#MangaMonday Recommendation: Drifting Classroom

Almost forgot about this again!

This week's pick: Kazuo Umezu's science fiction/horror classic, The Drifting Classroom!

Now, I haven't finished this 11-volume series yet (I've read four volumes to date); but I couldn't pass up recommending this one. So far each volume has been a quick, yet mighty intense read, but the clincher is the fact that it is rapidly becoming more and more insane with each passing chapter. I find myself becoming more and more terrified for the lives of these children.

The series starts off in a rather basic fashion. Sho has a disagreement with his with his mother that escalates to a shouting match. To top it all off, he says that he's never coming home again before storming off (and his mother snaps back, telling Sho that she hopes he never returns). Of course, Sho gets his wish with the school he attends vanishes into thin air, leaving a massive crater where the school once was and the children and teachers find themselves (and the school grounds) in a barren wasteland with no signs of life. By that point, things really start to unravel in hurry as the plot moves along at a frantic pace. After four volumes, I can only imagine where it is going to end up. It's already been a certifiably insane read. I haven't read any other of Umezu's works, but I'll certainly be on the look out for them, based upon The Drifting Classroom. Man, he really understands the horror genre quite well, not to mention he really gets what can terrify a child (and even adults) to the brink of sheer madness.

If you're a fan of horror and don't mind reading a manga with dated, yet graphic art, then this manga is definitely for you. Scratch that. If you haven't read this series, go pick up the first volume of this as soon as you can. Chances are you'll find yourself frantically in need of more. I know from experience: I bought the first three volumes and burned through them so fast that I was upset with myself for not buying more. Hopefully that alone is enough of a compelling recommendation for you.