Ajin: Life is not Meaningless

Ajin: Demi-Human 亜人 Artist — Gamon Sakurai 桜井画門
Publication — Good! Afternoon
Japanese Publisher- Kodansha English Publisher — Viz Media
Volumes — 17 Demographic — Seinen/Mature
Descriptors — Action, Supernatural Thriller, Violent, Realistic

Is life is meaningless? This is the question that sits at the heart of Ajin a series about humans gaining immortality. Something that the two halves of the story deals with in two very different ways. On one hand is the action side of the story filled with gory bloody action that would make John Wick blush. In that half of the story life is meaningless as the kill count rises to video game like numbers. However in the other half we explore the weight of life and death as we explore the human drama surrounding the first half. The series rides a difficult line straddling it’s desire to tell meaningful drama about the weight to life while also delivering the crowd pleasing brutal action and death. Wanting to eat your cake and have it is hard but it’s something that Ajin manages to do by it’s end.
*Major spoilers for Ajin ahead.