Bizenghast Manga Volume 1, 1

3 and 1/2 stars* Dinah, morning death of her parents, is forced to move in with her aunt who believes she's mentally ill for seeing ghosts in their house. She sneaks out one night, against the orders of her aunt, and she and her friend Vincent stumble upon a hidden grove with a mausoleum full of the things Dinah dreads seeing; ghosts, and as a not so pleasant bonus, demons. One particular demon, Bali Lali (a cool looking demon,) reveals a contract with Dinah's signature (that she doesn't remember signing,) requiring her to clean out the ghosts that lingers in the vaults of the mausoleum. One. By. One. Or she dies. After the beginning chapters of learning about the story's version of Massachusetts, the chapters became episodic, while still slightly building on one another for the whole book. Some chapters were shorter than the others, and some began with something the likes of a newspaper clipping or letter, giving a bit of background relating to the chapter and, some, the story overall, which I liked and thought was rather unique. The majority of the art, (i.e. scenery, clothing, and double panels,) is beautiful. But a lot of it also felt amateurish, especially character's bodies and faces, there wasn't enough detailing to make proper facial expressions, most emotions were conveyed with overly exaggerated scared faces or sad eyes. For most of the story I didn't have any particular feelings about the main characters. In retrospect, I feel like Vincent was the do-anything-for-the-girl type and Dinah would let him, however he is the one who dragged her into places she didn't want to go, and by doing that, set the plot itself in motion, so he did cause a bit of his own anguish. By the Final chapters though, Dinah was pulling more of her own weight. Seeing that things were more equal, it made me want to continue reading to see how the characters and story develop. This is a fun, spooky, Victorian/Gothic vibe series that I would enjoy reading further, however it's not on the top of my to-buy list.

I picked this book up off my friends desk because of the interesting cover and bought it two days later because of everything else. I was never really into manga until i read Bizenghast, now i'm a huge fan.

Got this product from here and it's great, i love the story line, if you're at all into dark books, you'll like this. The delivery was fast and prompt. Overall everything about this was great!!!

I'll be honest, I am not a fan of american manga. While there are some great ones, there are also some badly written or drawn ones. Once I was persuaded to read Bizenghast I was pleasantly surprised to find a both well written and well drawn manga. It is a worthwhile gothic manga. I instantly became a fan of the series.

Bizenghast is one of my favorite TOKYOPOP titles. The story is interesting, highlighting Diana as a sick girl trapped in the town of Bizenghast. One day, while out on a bike ride with her friend (boyfriend?) Vincent they stumble upon the mausoleum, a place where the dead come to be put to rest. Unfortunately, Diana and Vincent have been chosen to put such spirits to rest. The art is unbelievable, with wonderful detail in clothing and architecture. I love looking at page after page of the most beautiful Gothic dresses. Also, the story is just scary enough to prickle your arms.... ^^ So buy this book, along with it's sequel! ^^

This book is amazing. The art is gorgeous. It's drawn in a different style than Japanese manga, but in my opinion, it's an improvement if anything. The backgrounds and costumes are divine, and the entire mood of the story is satisfyingly grim and gorgeous, a perfect mixture of Victorian/gothic horror and current-day humor. There are a few more horrific depictions on the lines of a Jhonen Vasquez novel (think Invader Zim or Johnny the Homicidal Maniac), but they are rare enough that it adds to the appeal of the comic without making the work excessively gory. Bizenghast is a credit to the American graphic novel industry.