Ratman

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Shuto Katsuragi is a short guy, but that doesn't stop him from dreaming that he'll someday become a superhero. One day, his wish comes true –- Shuto gets amazing powers and a bad-ass costume, but he's been recruited as one of the 'bad guys.' Where did it all go wrong? But even that wont stop him from trying to be a hero.

With some hilarious tongue in cheek humor, Sekihiko Inui cheerfully skewers Japanese and American superhero comics in Ratman. Sure, it's filled with gratuitous fanservice and crazy comedy, but Ratman also offers some smart, sly satire about the true meaning of heroism in the age ... of fame-chasers and commercial endorsements.

Honestly not the best of choices especially if u r kinda new to manga. It's supposed to be a fusion of humor and action, failing in both. The plot seems kinda cliche and the jokes are rarely funny (atleast to me). If you are the more intellectual type this is definitely not for you. The art work though is praise-worthy and is wat drew me to this manga. Expect nothing and u should be able find this entertaining

Ratman was a very interesting read given that I was expecting absolutely nothing when I started it and stumbled upon it by accident. The protagonist is your regular fanboy when it comes to superheros, though not your typical antihero when it comes to his actions, given that he is supposed to be a villian, his actions do muh to betray that notion right from the beginning.

The art style in Ratman is fantastic, the designs given to Ratmans costume and the costumes of other heroes serve to highlight their abilities as supeheroes. The supporting combatants to Ratman, wearing the standard evil henchman uniforms, but ... proving to be great comic relief characters and humerous in most of the panels that they are included in was another detail that I enjoyed.

While I did have some gripes with how the other superheroes dealt with Ratman, the story's progression and character development is kept at an even pace throughout it all, with things from earlier chapters explained in later chapters, there's a lot of referencing to things that might've happened 1 or 2 volumes earlier.

There is a slight romance subplot present throughout some of the chapters, but it does not become a real focus until much later in the manga, and is only lightly touched throughout most the manga. The mass importance that it is given in critical situations was a second gripe that I had, why bother having a romance subplot that has such importance to the protagonists actions, but keep it so underdeveloped until the last 8 chapters.

Overall, Ratman is a good superhero story with great comedy, mostly in part to the combatants, and good art style. Though it lacks greatly when it comes to its romance, and can be a bit misleading if one is looking for more of an antihero story.

Story: 9
A decent plot where the male lead wants to be a hero because of his childhood. He grows up to finally become a 'hero', just that he is viewed by many as a 'villain' in the initial chapters of the manga. The story is well developed such that readers would not find their selves lost in the back story of the characters, and the plot unfolds nicely without jumps or time skips. Not much unsatisfaction with plot, however I personally feel that the story lacks emotions. Some of the chapters can make you feel that the story is bland, but the ending makes ... up for the lack of strength in the story.

Art: 8
Great character design, but the design felt like it was really mainstream. Power rangers design mainly...


Character: 9
We can see clear development of the characters feeling for each other in the whole timeline. Each character had enough time/boxes to display their individual thoughts and feelings. Even the side characters, the Jackel, can be said to be one of the important drivers of the story. The feelings of the hero are adequately portrayed, however the main character lacked liveliness. He says inspirational sentences, but his actions do not back up his words.

Enjoyment: 9
Great story and it appealed well to me. The story followed its plot very well. Kind of reminds me of Boku No Hero (Anime and Manga). Story is also inspirational to some extent, the portrayal of how the male lead works hard and fights for justice instills a sense of righteousness within you.

Overall: 9
Would recommend others to read this manga if they have the time. I would place it as one of the 'top manga to read' in my book/journal if you have not read this manga. Of course if you have other manga that you want to read, then i would recommend putting this manga on hold. My personal opinion on this manga is 'If you have nothing else to do, read this manga.'

For the 4 volumes only localized into english pre-my hero academia & pre-one punch man, this is the best I've ever read with similar themes & characters I enjoy. I wish the rest of the series was localized. This series fame was snached away and I can see it build a big popular fan base which ended up with my hero & one punch. The fault is more of the publisher than the quality of the book itself. I wish the rest gets localized. Certain characters become more helpful than in other series. I can not stress enough how much potential these series can have