Year of Release: 2002
Status: Complete
Story: Iwahara Yuji
Art: Iwahara Yuji
King of Thorn is an interesting story, to say the least. I buddy of mine a few years back (2010) suggested I read this when he discovered that I enjoy reading manga. I was a little put off, at first, because I don't generally take suggestions from people who aren't big fans of anime or manga because I find my taste in art styles and story mechanics differs greatly from many others. I was shocked to discover that I really, really enjoyed the read and opened up many new doors for myself by being a little more receptive to suggestions. If I hadn't considered this title, I likely never would have given series like Gurren Lagann or Attack on Titan a chance. Go figure, I'm crazy in love with Attack on Titan, but wouldn't have even thought of reading/watching it if it hadn't been suggested to me by like 10 other people I know beforehand. Anyways, King of Thorn is just one of those series that you don't know what you're missing until you've read it.
ART SECTION: 8/10
General Artwork & Backgrounds 2/4: For general artwork and backgrounds, I unfortunately have to rate it a 2/4 because it lacks... something. I couldn't say exactly what it's missing, but it feels like it could have been a little better. There isn't as much use of shading in this as in other series that I've reviewed. It feels like there's a little too much blank space in the frames that could have been utilized better, or differently by the artist. The general artwork isn't terrible, but isn't Grade A artwork, either. The selling point of this series isn't the artwork, anyways.
Character Figures 2/2: The characters are done quite well. As mentioned above, there isn't an insane level of detail put into the characters' appearance, but there are subtle details that I've come to appreciate in re-reading the series a few times now over the last few years. I will give this a generous 2/2 rating, since I feel that the characters are assembled well enough to warrant a fair rating, and the characters are what drives the story throughout the entire series.
Panel/Frame Flow 4/4: I encountered no issues while reading this series. The frame flow is consistent and draws your eyes to the next panel without delay.
STORY SECTION: 8/10
General Scenario 2/2: The story had me engrossed by the end of Chapter 2. It's not a common story, and there's a whole bunch of action and mystery to the plot. Just when you thought you knew a character, something new is revealed and changes everything about your past impressions of a character. I would give this a 3/2 rating if I could.
Pacing 2/2: Never a dull moment, I kid you not. The opening chapter is a little slow, but that tends to be the case with most series when they start. By the end of Chapter 3 you'll get the action starting, and it just gets better and better from there. Even the conclusion of the story upholds the pace of the series very well.
Side Stories 0/2: Not much in the way of side story for this series. They do provide you with several flashbacks to events prior to the plot's starting point, but these are just tools for providing more information on characters, and not so much a side story mechanic.
Plausibility 2/2: While I would say the events transpiring in King of Thorn are a little far-fetched, they are based on some level of truth, and I fully believe that one day something of this nature could happen. In the near future? Perhaps not, but it is always a possibility.
Conclusion 2/2: The series wrapped up quite nicely with no loose ends. I was a little disappointed that the series didn't go on longer, but for what it's worth, I enjoyed it greatly.
VALUE & ENJOYMENT SECTION: 9/10
I loved it. Not enough to rant and rave about it in the same way that I do about series like Noblesse, but enough that I emphasize that you read it if you haven't already.
Touching on comments I made in both General Artwork and Conclusion; Naruto. I often feel while reading Naruto that there is too much blank space in the frames that could be used in a better way. I'm not much of an artist (my drawing and painting skills are beyond shit) so take my opinion lightly. I also commented on the fact that I wish King of Thorn had been a little bit longer, story-wise. I do realize that if it had gone on longer, it might end up being just like Naruto in the sense that it never fucking ends. That is a turn-off for me in anime and manga, because I just want to know the story. I don't care about how much money you want to make while doing it, or how long you want to draw it out.
VERDICT: 25/30
Ever wish life was more like Jurassic Park?
Did you like Elfen Lied? Did you like Black Lagoon, or Gantz? If so, this is your series.
Dinosaurs. 'nuff said.
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