To be honest, was this book as good as the first. No. However, it was a very satisfying read, and a great ending to the story. There is a little heart break, a little just deserts, but it works out as it should in the end. I thoroughly enjoyed the conclusion to this story, and will be recommending the duology for years to come.

This message as such a uniquely written and illustrated novel. Gorgeous and dark, you can tell the author really knows Kyoto. It's one of those graphic novels you just need to read again to cement in the feeling.

[Review available via Booklist]
When another child goes missing, superintendent Koyasu can’t help but be reminded of an old case. Could a copycat be on the loose? Or is there something stranger going on? Meanwhile, in Kyoto, two children, Hisao and Sayuri, encounter a supernatural being named Toothless in a playground, and they become curious about where Toothless has come from and how he is connected to the playground. As they creep closer to solving the mystery of Toothless, the two become entangled in something much larger and more sinister than they could have imagined. Revoy is a talented illustrator and author, and it shows in this particular work, even as the narrative itself becomes (at times) slightly convoluted. The stark pencil-and-ink artwork takes full advantage of shadow and black, nighttime backgrounds to accentuate dark versus light, mirroring the tensions between good and evil in the overarching narrative. The child protagonists are captivating, and they will entice young readers eager to unravel the mysteries of the playground’s supernatural tendencies.

I don't think I really understood this one. I liked some elements of it, the mystery haunting stuff, But the resolution confused me.

Kids are disappearing throughout Kyoto. Two middle school students encounter a mysterious kid named "Toothless" at the playground who could explain the mysterious happenings tied to the disappearances. The strength of the book is the investigation done by the two kids. Things are not what they seem and soon readers realize that strange things are happening to both kids, especially the strange nightmares they are both having. Readers first hear about the disappearances through an ongoing police investigation through a police inspector yet that inspector disappears from the story quickly and the focus is squarely on the two middle school kids. Fans of horror comics will enjoy Animus.

Beautiful art, but all I got from the story was that the author really liked manga. More style than substance. I wanted more content to drive the story beyond "and then what happened?" Probably of more interest to those who like creepy stories for their own sake.

Great for any library looking to build their comic/manga collection. This murder/mystery will be a great page turner and possible a great book to get earlier readers interested.

A creepy take on an innocent playground .Enjoyable for manga and horror fans. Could have been longer and taken more time giving context about the playground.

Animus was a fantastic manga murder mystery. I loved the characters, the story, and was eager to get through the whole thing in one sitting to find out what happened!

I won't spoil the ending but it left me really thinking about the story and what it all meant in the bigger picture.

I really enjoyed reading this book. It is set in japan and follows a little boy and girl as they try to solve a mystery and save their friend. I liked the art, it felt like i was reading a japanese manga and i liked the two main characters. They were curious and smart and it was fun following them and seeing if they would solve the mystery. The ending was shocking and had me reading the book all over the end to see if i missed anything. It entertains you and leaves you wondering what happened when you are done.

There really is more to the playground. A playground of nightmares intrigues two kids and next thing you know, they were left solving a mystery and left entangled in one. There really is nothing else to say about this graphic novel except that the concept, in my opinion, was unique. I actually enjoyed the story because of its overall chilly and retro vibe. I admit that there were still some questions I had left unanswered but I liked the graphic novel in its entirety.

While it had an interesting premise, the story didn't deliver. The main female character had a unique physical characteristic, namely, her ears were elflike, so I expected something unique about her or there would be some kind of payoff at the end. Speaking of the ending, the reveal was clever, but it still wasn't enough to satisfy me. There were times the art style verged on Junju Ito levels of horror, but also didn't deliver.

This is a creepy ghost tale/mystery surrounding a ghost destined to haunt a playground. Schoolmates Hisao and Sayrui meet Toothless, a ghost who tells them that the playground is magic: the swings let you look into people's dreams; the sandbox brings your worst fears to life, and the slide has the power to give or take years from your life, depending on the direction you go. When another friend goes down the slide, rapidly ages, and develops dementia, the two friends must save him - and to do that, they must discover who Toothless really is, and how he came to haunt the playground.

