and violent manga so if you have a weak stomach this manga isn't for you.  Both the psycho and his partner are both sadistic and sick who love violence and torturing people.

4/5

Thanks Hachette Book Group Canada/Yen Press for sending me this manga to review, greatly appreciated!

Manga Review: BTOOOM!, Vol. 2 [Paperback]

"I've finished "BTOOOM!, Vol. 2" by Junya Inoue.

On a mysterious deserted island, Ryouta Sakamoto, who has been thrust against his will into a vicious game of survival, manages to defeat his first enemy player. While struggling with the guilt of having murdered another person, he stumbles upon Kiyoshi Taira, an older man who fills in some of the blanks about their situation. Ryouta begins to harbor the suspicious that the company behind the virtual "BTOOOM!" world is also behind this very real bomber death-match. Intent on escape, Ryouta ventures into the heart of the island.  But then, an even more formidable foe attacks.


About the Author

Junya Inoue is the manga artist behind a number of horror series for young men, including survival drama "BTOOOM!" and horror mysteries "Otogi Matsuri" and "Youkai Hunter: Yami no Kyakujin."

Product Details
Paperback: 192 pages
Publisher: Yen Press (May 28, 2013)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0316245348
ISBN-13: 978-0316245340

My Review:

This volume is definitely 18+ because of the violence, sharp objects in body parts, people blown up and a psychotic teenager who has a fondness for death and sex with dead bodies.

The illustrations are well drawn and detailed especially the scenes described in the first paragraph.

4/5

Thanks Hachette Book Group/Yen Press for sending me this manga to review, greatly appreciated!

Manga Review: BTOOOM!, Vol. 1 [Paperback]

I've finished reading "BTOOM Vol. 1" by Junya Inoue.

Product Description

By all counts, Ryouta Sakamoto is a loser when he's not holed up in his room, bombing things into oblivion in his favorite online action RPG. But his very own uneventful life is blown to pieces when he's abducted and taken to an uninhabited island, where he soon learns the hard way that he's being pitted against others just like him in a explosives-riddled death match! How could this be happening? Who's putting them up to this?

And why!? The name, not to mention the objective, of this very real survival game is eerily familiar to Ryouta, who has mastered its virtual counterpart - BTOOOM! Can Ryouta still come out on top when he's playing for his life!?

About the Author

Junya Inoue is the manga artist behind a number of horror series for young men, including survival drama "BTOOOM!" and horror mysteries "Otogi Matsuri" and "Youkai Hunter: Yami no Kyakujin."

Product Details
Paperback: 192 pages
Publisher: Yen Press (February 26, 2013)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 031623267X
ISBN-13: 978-0316232678

My Review:

Ryouta Sakamoto is a 22 year old who lives at home with his mom and plays an online action game called BTOOM all day and all night.  The game only uses bombs instead of weapons which Ryouta is an strategy expert which makes him one of the top players.

Then we see Ryouta waking up hanging by a parachute on a tree while on a strange island somewhere.  He has no memory of how he ended up here and as soon as he gets down he meets his first opponent.  This guy is out to kill him but Ryouta manages to get the drop on him.

Finally Ryouta meets an old man who explains how a whole group of people ended up on the island and the rules of the game and how to use the bombs he was given.

The artwork was well detailed and the fight scenes were very realistic (especially the gory death scenes).

I hated the way Ryouta treated his mom (he would yell at her and he even threw his controller at her - lucky he didn't hit her since it would have caused a lot of damage even death). 

4/5

Thanks Hachette Book Group Canada/Yen Press for sending me this manga to review, greatly appreciated!