Kuro

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I was surprised after reading this manga. I didn't expect it to be as good as it was, especially since at first, it not only has a very slow start, it feels episodic. Simple wouldn't be too far of a stretch as the scenes just felt like they happened and flowed into the next, like a series of filler and that's the story with cute girls doing cute things, oh and monster cat.

I'm happy to say that it was a bit more deep that that.

I came across another reviewer named Steven Newton off of a scanlation website who had some interesting thoughts about the symbolism ... of the monsters and how Kuro played a role in Coco's acceptance over her situation. I'll make sure to clip the quote somewhat to avoid any major spoilers:

"... a representation of grief and loss, the fear of death, and the fear of the unknown. Kuro comforted Coco and lived with her as a sort of coping mechanic, she was able to ignore these troubling issues by pretending they were something she did know. In the end she comes to terms not with just Kuro but what he represents, in her coping she had come to befriend these concepts and no longer fears them. ... In turn they are always with her but she's not afraid of them."

I think that's a great way of thinking about the story as a whole as mainly being about a little grief stricken girl who denies the tragedies around her and how her friendship with such a creature brings about her change.

It's still a simple tale, but it ended up a lot more heartwarming than expected.

I also wanted to talk about the art. It's downright gorgeous. Most of the pages are colored but even what's not looks incredible. The designs for both the monsters and characters look great as well.

So in short, I'd say give it go if you want a quick, surprisingly deeper than expected and wholesome manga. The chapters are very short and overall, it took me under an hour to read. Whenever I read or watch something online, I always make it a point to later purchase what I like in order to support the creators, and this is a definite must have for me

I will probably repeat a little of what was said before, but I decided KURO deserved more exposure for being so fun and unique manga.

From the beginning, we can enter the world of KURO and it's amazing atmosphere. We can see Coco and her cat Kuro living together alone in a huge mansion, and there is something off about the whole thing, especially about the cat...
From there, we discover more details about the world. The author expose more in a very masterful way, slowly teasing and showing in a perfect pace, as we learn more about the horror of the world and about the ... miserable state of the humans of this world. As we discover more about the world using flashbacks and info dumps of other character, we can see that KURO is a more personal story-the story in focusing on Coco and her circumstances, and it's point is not solving every problem in this new, frighting world.

There are some problems in the story, don't be mistaken. Although it's pace is great, we never truly discover or understand everything, especially when talking about the end, which is definitely is a very weak point to the manga. The fact that we don't understand or solve the problem by the end can be forgiven, as it is a personal story of Coco and not of humans as a whole, but I believe the author could at least explain the ending properly.

The characters are also a weak point of the manga, as they don't really have any personality. You can understand why they behave in certain ways, or the mental state of Coco, but they are very bland and boring. The fact that we barely see any of them sometimes is also bothering because you really can't connect to any of them (besides Coco, and although being main character is very boring). The side stories really expand on some of the characters or why they act in a certain way, but it's not enough. The manga is without a doubt more story focused than character one.

The art is very pleasing. I've seen better and more unique art, but it's very nice to the eyes and the background are beautiful. The character design is also beautiful, and the design of the creatures in this manga is very eerie and fits the horror vibe that the manga give sometimes. The manga is also all color, and the coloring is excellent, feels very natural.

Overall, KURO is a very enjoyable manga. When I read manga I want some great atmosphere to really suck me in. It's a shame for the characters and the fact that we don't really know what will happen for the world, but the story itself is great enough, and the eerie atmosphere will keep you on the edge. Also, it's really short, so just go ahead and read it.

Whimsical, cute, mysterious, it's all you need for one of those bedtime stories.

I liked "Kuro" as a quick, small little mystery manga about a girl dealing with problems that even adults have a hard time with. I really liked the setup, and even how it tries to have some fun with it. However, I didn't enjoy the sum of its parts. I've had a lot of experience with stories about a mystery world, where the woods, or the outside is this dangerous place, and the concepts of hybrids, jealousy, ostracization, loneliness, it's a combination I've seen before, and done a little better. If anything, ... I'd say my experience reading this type of story, is what makes my experience all the more lacking.

Predictable, a little bit melodramatic, with some good world building. It does pose a question that's interesting to look at, but not one that's well explored. I wished we got more about the world, but we had too little runtime to allow for it. It's a snack sized manga, and as just that, it does develop the concepts it tackles with enough interest to keep me interested. What I liked the most was probably the depth of the characters.

People with backstories, with tragic lives, with opinions, trauma, feelings. If this series does something really well, it's taking a look into the psyche of people who're hurting. Great chapters that show us a new perspective from a still unknown world, and I really liked those, but not so much the normal bits. The main character is the most predictable one. We know she'll eventually change what's set up at the beginning, and the questions will be answered. If anything, I couldn't predict anybody, except the people we follow the most. I wish we got more from them, instead of the little vignettes of slice of life. Those pages could've been cut, or used for a greater focus on the big picture.

At least the art was good. A cute, homey style that lets us get comfy with the characters, even if it contrasts with the horrible things roaming the world. I liked it, it works, no criticisms there.

5.5/10, all my problems stem from a story I'm not interested in. If it wasn't that small of a story, I don't think I'd finish it. However, it's not bad, and it has value.