Key takeayways from Manga Recommendation –ย Crimson Shell:
- “Crimson Shell,” a manga by Mochizuki Jun, offers a supernatural fantasy with action and mystery elements.
- The story follows a girl, the Crimson Rose, tasked with hunting down berserk Black Roses with unique superpowers and a dark side effect.
- Although pretty short, the manga impresses with a well-developed plot, memorable characters, and captivating gothic art by the same author.
When you’re addicted to mangas or a content creator, you will often look for other works of authors that happened to write a manga you like. Sometimes, this search can lead you to underappreciated gems. And that is pretty much what happened with Crimson Shell.
This manga is by the same author as The Case Study of Vanitas, Mochizuki Jun. It is not as refined as Vanitas but it’s still pretty good. If you enjoy the author’s storytelling, you’ll like this too.
So welcome back to another edition of our manga recommendation series! Today we are talking about Crimson Shell! So let’s get started!
Introduction
Crimson Shell is written and illustrated by Mochizuki Jun. It was serialized from August 2005 to January 2006 in the GFantasy magazine. It is short coming in at just 6 chapters or 1 volume. And no, it does not have an anime adaptation. It probably is too short for an anime adaptation anyway. Like The Case Study of Vanitas, it is a supernatural fantasy with action and mystery elements.
Plot
A mad scientist seeking eternal youth and immortality bred a unique rose flower. When the seeds of this Premier Rose were planted in humans, they gained certain superpowers but came with a side effect. The roses feed off of other humans to keep their powers. And these test subjects, Black roses were used as weapons under their creator. One day though, the creator disappeared and the Black Roses went berserk. So to hunt down the Black Roses, the Crimson Rose, a girl once considered a failed experiment is chosen.
So, if you’ve read Vanitas, you can already see the similarities in the tone, right? Thematically the mangas are very different but they share a similar style as they have the same author. The plot is nowhere as refined as Vanitas but it is still pretty good. There is a lot to love here despite the short length of the manga.
Characters
There aren’t many characters in this manga but the manga does a great job of making them memorable despite the limited run time. We get some decent character development for Cluadia and we have some great side characters and villains to fill in the gaps, Given how short the series is, the attention to characters is commendable.
Art
The art is almost as good as Vanitas. I love Mochizuki Jun’s art style. He is good at drawing these gothic settings and making them work in the stories. His character designs are unique and it is no different here.
Why should you read Crimson Shell?
Quick pointers on why you should read this manga:
- Good plot
- Good characters
- Awesome fights
- Great art
Conclusion
That is all for now. Let me know what you guys think in the comments below. Crimson Shell is a really good read despite its short length. With that said, I will take my leave here. See ya!
