Creator: Leigh Bader
Rating: R to NC-17
First, let me say this: I love Shikai. I drool over him. He is sechsay, I want him. Shikai *rocks.*
Now that I've cleared that up, on with the review:
Schism is yet another one of those online-mangas that has latched on to the idea of the technology-driven dystopic future. But Schism is definitely not your run-of-the-mill manga. Instead, it takes that over-used idea and runs with it, showing a society where technology has led to man's downfall and the consquences of that sudden and violent "Schism." The world that creator Liegh Bader creates is intriguing, well-formed and anything but boring.
As far as plot goes, the story revolves around the main character Jiko Akatsuki, an extremely intelligent young man who's just taken a teaching job. On his way rushing to work he bumps into a stranger. This stranger leaves the scene quickly, and forgets his glasses. Jiko picks them up, takes them home, and *boom* the plotline takes off quickly as Jiko discovers who the stranger was and what he wants...
I hate writing summaries, so that was a really lousy description. If you want to find out about the story, go read it.
Okay, I have to say it before I go on, or I just know I'm going to run into trouble. Schism is most definitely a shounen-ai manga. For a full definition, I suggest you click that link. If shounen-ai just absolutely freaks you out, this is DEFINITELY not the manga for you.
And as far as rating goes, the swearing and violence get this manga an R-rating. The "Outtakes" section used to be rated a definite NC-17 section for explict sexual situations, but has been recently cleaned out and upholds the site's R-rating. As far as I know, there will be no explict sexual content in the future, only implied.
But okay, enough about that sort of content. Everyone's really wondering about the art, right? Remember the rule: You can have a crappy storyline and great art and have a successful comic, but a great storyline and crappy art get you nowhere.
Schism, though, has both a great story and fantastic art. With the first chapter of the manga, the artist gives the impression that she's still trying to settle into the style she wants to use. Page size varies, the style morphs, and the over-all feel of the comic seems to change page to page. Page 31 of Chapter one marks the beginning of the consistancy, as Leigh Bader kicks her quality up a notch and introduces *color*. You better believe it--Schism is a full-color manga from there on, with the exception of flash-backs.
The style of the mange really fits in with the story. Lines are bold but sketchy, which contrasts wonderfully with the smooth, bright coloring. Over all, I enjoyed the art; but I think that it could take some getting used to for some people. She does seem to have some trouble with body proportions occasionally, but nothing that really bugged me. I especially enjoyed her use of "Flash" on a few panels. Nothing terribly fancy; but it broke up the monotany of page after page and was used creatively.
Her website is just as well-constructed as her storyline. She used a fantastic example of her art and style on the opening page, and also keeps the main page uncluttered. A bit of important info, links to the rest of the site and that's it. Very nice, and the site as a whole is kept uniform with the style of the manga, which is always tasteful.
I also like that I don't have to hunt around to find the links. I found no broken links, and every page was kept updated and did exactly what it was supposed to do. I liked that the gallery actually had art in it. But Liegh Bader seems to have fallen victim to the same problem that plagues so many webcomic artists, in that the gallery has not been updated in some time.
She does include all the fun little extras--a forum, those cute little 'sprites' that are so popular on geocities sites, Sims screenshots, a character selector (which I used on the previous entry), a role-play blog, trading cards, and a store. Leigh Bader also has a separate art site, which I've only begun to explore. It's called Lost-Soleil, and looks awesome. Visit it for more of Leigh Bader's incredible artwork.
There is also a wide range of Schism banners you can use to link Schism on your own site. I had a hell of a time picking out my favorite...I wanted to use one with Shikai and Jiko on it, but I ended up selecting the one I thought best would represent Schism to the rest of the online community. She also has some really good links to other sites, which prompted the over-haul of my banners section.
Negative comments? Well, like I said, I think that her gallery section could use updating. At first, I also had some problems with the art, but it was a matter of personal taste, and what I'm used to. Schism is something different, in the same way that Kagerou (another full-color manga) is 'something different'...both were an acquired taste, but I've come to really appreciate the art since then. So no, I really don't have anything negative to say about this comic. Oh, except that Jiko and Shikai need to hurry up and get together already, because all that sexual tension is driving me crazy.
The style of the mange really fits in with the story. Lines are bold but sketchy, which contrasts wonderfully with the smooth, bright coloring. Over all, I enjoyed the art; but I think that it could take some getting used to for some people. She does seem to have some trouble with body proportions occasionally, but nothing that really bugged me. I especially enjoyed her use of "Flash" on a few panels. Nothing terribly fancy; but it broke up the monotany of page after page and was used creatively.
Her website is just as well-constructed as her storyline. She used a fantastic example of her art and style on the opening page, and also keeps the main page uncluttered. A bit of important info, links to the rest of the site and that's it. Very nice, and the site as a whole is kept uniform with the style of the manga, which is always tasteful.
I also like that I don't have to hunt around to find the links. I found no broken links, and every page was kept updated and did exactly what it was supposed to do. I liked that the gallery actually had art in it. But Liegh Bader seems to have fallen victim to the same problem that plagues so many webcomic artists, in that the gallery has not been updated in some time.
She does include all the fun little extras--a forum, those cute little 'sprites' that are so popular on geocities sites, Sims screenshots, a character selector (which I used on the previous entry), a role-play blog, trading cards, and a store. Leigh Bader also has a separate art site, which I've only begun to explore. It's called Lost-Soleil, and looks awesome. Visit it for more of Leigh Bader's incredible artwork.
There is also a wide range of Schism banners you can use to link Schism on your own site. I had a hell of a time picking out my favorite...I wanted to use one with Shikai and Jiko on it, but I ended up selecting the one I thought best would represent Schism to the rest of the online community. She also has some really good links to other sites, which prompted the over-haul of my banners section.
Negative comments? Well, like I said, I think that her gallery section could use updating. At first, I also had some problems with the art, but it was a matter of personal taste, and what I'm used to. Schism is something different, in the same way that Kagerou (another full-color manga) is 'something different'...both were an acquired taste, but I've come to really appreciate the art since then. So no, I really don't have anything negative to say about this comic. Oh, except that Jiko and Shikai need to hurry up and get together already, because all that sexual tension is driving me crazy.
Overall, I love the manga "Schism" and suggest that everyone read it. Pleasing site layout, excellent art work done in full color, updates regularly...How can you go wrong?
So shoo, go visit...
(heh heh heh...finally got to use another
one of those awesome banners!)
(heh heh heh...finally got to use another
one of those awesome banners!)