School Zone Vol. #3 TPB
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November 06, 2006
by: Michael Bartholow
Class is dismissed.
Manga Description: The students of this haunted school have to deal with an increasing number of viscous ghosts who are crossing into the realm of the living, bringing all kinds of wickedness with them!
School Zone is a journey into terror brought to you by the queen of horror manga, Kanako Inuki, in English for the first time ever!
Content: (This section may include spoilers)
It's time to examine the final installment of Inuki's fun School Zone series. Vol. #3 begins right where the #2 ends, as the disembodied head of a deceased teacher devilishly stares down a few young students.
Five chapters finish the tale of School Zone: "Time Stops," "The Infirmary Matsuko-san," "Reiko-san's Class," "Reiko-san's Attendance book," and "A Fallen Ghost."
Many of the story's surprises would be ruined by a review that went too in-depth, but I can certainly promise you that each and every page of this book is filled with ghosts, ghouls, and gross-outs. This volume really tosses the slower pace of the previous two aside and goes for broke. Inuki fills her climax with bug-eyed children and the eerie Kokkuri game (Think Japanese Ouiji, but with a coin).
Art: Can the art keep up with all of the chaos? You betcha! Nearly every page features large panels or full-page shots of terror. There are far too many little distorted faces of fear and zombie teachers to count. Everything just looks great and the art really ramps up from the previous editions.
Vol. #3's cover deviates just a tad from the previous two. It features a scene in the infirmary, as opposed to the straight-on shots of fear used on in the first two books.
Translation: See my review of Vol. #1 for my thoughts on the translation job. Another recap kicks things off and keeps the previous installment's events fresh in your mind as you hop on this wild conclusion. No typos get in the way, allowing you to speed through to the good stuff without bother.
The Bottom Line: Another series ends here on AMN ANIME. School Zone turned out to be a total blast, proving the old adage; you can't judge a manga by its cover art. Vol. #3 doesn't waste a single page. It's 100% blood-curdling action! If you've been on the fence while reading my reviews, you can rest easily knowing that the conclusion is worth the cost of 3 books. This will be one of those titles that you'll loan out, or have to wrestle away from your love interests and siblings, it just has that kind of great mass appeal.
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Content |
This volume gives School Zone a really fun conclusion. Lots of ooey-gooey and old-time scares! |
8.7 |
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Art |
Inuki's pen has little trouble keeping up with the plot. You'll love the zombie-teachers in their full-on scare poses. |
7.3 |
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Translation |
All is well here. The introductions really bring you up to speed in the event that time has passed since you read the previous issue. |
7.1 |
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Verdict
School Zone is a fun little series. It's over in only three books, but it's crammed with good times. This one can be passed around the family and be enjoyed by all.
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7.4
[not an average]
+ A lot more scares!
+ Detailed drawings bring the ghouls to life.
- Short series, but fun for what it is.
- $12.95 MSRP is a tad too much for this title.
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