Finished
“Cheap assassin Mayo spares a target, triggering events that destabilize Asian economies.”
Strain
ストレイン
6.94
10,559 rank · 4,217 readers · 15 favorites
Seinen
Detective
Organized Crime
Action
Would You Love or Hate This?
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Based on your preference for character-driven stories with layered emotional arcs, this title's exploration of identity and belonging would deeply resonate. The pacing mirrors series you've rated highly, and its thematic depth aligns with your appreciation for nuanced storytelling...
However, the slow initial episodes might test your patience given your history of dropping shows that don't hook you early. The art style shift in the middle arc could also be a concern...
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Synopsis
Cheap assassin Mayo spares a target, triggering events that destabilize Asian economies.
Mayo is the five dollar assassin who asks only five dollars for a killing. He is asked to kill the mother of a 12 year old prostitute, Shion, but leaves her alive out of pity. This event starts a chain of events which will shake the Asian economies to the core. (Source: ANN)
What people say
Community consensus
Derived from 4 sampled reviews
5.8
/10
What 4 readers settled on.
67%
recommend
Score distribution
median 6
mode 2
σ 2.86
Agreement
Polarized
σ 2.86 · split reception
The polarity gap
6.5 pts
Recommenders 8.5 · others 2.0
Yes
No
Score over time
↓ 3.25
Running avg · Aug 2008 → Feb 2026
Snap verdicts
· shortest highly-rated reviews
- 8 “Strain. You must ask yourself... What in the hell is this? Who read this series? There are like 300 other people on this website who've apparently read this. [There are thousands of people reading...”
- 9 “From the duo that gave the world the classic Sanctuary, Strain is like that epic political/gangster thriller on a micro scale. Author Yoshiyuki Okamura aka Sho Fumimura aka Buronson (so named after...”
- 2 “This manga was awful and I'm gonna gouge my eyes out. You know when you see something so good and you have a mental orgasm where you meet Jesus and you step foot into Nirvana for a brief period?...”
Verbosity
Short · 25%
Medium · 50%
Long · 25%
Read Order & Related
Explore the Strain universe
Cast
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See all →Publication slate
A Manga Publication
- Format 40 × 5 ch × vol
- Total read 5h 20m approx
- Published Jan 1996 – Jan 1998
- Source Manga media type
- Ref. BS-M1300 catalog