I loved the concept of the story and the artwork, yet sometimes it felt a bit jumbled to follow along. Overall, it was a fascinating read.

I don’t always love violent manga but I really enjoyed this one! I will definitely be continuing on with this series. I think the pace of this volume was perfect and grips you quick. We get good background on our 2 main characters that doesn’t take up a whole chapter but short flash backs that gets to he point quick. I tend to find that sometimes the backstory in manga can be a little drawn out and I get bored. That wasn’t the case.
I have always loved the last man standing story plot so I was quickly invested in the story. Also it looks like the setting is going to really add to the story. We haven’t seen a lot of it in this volume but the bit we saw made me more excited for future volumes.

Shonen Manga has become fairly predictable, most taken on the tropes that popular stalwarts such as Bleach and Naruto tackle in their initial issues and then building from there. You often get the hero that the reader is supposed to identify with, they’re usually either forced into having some excellent powers that they have to learn to harness or they’re desperate to become all-powerful and show the world just how good they are at whatever it is that everyone else in the Manga is really, really good at.

That’s not to knock those titles, and its certainly simplifying Bleach and Naruto an awful lot, and initially I was worried that Hell’s Paradise was going to be more of the same. Here we follow Gabimaru the Hollow, a Ninja that has been captured whilst on an assassination mission. He’s given the punishment of being executed, except any time the authorities try to do so their attempts are thwarted. A master swordswoman, Yamada Asaemon Sagiri, interviews Gabimaru and ultimately comes to the conclusion that despite his claims that he wants to do, he actually doesn’t and wants to return home to his wife, contradicting the legend surrounding him that he has no emotional connection to this world (and thus is “Hollow”).

From here the authorities decide to send him, along with other criminals, to an island. Each criminal is accompanied by an executioner, with Gabimaru being paired with Sagiri. Typically all of the criminals are violent in specific ways, one Kunoichi has the ability to kill via a kiss (or that is what I think she does as it’s only shown in one panel). It’s clear from the very beginning that Gabimaru is a highly skilled ninja (let’s just ignore the fact he was captured), that’s not the point of this Manga. What we have here is a Battle Royale scenario as the criminals all search the island for the Elixer of Life, many of them deciding that the way to ensure that they’re the ones who find it, and thus are awarded with a pardon for their crimes, is to turn on the rest whilst there will be others that decide to team up (though that hasn’t happened as yet).

This first volume is mostly predictable and there’s little character development, we get to establish some kind of relationship between Gabimaru and Sagiri and learn of their motives (Gabimaru wants to return home, Sagiri is a stickler for the rules and as she is a minority in a very male-led profession, has a point to prove), but it does set up the premise nicely and zips along at a decent pace, hopefully leaving further volumes to really expand on these foundations.

What stood out to me though is the amount of action within the panels, fights break out easily and we really get to see the level of skill that Gabimaru has developed. There’s a lot of gore too and in some moments it goes full-on Swamp Thing body horror as the fauna and flora of the island attempts to take over its new visitors. With that in mind, this is definitely a book created with a mature audience in mind, and squeamish readers are better off looking elsewhere. I’ll definitely be keeping an eye on future volumes.

Thank you to Viz Media and Netgalley for the digital ARC.

This was an interesting book. The story started off slowly with an attempted execution and then veers into a path I would not have expected. The mystery aspect of the plot drew me in. And while it started slow I got to the end of volume 1 and immediately wanted to see what would happen in volume 2. If you are a fan of "Attack on TItan" I could definitely see you picking up and thoroughly enjoying this title.

This was a very gorey and graphic manga with plenty of body horror.
Felt like a mix of suicide squad and battle royale and it was pretty enjoyable if you like graphic violence in your manga, which i do.
I liked the mix of quirky unlikable and likable characters (mostly unlikable intentionally), and felt alot of the dialogue between them to be fairly amusing.
would recommend to fans of violent manga and graphic novels.

The artwork was really well done, but that was about the only thing I enjoyed from this manga. I liked the idea of the story, but thought that it could and should have been carried out better. The gore/torture didn't really bother me, but I didn't enjoy the characters and that ultimately killed it for me.

The premise of the book is interesting. The character was one-dimensional at first, but broke out of that pretty quickly. It's a ninja & battle royale type series, with a very powerful protagonist who wants to get back to his wife. There's a ridiculous amount of gore, body horror, and torture in this manga, which threw me off. This is definitely not my type of manga/book/series, unfortunately, so I gave it 2 stars and won't continue reading it. However, if that's your thing, you'll likely enjoy this book. The art style is cool, and fitting for this manga. The plot was confusing, and so were some of the main characters. Not everything was explained clearly, and the reader doesn't get to know the characters very well before the main part of the plot is introduced.

