Asura doesnt pull back any punches when it comes to portraying the cruelty of humans at full display a complex time when people were capable of doing heinous stuff to survive. Our protagonist Asura is no different as he has experienced firsthand since birth what its like living in a world that embodies the phrase survival of the fittest. However despite having a pretty grim introduction the series has a good sense of humor complemented by its eyecatching art style that contrasts nicely with the amount of violence the manga contains. https://i.ur.com/8Pcl3Wm.png Asura is a very fun character to follow not only because of his beastly antics and moments of slapstick but also because of the humanity he develops as the series goes on. Hes constantly faced with personal dilemmas that put into doubt his way of living as well as the grudge dwelling up inside him. You cant help but root for the little guy even if he does a bunch of terrible things throughout the manga. He is a being full of selfhatred who says If only I had never been born on more than one occasion and yet he can put on a grin in front of his enemies who might be attacking him in retaliation for one of his violent attacks. The series as a whole can be pretty cruel to its characters and often cynical for that matter as it creates scenarios you might be familiar with from reading/watching other series such as forbidden love and family reunion and flips them on their head. No cliche cheap relief just a constant reminder that the most important thing in the world is surviving. This is rather alleviated by comedic moments which make it seem a bit tonedeaf on paper especially if youve just read about a gory occurrence of Asuras animalistic wrath to then go to a goofy scene but it honestly works better than how it sounds. At the end of the day most of the characters are either kids or generally young which adds a level of shock to some of the more bloody scenes but also gives muchneeded levity when theyre cracking jokes or making funny faces. The series does make a few weird decisions nearing its end forgetting storylines and introducing characters out of nowhere and I have to wonder if theres a mistake in the Anilist database as of writing this with it saying there are 29 chapters as opposed to the 30 available while another anime database says its 42 chapters long so I wonder if I skipped something unintentionally either way one of these decisions I mention happen midchapter. However this doesnt ruin the series it still leaves you with an end of a cycle in Asuras life which serves as a pretty strong conclusion for the manga aside from some faltering at certain points during the series. Id recommend you to check it out if youre in the mood for a series that appears to be purely grim dark but has a heart and a lot of charm. BONUS: I read Asura before watching the Toei anime movie so the usual question pops up which is better? And my answer to that is both are good. The movies depiction of Asuras journey is quite dissimilar from the manga and frames a few characters in different ways but retains most of the tragedy present in the series it has a great score and visuals even if the CG can be a bit offputting for some but its biggest difference is that it plays in complete seriousness without any of the comedy of the manga. Its up to you which one you choose to experience first but dont expect the other to be exactly the same. https://i.ur.com/saMNMeB.png