How do you kill a god? For Sachiyuki Tokinaga, the answer could save humanity. For Kamikura Waka, the answer could be the key to enacting her revenge.
[Content warnings: suicide, gore, body horror, non-sexual nudity. Mild spoilers for Volume 1.]
It’s been 30 years since gods invaded Earth. These massive and extremely deadly lifeforms have rendered large areas in Japan—including entire cities—uninhabitable. These areas, designated as danger zones because of the gods’ presence, have been sealed off, only breached by those looking to end their lives. If you lock eyes with a god, you will turn to stone; if they breathe into your mouth, your body turns to water. This was how Waka’s best friend committed suicide after running away from home and ending up in Tokyo, where her death was filmed.
Now, Waka has arrived looking for answers (or maybe something more). As she tries to get through the danger zone’s barrier, Tokinaga spots her. He’s a veterinarian, a researcher with the Anti-God Weapon Development Department. And he wanted to save Waka from her terrible fate. Or so he thought. Before they reveal too much to each other, a human god-sympathizer lands from the sky and tries to convince Waka to join her if she wants to meet a god; in their squabble, Waka’s body changes and she loses her sunglasses, revealing a god’s eyes. At this point, neither Waka nor Tokinaga could’ve predicted they would need each other to face the gods or fulfill their goals, and they certainly could not have imagined the challenges they’d face in doing so.
From this introduction alone, the story might seem like a generic supernatural manga.
But, Eno is full of surprises, and her writing takes us on a wonderfully creepy journey through her post-apocalyptic world. At no point in the story so far was I able to guess where it was going. As mysteries unraveled, I kept turning the pages faster and faster.
The best part of this manga (to me!) is Eno’s art. From gorgeous character designs to dynamic paneling for action scenes, you’ll want to stare at the pages for ages. The cherry on top are the gods’ designs, coupled with how she presents them: a perfect marriage between body horror and the incomprehensible beauty of perfection. Terrifying to the core and unable to look away. It is actually difficult to articulate these unsettling yet hypnotizing feelings in another way.
If none of this has convinced you, there’s also a sassy, talking cat who is a very important character. This series has my full support, and I plan on becoming a biweekly reader as soon as I catch up.
VIZ Media will release Volume 4 of After God on May 20th, 2025.
Poppy Seeds: ●●●●◐ (4.5 out of 5)
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