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Manga Review: What This World is Made Of Vol. 1 (2023) by Shin Yamamoto

"The world... is currently approaching"

“After losing everything, the Nakata brothers find a mysterious app that offers a chance to make large sums of money. But are they ready for the danger they must now face, the deadly monsters known as WORLDs…? ” (Yen Press)

Down and out of luck kids entering into a contract through a mysterious app where they have to fight monsters is not necessarily a fresh concept in the world of manga. And while 's “” does little to deviate from the plethora of other titles, there are subtleties of the inaugural release that make it a title to keep an eye on. Moreover, elements that need to land for a series like this to thrive under a familiar structure are confidently executed.

Notably, the artistic direction and action sequences in “What This World is Made Of” are sleek, placing the manga into ‘cool' territory with inventive creature designs and powers that are depicted with a distinct style. Every player in the ‘game' is given a unique weapon, and how these tools are utilized and matched to the various personas is considered. Comparatively, the monsters are over-the-top takes on classic designs and real-life animals, with the fight against the “Wind Specter of the Gardens” being the most explosive and exciting confrontation depicted in volume 1–both for the design of the ghastly specter and the scale of the battle itself.

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Visually, readers will become enraptured by Yamamoto's approach, yet a strong visual direction is essential to a title like this and to have the book make it to print, many readers will go in expecting nothing less. Where the series becomes more notable is in the strong writing of Shin Yamamoto, particularly when it comes to crafting interesting, relatable protagonists. The two brothers, Kaname and Kanade, though down on their luck, manage to stay optimistic and support each other. Alternatively, the other player in the game at this junction, Tohko, comes across as cold as a means to hide her own issues.

The dialogue between the three is free of cliches and gives the book a degree of drama and realism that compliments its sensational elements. Furthermore, there is a maturity to each character that elevates the manga above the plethora of familiar tropes. Readers will want to push forward to learn more about the three in equal measure, craving the action Yamamoto skillfully crafts. Balancing elements of story and visuals, arguably, is not as straightforward for creators who approach the ‘death game' genre, and “What This World is Made” holds promise off the back of Yamamoto's merging of exciting battles and engaging personas.

Still, it is too early to get overly excited about a series like this in its infancy as there is still a long way to go before it reaches those definable moments which will determine whether it resonates with fans on a deeper level. Those who love the ‘game' format in manga should not hesitate to check this one out given its solid foundation, but those who only casually partake in the best the genre has to offer should hold back for a few volumes and see what the fandom has to say as the story develops.

About the author

Adam Symchuk

Adam Symchuk is a Canadian born freelance writer and editor who has been writing for Asian Movie Pulse since 2018. He is currently focused on covering manga, manhwa and light novels having reviewed hundreds of titles in the past two years.

His love of film came from horror and exploitation films from Japan that he devoured in his teens. His love of comics came from falling in love with the works of Shuzo Oshimi, Junji Ito, Hideshi Hino, and Inio Asano but has expanded to a general love of the medium and all its genres.

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