Heavily influenced by Japanese and French comics, this black-and-white graphic novel is eerie and unsettling; a strong noir story with ghostly elements woven throughout to create a story that will stay with readers.

There appear to be two disparate plots running parallel within this novel. One focuses on an investigator, who is trying to find missing children in Tokyo. The other is about a local playground, which is more sinister than it appears. Two children playing in the playground encounter a being, potentially a ghost or other supernatural being, who begins unlocking the secrets of the playground.

Typically, I do not get into graphic novels like this one. However, I can appreciate the design and plot. The illustrations were beautiful. The plot was unique, though it did have traditional manga/Japanese vibes.

Everything you could possibly want from a mildly creepy Japanese ghost story. A haunted playground, unsolved murder, and a kid in a kabuki mask. Though the storyline and atmosphere will feel familiar to anyone who has read or watched Japanese ghost stories before, the illustrations are steeped in realism (as opposed to more traditional manga-style), and the dialogue and stories are read left to right (I assume because the author/illustrator was raised in Tokyo but currently resides in the U.S.). If you have students like mine who only read manga and refuse to read English-origin graphic novels, I think you can still sell easily sell this to a skeptical audience with the right booktalk, because all the story elements are there. Recommended for middle school and up.

When two friends discover there is more to their local playground than meets they eye, they delve into a mystery of lost children and ghostly beings. Toothless, a child seemingly tethered to the playground, teaches them the mysterious and supernatural characteristics of each facet of the playground. As the friends dive deeper, they will both make decisions that will forever impact their relationship and their lives. The black and white illustrations in this graphic novel are hypnotic, with precise use of line and exquisite textures. Readers may well get to the final pages only to flip back to the beginning to unravel the narrative again in an attempt to fully understand what they've experienced.

Beautiful black and white illustrations play with light and shadow to create a creepy atmosphere. The story and illustrations work together perfectly to maintain the dark, foreboding tone of this graphic novel. I appreciate that Animus is able to be scary and creepy without resorting to violence or gore. I liked the vague, creepy story which left a lot to the imagination and created elements of mystery and magic. I loved the youngsters working together to solve the mystery and save their friends and the mysterious Toothless. I would have liked there to be more character exploration of the two main characters, especially to help glean a better understanding of the surprise twist at the end. I couldn’t quite decide if Hisao’s and Sayuri’s fears and dreams were meaningful to the plot and their characters.

Overall, the graphic novel is beautiful and worth reading just for the illustrations. The plot is interesting, but leaves a lot to the imagination which can be fun to think up different interpretations and connections but might be hollow for some readers.

I’ll definitely recommend this book to young readers looking for something dark and creepy that doesn’t rely on violence or gore.

As a young girl and boy work parallel yet unknowingly with a missing persons detective, they realize that their detective work to save a young boy is not of the CSI route, but more of a spiritual realm. A haunted playground makes young people turn geriatric, fears are realized in the sandbox, and thoughts are heard on the swings. As two young children try to figure out how to free the "boy in the mask", the detective is frustrated with unsolved missing children crimes. In a very poignant way, Antoine Revay portrays the thoughts and perspectives of all characters vividly and creatively. Each stroke is purposely created to give the reader the ability to feel as though he is in the frames with the characters. This book will definitely be on our hold list at our library!

While I enjoy graphic novels when I get the chance to read them, I don't tend to specifically seek out or purchase them, just because the dollar-to-word ratio is so skewed. That said... this graphic novel completely knocked my socks off! I would spend money on this.<br>
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I went in completely expecting <i>Animus</i> to be slick and colorful, like its cover, and some kind of a fantasy adventure, like the <i>Amulet</i> series. <br>
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Instead, it was a retro Japanese childhood ghost story, a perfect blend of endearing and creepy. The art is lovely, and fits the vibe just right. At times, <i>Animus</i> was chilling, at times nearly sweet, and when it ended it left me feeling pleasantly unsettled. I know I'll be thinking about this story for days.

Good artwork and compelling story that had my interest until I felt it no longer made sense. Left me thinking, “What in the world just happened?” A lot of potential here, but it left me feeling the way I do when I read an ancient folk tale from another country that just seems to lose something in translation.