Gabimaru the Hollow is a ninja well-known for his detachment and lack of feelings. He is also seemingly immortal. He is set to be executed but is given a chance at a pardon from the Shogunate if he finds and retrieves the Elixir of Life. I absolutely loved this story. It is so creative and well-written. The main character is likable despite being a trained killer and I am anxious for the next volume so I can find out what happens next.

If I ever imagined the child of Kakashi (Naruto) and Danzai (Bungo Stray Dogs), then I’m pretty sure Gabimaru the Hallow would be the result. He doesn’t understand emotions well, is very hard to kill, and still manages to have cute moments while being buried in blood. I read the first volume of Gabimaru’s story, Hell’s Paradise: Jigokuraku, so fast I forgot that I was meant to be reviewing this book not just reading for pleasure.
I will admit, I wasn’t expecting so much horror or blood, but that made Hell’s Paradise way better. The intense scenes made me feel the emotions stronger than I would have otherwise. On my second read-through, I realized that, despite there being two main characters, Gabimaru’s story is the main focus (at least in the first book). This isn’t a bad thing as it allows readers to really get into the story and teases more backstory for the second character. I also realized that Gabimaru isn’t just going on an adventure, he’s on an Epic quest. Like the Odyssey, the initial crew dwindles and they meet fantastic monsters.
I can’t wait to read more as this artistry continues! If you like horror, fantasy, and any powerful/emotionless characters like Kakashi or Danzai, I recommend you read it too!

Hell's Paradise Volume 1:Jigokuraku by Yuji Kaku

1 star

This should've been right up my alley. I am conflicted. Is horror manga not for me? I doubt it because I love Attack on Titan and Death Note, but this was not it. I wanted to love this, but I low-key kind of despised it. The concept has promise. We follow a man who is known as The Hollow and is about to be executed. Every execution attempt does not work and the woman interviewing him reveals why. He still wants to live even though he claims otherwise and he is being given the opportunity to be pardoned of his crimes if he travels to an island that is supposed to be Paradise. However, every time they send people out for expeditions they don't come back. Or if they do they aren't humans anymore, but flowers. Interesting premise, but I didn't care for the art style and it didn't work for me. Maybe I would prefer the anime, but even then I don't think so because the plot did not interest me and I could care less. I am sad. This could've been really good, but I think the storyline is what killed it for me. Also, what's up the random sexualized drawings of woman's boobs and butts. Why were they randomly naked in title sequences? What purpose did this serve, but to continue to perpetuate my issues with the sexualization of women in comics and graphic novels? It made NO SENSE and it had nothing to do with the plot or storyline. I am confused. Anyway, this was a flop and I don't even care if he ever gets back to his wife nor what is really going on the island. I am unbothered and sad because I was supposed to like this one.


Whimsical Writing Scale: 1

Character Scale: 1

Plotastic Scale: 1

Art Scale: 1

Cover Thoughts: The colors are beautiful. I love the cover, but it's the only art in this whole 200 page manga that I cared about.

Thank you, Netgalley and Viz Media, for providing me with a copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

Oh my! I couldn't put this down! I requested the second volume right away! If you love Naruto, then you may like this. But this is darker than Naruto when it comes to the ninjutsu. Gabimaru, the Hollow, is attached to nothing or so he thought. During his many executions, he can not seem to die until a Female decapitator by the name of Asaemon the Beheader, comes to grant his wish. Gabimaru realizes that is he isn't hollow. He has an attachment to the one people who love him unconditionally, his wife. Gabimaru is recruited by Asaemon the Beheader to go on a quest to find the elixir of life; by completing, this quest Gabimaru will be pardoned and reunite with his wife.

Naruto meets Made in Abyss with serious dark vibes and violence


Read this! You will be hooked within the first pages of this manga. You will want to buy or scour the internet for the rest of the volumes—definitely one of my favorite reads of the year.

Received Copy via NetGalley for Honest Review.
I Give this Book a 3.5/5 Star Rating, Listing as 4.

Really entertaining read and love the darkness aspect, I was hooked!

A manga full of violence and gore, but I was drawn to it. The convicts and their escorts and the weird island, most of all the art style is good enough to draw me in. and I loved every second of it! This is one of my new favorites and I can't wait to tel everyone I know to read it!

4/5
"When it's kill or be killed, I kill"

Our main character Gabimaru the Hollow is a ninja who has convinced himself he doesn't have feelings. After murdering hundreds of innocents, he's finally caught and given an ultimatum- go to a mysterious island with an executioner monitor, or never see his wife again. We find he's not so cold as he thought.

