Manga Review: Me and the Devil Blues

Title: Me and the Devil Blues
Author: Hiramoto Akira
Release: Monthly
Status: Discontinued (WHY!?)
Genre: Seinen, Supernatural
Art: S+
Originality: A
Story: S
Characters: S
Humor: A
Action: S

Impression: This is a fictional biographical manga series about the life of famed Bluesman Robert Johnson, the guy who met the devil at the crossroads and walked away with mad guitar skills. To be honest I have absolutely no idea who that guy was but I’ll be damned if half the things in this manga are biographical at all. There’s definitely liberal usage of artistic license being used here but then again it’s not like I picked it up to learn about some musician. It was actually the art that got interested in the manga and it was actually the story that got me hooked onto it. The art style is amazingly detailed and conveys the intensity and moods of the scenes so perfectly that I absolutely am unable to imagine any way for it to have been made better. The events that take place in the story actually move forward very slowly but the amazing focus that the author gives to the smallest details makes every chapter feel like either a suspenseful interrogation or an adrenaline filled thrill ride. All this boosted by the truly magnificent translation provided by Stephen Paul who managed to localize all the conversations with the slangs and racial conventions of the united states back in those days. Sadly this manga was discontinued for whatever reason so go ahead and soak in the amazing five volumes that were put out. Don't let the discontinuation stop you, this manga is just that incredible!