Manga Review – Doubt by Tonogai Yoshiki.
A few days back, I was wondering why there aren’t any more manga (Japanese comics) which are similar to Kindaichi Shonen no Jikembo (About Kindaichi solving murder cases etc). I really like that manga and was a bit disappointed when they ended the manga quite some time ago. Of course there are still Detective Conan and Detective Academy Q but those just can’t compare to the impact that Kindaichi series had on me.
So to satisfied my needs for mystery, I searched on the net for some ‘Mystery’ manga and stumble upon this little gem.
Doubt is a 20 chapter manga by Tonogai Yoshiki. 20 chapters will just take up around 2 hours of your time. Think of it as watching a movie.
Synopsis:
There is a game played in Japan called ‘Rabbit Doubt’. Players play this game using their cell phones using the following story line: It was said that one day, a wolf sneak into a group of friendly rabbits. When the rabbits fell asleep, the wolf showed its real form and started to kill off the rabbits one by one. The rabbits- finding their numbers declining- began to feel suspicious of each other, hanging whomever they thought was the wolf. The game ends either when the rabbits are all dead or the rabbits finally capture the wolf (I know I know, the plot sounds a bit like Mafia)
And so, a few players of the game decided to meet each other but unbeknownst to them, a wolf snuck into their gathering. Finding themselves trapped in a warehouse with no way out, and being killed off one by one, will they be able to unmask the wolf before being killed off entirely? Who is the wolf?
The whole plot is filled with twists and turns and I found myself making numerous amounts of deductions as to who the wolf could have been (And lets just say that one of my possible deductions came true in the end…). The depth of mystery is just compelling and makes the manga a really fascinating read.
I could really relate the plot to the movie ‘Saw’. Especially how to plot develops until the surprising revelation in the end. *cue Saw’s theme* *XXX, I would like to play a game* *Shudders*
There should be more manga’s like this out there. Give it a read and you might find yourself enjoying it, just like how I did.
Link to Doubt –> Doubt manga
*All images are from www.onemanga.com- Credits for scans goes to those who provided it as listed on OneManga*
WK said,
September 26, 2009 at 12:21 am
the rabbit is scary, I would wanna view it but might have few nightmare for that Mr.rabbit~
Alan Tan said,
September 26, 2009 at 10:32 am
Hmmm Read during day time… Haha… Ain’t that scary de lar
:) said,
October 16, 2009 at 6:50 pm
Just finished it. Was reading with a friend, so it was fun analysing the plot and suspects. We managed to figure out the killers before they were revealed! :B
Awesome, intriguing and very very dark manga. Very Lord of the Flies; kinda shows the thin line between savagery and humanity (or in this case, doubt and trust)! Wish there were more mangas like this! The mangaka has also drawn another comic: Higurashi. A friend recommended it and it’s all about mystery and stuff.
Waiting for the live-action and if possible, a game! It would be so cool to play Rabbit Doubt as a handphone game.
Rabbit Doubt is quite possibly, the Agatha Christie of the manga world.
Alan Tan said,
October 16, 2009 at 10:34 pm
Glad you like it. I made a fatal error while trying to find out who the murderer is… I thought that since the mangaka didn’t let us see the face of those being hanged I thought they still could have been alive… I didn’t realize that those in the story will surely be able to see the faces (We can’t see it most prob cuz it’s censored or something)… Still its a great manga.
Oh… I didn’t realize that the mangaka also drawn Higurashi. I’ve read it… Parts of it anyway… You can’t find the whole manga yet at OneManga.com. But the complete anime series is out. If you are reading it, I’ll seriously advise you to read the question arc first and then the answers arc. It makes the ending more fulfilling. And yes… I love the whole plot!!! (Do google to find out which ones are the question arcs and which ones are the answers). The anime though has all out in order so its still best to watch the anime on this one. Hang on till the answers arc and you’ll find yourself spellbound at the complexity of the story and how everything fits together
Enjoy