Shikei Game · review
So despite the problems with this manga, I did enjoy it more than I thought the rating would tell me. Story-wise, it is nothing original. It has Saw motivations, similar to Torikago no Tsugai, but with nothing particularly though evoking. It doesn't pique your curiosity much at all as to who the killer is. Lots of actions taken by characters also were pretty dumb, like in bad horror films. The reveal of the perpetrator is not that climactic, though it should have been a bit more ceremonious maybe. The injection of moral dilemma was a bit too trite and repetitive, though it did help move theplot along. However, I did appreciate some of the worldbuilding, but this came as way too little and too late in the end.
Artistically, it is very cookie-cutter. Still shots are serviceable, but the scenes of supposed violence are not very well done. It doesn't have any particularly memorable art. It just feels a bit soulless and mass-produced in aesthetic. However, the starting scene of the tutorial game was probably the best, in my opinion.
Characters, as mentioned, are dumb. They do at least differentiate between the seven, which is nice, and they are all distinct in personality. Their dumb actions decrease any sympathy one might have for them. While distinct, they are sort of reduced in complexity, particularly for those who fail early. But I will say that for 6 chapters, even the ones who get offed first got decent coverage to flesh out more than one trait as to who they are as people.
As I said before, I weirdly enjoyed this despite expecting nothing but trite crap or nonsensical plot like from Shoujo Shikkaku. The worldbuilding part was a slight detail but I enjoyed that immensely. Other than that, the history they build behind this ridiculous game was just so random and yet I didn't find it any stupider than I Know What You Did Last Summer. It was also a short story and a short read that progressed snappily, which lessened any pain one might incur reading the next character screaming about saving their own hide.