Manga double

Since I really liked Blue Period and Double has some elements that are even harder to find, I figure this would likely be my sort of manga. The cover art stood out as well!

I actually just spelled it out. Let me be a bit more precise though, I like the art style of the cover but what really drew me in is the colours. It looks a little like it’s an oil painting. That’s really not something I see a lot. And it’s a bit of a risk since it’s a very different look from a lot of other manga that come in. It gave me the idea that maybe Double was not necessarily aimed at a wide manga audience.

However, let me say this right off the bat, Double is a very good manga so far but it is most definitely not for everyone. This down-to-earth aspect that I like so much is a double-edged sword. Because it’s so natural, it’s neither a drama nor really a comedy as real-life tends towards a sort of neutral middle ground between the two. When they are not acting, Takara is a nice guy but a bit spacey and Yuujin is a slightly sarcastic straight man. They aren’t bigger than life figures or exceptional in any way. You probably know guys like this.

And it’s the same for the plot. At least so far. It’s not special. I personally love a well-written tale of the mundane. It’s one of the things I love the most in fiction. But that’s definitely not the case for the average manga audience. Or at least I assume so judging by the popularity of fantasy fiction. Even slice-of-life manga tends to feature exaggerated characters that you would never meet in real life. And that’s not the case for Double at all.

This happens to me a lot while I’m reading manga. I get the feeling that I would like it more as an anime. But it was particularly strong when I was reading Double. I really enjoyed it, I want to read more but I really want to watch it. That dialogue would shine on-screen…almost like it was written to be acted out!