I enjoyed this, despite the violence and I think many people will like this manga, especially as the series develops and we see more of the island.

Not for me. Another historical shonen with violence and gore. Not for me. Another historical shonen with violence and gore.

One of the better mangas I've read! I like the art style a lot. I wish it was in full color like the cover (which is gorgeous!) but I still enjoyed it. Lots of action and the main character grew on me after a while. Some panels were better than others when it came to the art style, and I found the panels with more scenery or not any people tended to be a lot higher quality, so it was a little frustrating to have the back and forth quality shifts. The closeups of our main character were pretty bad sometimes.

I did really enjoy the story though. Pretty exciting. And the pages that marked the new chapters were gorgeous! Overall I think I'll give this 3.5 stars.

What does a ninja, convicts on death row, and their executioner guards do on an impossible island quest to find an Elixir of Life? It's a battle royale in the survival of the fittest with deceptions and betrayals galore!

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As a fan of the ongoing FREE simulpub on Viz Media's website and Manga Plus (global), I was extremely pleased to see this series finally available in print! It's also fun to see if they had any hints of who was going to survive to last up to the current chapters from the beginning too.

It's a gory ride of a read with nonsensical things happening left and right and not knowing who will survive this slaughterfest of an island. Super-powered ninja Gabimaru is on death row but he finds the will to live after several attempts to kill him. In exchange for a pardon of all crimes, he is guarded by Sagiri, who is a female Yamada Asaemon executioner, and sent on an impossible quest to Shinsenkyo with other prisoners and Yamada Asaemon guards.

My favorite part of the book was the monsters that appear at the end with their grotesque combo of human and plant/bug features. The story has some gory action scenes (not crazy insane, but still out of this world) and horror in form of the great unknown of a hostile environment quest. The scariest part of the series is not knowing what overpowered thing will show up next and nobody is safe from death.

The artwork is very good! You won't be disappointed. The horrific scenes where the bodies are blooming flowers and have deranged faces will stay in your memory for quite a while. I particularly enjoyed the potential death scenarios from each person's killer intent, where they know they could possibly be killed and then they back down. Another part of the art that I liked was the allegory for the toll of killing people has on your psyche, with Sagiri struggling with dead souls climbing up her body after she executes them and then mirroring it with Gabimaru's rabid style of killing and no regrets in selling his soul to kill others in the glimpse through the reflection of her sword.

Extra perks in the volume include Hell's Paradise Fashion Review of all the characters between chapters.

Overall, great translation, but the story doesn't envelop you completely by the end of the volume so it gets ★★★★☆. I would recommend picking this up when volume 2 comes out for the most satisfying binge with more strange monsters and battles. If you want to read ahead, you can also read the entire series legally online if you have a Shonen Jump membership for $1.99/month!

Note: I received a free copy of this book via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you so much to Netgalley for providing this e-arc!

This manga was very good. The idea is something i'm very intrigued by. I think it's one of my favorite tropes, the idea of a slow burn elimination plot. The characters are complex right from the start. And the art is very good.

It's a very interesting and unique storyline. It has lots of gore and horror in it. I love the main character's attitude towards others and being a ninja.

For those experienced with manga and anime, it has a very similar tone to Attack on Titan or Deadman Wonderland. It feels like at any moment anyone could die or be killed.
I would strongly recommend for anyone who loves horror, thrillers and/or to anyone who doesn't get too attached to side characters.

I've got to say, if you're not about the goriness, or the extremely detailed forms of torture, do not pick this manga up. But, if you know what you're getting yourself into, and would still like to give it a go, know that there is more than just the bloody parts. That's the story that I came in looking for and it had a fair share of it.

There was a lot that goes on in those first pages, setting the reader up for who the ninja from Iwagakure are, what they represent. The story of finding a special kind of redemption that will set Gabimaru apart. It was because of those moments, that I kept reading. It made for a very interesting story.

Like mentioned above, it had many great parts, but there were some areas that left me a bit frazzled. Sometimes, too many cut scenes, too many battle scenes without end, just a bit much. Even so, people like Gabimaru and Yamada, made it all worthwhile. It's a tale that leads into the surreal, and a place that leads to a literal heaven and hell.

It was those bits of disconnect though, that kept me from really getting intertwined with the story. When I though this was much more captivating than the last page, the next left me scratching my head. It was definitely a mix of feels, even more so as the journey continued on. It's worth finding out though, if the elixir of life exist, and if a ninja can truly ever be reformed.

***I received this copy from VIZ Media LLC, via NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.***