An entertaining horror manga. It's definitely far better than I thought it would be. It's certainly enjoyable for fans of horror manga or just manga in general.

Anyone who has ever ridden a near-empty or deserted subway train - especially underground, and at night - knows the genuine creepiness that can settle in around you. Or, as Dark Metro puts it: "They go through their day to day routine , never suspecting that in the subway tunnels is a gap between the land of the living and the land of the dead." This volume combines books one and two from the manga series, as well as adds the finale - book three - to this 500ish-page total of "Twilight Zone"-style stories carrying you through the various subway systems that snake around and under Tokyo. The black-and-white artwork is stylish and often freaky (bloody as well, God knows), adding to the "Twilight Zone" feel as readers are treated to what happens when a mother take drastic measures to rid herself of the little boy she doesn't love or want ... a group of teenage boys pay the price for acting as unwanted "matchmakers" for their female classmates ... or a samurai sword with a history of evil is reactivated by a greedy foreigner dying to own it. Too many good stories to mention, especially in the first third of the book, during which we're also introduced to the mysterious Seiya, the handsome young man and believer of justice who seems to be the only bridge between both worlds. The second half of the book gives us more information both about Seiya and the world beyond the train tracks, but ultimately it's the stories that shock and satisfy throughout, making at least this reader wonder how he may ever board a subway train at night again after reading this. The last third of the book - the newest addition - feels a bit rushed, the stories not as taught, but as a whole Dark Metro: The Ultimate Edition is as much a recommendation for a permanent place on your shelves as it is to simply read. Currently my favorite manga. 5/5 stars

NOTE: I received a free ARC of this book from NetGalley and the publisher, in exchange for an honest review.

Calen's Dark Metro collection centres around, as the name suggests, a metro. Each chapter is a separate vignette with different characters, and unrelated stories. The only constant is Seiya, a mysterious man who serves as a guide to the underworld. And when the living stumble into his realm, by accident, or having been lead there by a dead person who wants, for whatever reason, to drag the living person with them in death, Seiya is the one who intercedes, shepherding the living back across the barrier to their own existence. Each story was tied to the Metro in one way or another. People's paths cross via the Metro, some jump. Some hunt prey. Accidents happen. I like the attention to detail in each vignette. Chapter Three is a good example. This involves the spirit of a suicide jumper. Let's just say, I've seen what a train victim looks like, and the art was spot on. Recommended!

***Many thanks to Netgalley and Diamond Book Distributors for providing an ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Thick horror manga with a creepy fingers-coming-out-of-mouth monster on the cover? Sign me up!
Dark Metro is effectively a collection of mostly stand-alone short stories connected by a recurring character. Seiya is a guide to the underworld, a contemporary Charon of sorts. He spends his time in the Japanese metro, which is a gateway between the land of the living and the souls of the dead. When the dead seek to bring the living with them before it is time for them to die, Seiya steps in to enforce the natural order. The stories include the dead seeking revenge for murder, jealousy, and abuse.
The short stories told here are effective. The build-up of suspense is deftly handled in most of these tales, with only a few seeming to move slowly. Perhaps oddest about this book is that, in the beginning, I was really craving a more fleshed out plotline connecting the stories, but after learning more about Seiya’s background and powers, the concluding battle felt anticlimactic. At the end of the book, I was missing the horror stories from the beginning of this massive volume.
Dark Metro truly excels when it deals with the spooky, unknown, and creeping dread. When it brings that horror out of the darkness and into direct, cataclysmic battle, the story really loses sight of what it does best.
If you are a fan of horror manga, I would truly encourage you to grab a copy of Dark Metro: The Ultimate Edition. Go into reading it with the mindset that it is a fantastic horror story collection, and not a novel-length story, and you will see all of its strengths.

Review will appear at the provided link on 2/14/19

Book Review
Title: Dark Metro: The Ultimate Edition Manga
Author: Tokyo Calen & Yoshiken (Contributor)
Genre: Manga
Rating: *****
Review: I have been reading manga for several years and I have been getting into horror and psychological thriller manga recently and the synopsis for Dark Metro sounds brilliant. “Terror awaits the people of Tokyo, with gruesome lessons only the dead can teach. Anna almost descends to the dark side when she follows the suicidal Rei down an escalator to hell. Seiya pulls her back, but will they make it out of Tokyo's secret metro lines in time to escape Rei and the ghosts who inhabit the Tokyo underground? A waitress at a maid cafe sparks jealousy. A mother who can't handle the responsibility of raising her child commits a horrible crime. An ancient sword awakens a psychotic samurai. And finally, the solemn guide Seiya reveals his own tragic past and the nature of his gifts that are his curse.”
So this edition contains volume 1 & 2 of Dark Metro in addition to and never before seen conclusion to the trilogy. I loved the fact that each chapter of the manga is named after a real metro line in Japan, it just added an extra touch to the story. We are introduced to Anna who is a dancer whose friend Rei stopped showing up for rehearsal and there are rumors that she killed herself after having an affair with their teacher. On the way home, Anna misses the last train and encounters Rei who is dead, and she is dragged down into the underworld but the mysterious Seiya saves her. Seiya claims to be the guide to the underworld and with evidence to prove it isn’t a dream Anna is always looking for Seiya.
This manga is a pure gory journey although each chapter seems to be unrelated as all the characters are different with the exception of Seiya who is constantly helping those who fall into the underworld. Although in some cases he does leave people behind to die there because they deserve it. We follow a host of different characters and their experiences with the underworld gate that lies hidden in the metro.
I really liked how the end of this bind-up gave some real insight into who Seiya is and what he does as a guide to the underworld. I loved the art style, it was dark, creepy and very atmospheric. If you are a fan of Japanese horror films and manga like Battle Royale, then I highly recommend you pick up Dark Metro and I personally hope there is more coming soon.

'Dark Metro: The Ultimate Edition manga' by Tokyo Calen is a manga with a series of ghost stories set in different Tokyo train stations.

A young woman leaving dance practice tries to catch the late train, but misses it. She finds herself locked in the train station and a scary woman approaches her. She gets help from texts on her phone that leads her to a mysterious young man who is the gateway to the land of the dead. Other stories feature a train driver and a man who commits suicide, a man who keeps seeing the ghost of a woman he killed, and a group of young men who are invited to a party which turns out to be deadly.

My review copy only has the first volume of the two collected here, but I feel safe in saying that this was a collection of stories I really enjoyed reading. The art is solid, and the stories are creepy and interesting.

I received a review copy of this manga from Tokyopop, Diamond Book Distributors, and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for allowing me to review this manga.

I would like to thank NetGalley for this ARC in exchange of a honest review!

Chilling, it's the first thing I can say about this manga! With great art, we have short horror stories about how on the underground of Tokyo there's a fine line between the living in the dead!

Short chapters with fast passed stories, with ghosts, vengeance and our mysterious Seiya!

I really enjoyed the read! Fast, horrifying, interesting! I recommend for those who like a bit of horror in their graphic novels!

I really enjoyed it. This was different what i usually read. I loved the story. I liked to learn more about Seiya's past. I will check other volumes too.

Thank you netgalley!! For opportunity, to review this manga fiction!!!
Dark metro is a horror manga fiction!! The location is tokyo under subway station and the story is divided into several short gory stories, with different characters, great plot line, haunted by different monstor. Its like urban creepy thriller stories but in tokyo version an style!! Totally excired for next series!!!