If you're a Walter Enjoyer, you're in the right place. While the story is nominally an alternate universe where things go off the rails before the events of SMT IV, it's best approached as a character exploration of Walter and a new adventure set in the world of the game. The writing is authentic and convincing, capturing the essence of the returning cast and expanding on the setting while feeling right at home in it. As one might guess, Walter is the heart of the show, and his desire for a more free world ruled by strength are given a very deserved treatment, being bothnuanced and understanding. His ambitions cause massive trouble and ultimately lead the plot down a very dark road, but he's a frustrated son of a fisherman surrounded by untrustworthy authority figures. He's a strong-headed jerk with a kind heart, not a rube duped by tyrants. The art direction is also nothing to sneeze at either, being dark, expressive, and dripping with gore and body horror. This sounds like a joke, but I mean it when I say that this captures who and what Walter is as a character.

The only other major note is twofold. First is the appearances of Flynn, and the overall "meaning" of the story in the broader universe. I'm not sure what it adds to the work, but as mentioned earlier, Demonic Gene is best taken as an independent side-story in the same world. Second is Gina, the manga-original character who effectively takes Flynn's place in the group. On one hand, it is a bit redundant to have a Law-aligned foil to Walter since Jonathan already exists, and he ultimately has no major role in the story (which is a shame in terms of writing and in terms of their bromantic rivalry). On the other hand, it's kind of funny that even in a manga made by someone else, ATLUS still did the "spin-off featuring an important yet mysterious girl you've never seen before" thing again. Ultimately though, she has a strong dynamic with Walter, her journey mirrors that of Walter's gradual transformation, and she more than earns her place in the story. I think she's pretty neat.

I'll end it thus/10