Daydream Sanctuary Features

Monday, July 13, 2009

Loop (Updated)


L∞P
by Kano Yasuhiro

The mangaka of Pretty face and Mx0 has made a new oneshot . . . and it's very bloody awesome.
A young man is being brutally murdered by burglars in his own mansion . . . for the hundredth time!

Jean, the sole heir to a fortune and mansion, is stuck in an endless loop, repeating his brutal murder over and over again. As the 100th time comes, he brings forth incredible determination to fight back and save his servants from their needless murder. (Camp Kijuju)
I've been keeping my eye on this after seeing that very very attractive chapter cover (in short, bloody bishies attract me a lot~) and much more when I figured out that the mangaka is also the genius behind one of my favorite mangas, Mx0!!! I already knew that it's very awesome before I even read it! Haha! I even got more impatient and excited to know what exactly is going on when I was browsing the raws. And when the translations were finally out, I've confirmed to myself that, yes, it's so bloody awesome!



The manga is mainly about souls with regrets suffering their deaths over and over, even for all eternity. . . until the regret disappears. That really explains the title . . . and why the two o's are in an infinity symbol:

Sounds like a ghost story, right? But ghosts in most stories I've seen or read are usually not aware that they're dead already while they go through their deaths over and over. However, in this one, they're totally aware of it. Dying and being brought back to life knowing that they'll go through the terrible pain over and over again . . . that's seriously very frustrating.

I'm most impressed with the story. Premise had already been very interesting. I believe it's very clear that it's very well-thought and written. Story pacing, narration, presentation, and flow had all been good. It also had nice plot twists! I didn't notice much plot holes or other flaws, because many parts had been explained, concluded, or at least hinted. The story may be short, yet it didn't leave me hanging nor make me ask for missing details. Moreover, this type of horror story had been very creative (heck, the title is already creative). I also love it that it had a good mix of genres: mystery, horror, action, romance, suspense, supernatural/paranormal/fantasy, and thriller. Seriously, the story's so good that you can't find anything wrong with it unless it's not your type.

The I have so many praises for this oneshot, of course, it hadn't been perfect. The leading guy is unbelievably strong for having a very injured and exhausted body. And I don't get the part when he said that he was just pretending to be rich . . . since he's actually really rich. That just doesn't make any sense. But with the first thing that bothered me, as if it's not applicable to many other series out there. As for the other one, yeah, still didn't make much sense to me. And . . . oh, I think there might be more imperfections with this oneshot; I either didn't remember or notice them.

Anyway, this manga had a great cast! Great, but not exactly because they had all been likable . . . The characters had been great in a sense that their roles in the story made the story interesting, and characterizations had been good despite the lack of pages to do more character background. I mean, take the burglars for example. They didn't just show up in random. They're actually aquintances of the leading guy. The betrayal of one of the characters had been really a surprise! The leading lady isn't exactly a helpless pathetic moe maid. And our leading guy hadn't exactly been decent in the past, but he's not exactly that cruel either . . . until now. They're not just some stereotypical characters . . . they have personalities, backgrounds, and roles.

Oh I suck in explaining myself. But my main point is, aside from the story, characters have also been great! A good story with a proper cast is a great combination!

As for the art, it had been really fantastic! Scenes have been really illustrated so well. I feel the rage . . . the fear . . . the sorrow . . . wow it's so cool~ Also, I'm relieved that even though there's a woman, there isn't any ecchi in this manga, unlike the mangaka's other series. Ehehehe~

The fights here . . . or tortures rather . . . are pretty one-sided. We begin with the leading character being brutally beaten up but later when he managed to set himself free, he was on a killing spree~ He hasn't exactly been maniacal or psychotic, unlike the many sadists I've seen in other series. But for a person who had been killed for a hundred times, of course he's very very pissed and wants to kill his murderers very badly.

Now let me fangurl . . . the story's totally my type. I'm very pleased that there's even some ghost and reincarnation stuff involved in this series. In a way it also has the soulmates thing. The leading guy and girl were bound in the same loop because of their similar regrets. They had been part of the same looping dimension and had saved each other. When their souls were finally able to rest in peace, there's still a belief in the story where they'll be born again and meet. That's totally a love story for me. The romance hadn't really been obvious in here since it was just hinted; but I believe it's safe to assume that they see each other in a special way already. Oh I really love the romance in this~ And I'm very happy that it's not mushy~

Also, I really really love the narrator! He's like some wicked being laughing at the tragic fates of unfortunate souls. And he keeps on chippering! He makes me giggle~ Haha! And I obviously ship the leading pair. And I like the leading characters too! With the leading guy more of because of his name though (some people will be able to get why), and I find the leading girl very remarkable! You don't have to be a fighter to be an awesome woman~ And who says she's not capable of butchering? Haha~ I'm very happy because it's pretty rare for me to appreciate a leading lady~

Overall, I find this oneshot very BRILLIANT! It's definitely one of my top favorite oneshots of all times! I highly recommend it to those who want to read an interesting story that don't mind extreme violence (I'm not very sure if this could be classified as gore) and bloodshed.

I had been so contented when I finished it . . . and if I should mention what this manga should have . . . then I was it to have a SERIES!!!! Oh please make this mangaka do more!!!!

Anyway, since I love it so much, I worked on a scanlation group that's doing scanlations of it. You can go get it from Nonbiri Scans. Camp Kijuju and J.A.C. have their own scanlation versions too. Pick any, just START READING! Haha~

3 comments:

kanzeon said...

This is just freaking bloody awesome!!!
Yesh yesh~ One of the rare oneshots I read that left me stunned and wanting for more. I love the art too ^^.

galimagery said...

a sneak preview of the first 20 chapters.

Erm... first 20 pages, right? Or am I really confused? lulz.

Will check it out when it's fully scanlated. =D

Sapphire Pyro said...

@ kanzeon
Totally~

@ galimagery
Eep x_x Yeah! I meant 20 pages. I think I really need to review my entries x_x . . . but I'm lazy~

Anywayz, it's fully scanlated now so . . . go read~ =3

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