Tsugumi Ohba and Takeshi Obata struck manga gold when they released “Death Note.†This super dark manga garnered a lot of praise, leaving fans and fans wanting something equally dark from them. They have answered that plea with “Platinum End.” The first chapter is a satisfying one.
Mirai Kagehasi’s life is a living hell. He has no friends, his parents are dead and his aunt and uncle treat him poorly. So one day he decides to commit suicide. This proves futile as he is saved by an angel who gives him powers that’ll help him to become happy. However, Mirai finds that using his new powers may not lead him to happiness.
This plot is similar to “Death Note’s†plot, but with angels instead of shinigami. That may pose a problem for some writers in that this is a sign of laziness or being a one trick pony. However, the characters so far appear to be well written and well rounded. Yes, the evil aunt and uncle angle has been done before, but hopefully these characters will appear that often in this series.
One minor setback in the story is that there is a hint that there is a lot more to what the angel wants than is implied. In fact, in feels obvious that what will happen to Mirai will come back to haunt him hard. This series needs to make sure that does not happen.
Keeping with the “Death Note†trend is the art. The manga has the same look, but instead of being dark it’s vibrant. This actually works in the manga’s favor in that this story seems to be going in the opposite direction. The design of the angel may be too cute for some readers, but once you think about it the design makes a ton of sense. The angel is supposed to be pleasing to the eye.
“Platinum End†so far seems to be of the same high quality as “Death Note.†The story may be familiar, but the writing and characters are strong and the art is great. If Ohba does the right things this series should become a classic.
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