Honestly, I wasn't a huge fan of this book. It was okay I guess, but nothing special. I really liked the idea of the main characters being cured zombies. It was a really interesting and unique twist on the good old zombie apocalypse genre and it was really promising. Personally, I wasn't a big fan of the art style, but that is more of a me problem. Both that and the characters themselves fell a little short for me and they felt a little flat in my opinion.

I do like zombie content, and as I said it earlier, the premise was really unique, but the story didn't quite live up to its potential. It started out with a good idea, but became a little flat as it went on. It was action packed and it did deliver the zombie scenes that you would expect from this book, but I couldn't really care about any of the characters so it didn't really held my attention and I found myself constantly checking how much of the book was left because I just wanted it to be over and start reading something else. I saw a lot of people mention this already, but I have to agree with them about the pace of the story being a little confusing and hard to keep up with.

With that being said, I wouldn't exactly recommend it because I didn't enjoy it that much, but if you're into the horror apocalypse theme, and love zombies, plus if you don't mind some gore and violence, then it might be worth checking out. However, personally I don't think I will go out of my way to read the second volume.

Absolutely phenomenal! I immediately had to buy a physical copy I loved it so much. For any zombie fan for sure.

Crueler than Dead focuses on Maki Akagi who wakes up in a lab full of corpses. Turns out that she has been a zombie for the past year and was cured with a last ditch cure. A dying soldier hands her some additional doses of the medication and urges her to get to the Tokyo Dome - where the last of humanity are.

Three words to describe this book: Zombies. Gore. Action-packed

Cover: The cover of this manga clearly communicates that this is going to be a zombie story filled with gore!

Story: The premise for this story is amazing. I have yet to have a zombie book have someone come back from being a zombie. Over the course of the novel, Maki began to remember some of the awful things she did as a zombie and had to process that grief and trauma. While the premise was amazing, the rest of the book was quite action based - but I wanted more about Maki’s life as a zombie and what it meant to be thrust into this do or die situation.

Illustrations: Amazing. The illustrations feel visceral and spare no details. Mangas are typically black and white but I hardly noticed the lack of color in visually this stark post-apocalyptic world.

Verdict: I enjoyed this manga. I would recommend it to folks who enjoy striking graphic illustrations and love zombie action sequences. I may pick up volume 2 to see if I get more of the part I loved.

ARC provided to me by Diamond Books Press, in exchange for an honest review.

I've had trouble getting this up. So I couldn't read it there was no mobile version or epub version I couldn't find an email address for help

Your straight up, standard zombie apocalypse fare. There wasn't much of a story, plot, or characterization. Just lots of running away from zombies. The art was good though.

The planet is still in the midst of the Covid pandemic. It is nowhere near a resolution. And as bad as we may think we have it now, it could be worse. It could be a lot worse. In Crueler than Dead a virus is turning people into zombies or Oz as they are called in the book. We open and find out that one woman, and one boy have gotten an experimental vaccine and it worked!. Now they must survive the trip from the laboratory to the Tokyo Dome to get the vaccine, replicate it, and get it to the Oz and turn them back into humans. There are some holes in the plot. The main point of the book is the gore, so it makes me wonder if you gave these Oz the vaccine to be human again, what about the holes and pieces of flesh that have been torn off? You would have to read the book to get why I ask that. Over all this book is interesting. It’s not fresh or new, but it’s interesting. And it leaves the reader wanting volume 2 right away.

As we head closer and closer into spooky season, I saw this in my queue and decided – “why not let’s look at a Japanese take on Zombies”. To be honest, I’m kind of burned out on zombie fiction; I feel like Hollywood has beat the dead horse over and over until there’s almost nothing left. Is this the answer to my woes? Could this be a fresh take on it, or is it just the same old stuff? Sadly, a lot of it’s “the same old stuff” with little deviation from typical Romero zombie mythos. They hint that the zombies are nocturnal, and a few other minor changes, but nothing Earth-shattering. Even that change is dropped when zombies show up during the day and everyone is like “I thought they hated the sun!?”

“No one knows where it started … But when the world finally realized what was going on, it was already too late.

When Maki Akagi wakes up in a lab full of corpses, she learns from a dying soldier that she is the result of a last-ditch experiment to cure humans of a virus turning them into zombies. Accompanied by a young boy who also miraculously escaped, she will have to try to get to the very center of a devastated Tokyo filled with bloodthirsty monsters. The dome located there contains the last survivors of mankind. And humanity’s very survival depends solely on a few drops of this miraculous vaccine…

Inspired by Katsuhiro Otomo (Akira), The Walking Dead, Romero classics, and new zombie films like 24 Hours Later, Crueler Than Dead delights in the meticulous detail of decomposed flesh, with a wicked and hungry eye…evoking a modern vision of a zombie world that is terrifying and tension filled. (published in Japan by Tokuma Shoten)


There are pro and cons for this book – on one hand I LOVED the art style – it’s definitely a more “old school” look, and the body horror stuff is truly grizzly. The writing is fine, and the story moves well. However, it’s somewhat derivative of most zombie things, even opening in a similar manner to 28 Days Later or even Day of the Triffids. You can tell the author was definitely inspired by Romero Zombie stuff and possibly the recent Resident Evil movies. The plot sort of time-jumps around a bit, making it hard to really get to know the characters very well in the first half. right when you get used to something, suddenly the characters have entirely different appearances due to haircuts and new clothes and the reader is left like “what?”. The main character even goes from being naïve And fearful to a zombie killing badass in like 3 pages.

By the time the book reaches around the halfway point, I really enjoyed it. Everything becomes far more grounded and less jarring once Maki’s group is basically forced to enter a large refuge from the zombies called Paradise. It’s a huge city-block sized skyscraper that is defended from the zombies due to a high voltage electrical fence. As long as they don’t lose electricity everything will be fine! You can see where this is going and bad things predictably happen. All-in-all this is an uneven, but enjoyable zombie book somewhat akin to The Walking Dead, or any Romero Dead Film. I honestly did not like the first few chapters very much, but the comic finds its footing eventually, and had a solid second half. I’d be interested to see where the story goes, so I will try to be on the lookout for more.

Note: I received this book for free from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
This book doesn't earn any of the choices it makes. The shock value isn't shocking when the scenes are constantly at 11/10. It is relentless but never gives the reader a reason or even a chance to care about what is going on because no care is taken with the shallow character arcs, sleazy background characters, and casual devilishness on day one of the outbreak. Really disappointing.

This is the Zombie story that feels like something that hasn't been seen. We always know the survival side of Zombie media, but never something that encompasses a resolution to the problem.

The only piece of media that I can honestly say compares is Warm Bloods, and not because it's a romance. It's the only other piece of media where the Zombies are actively part of the media and are allowed "salvation."

This book is super interesting because we get the standard fanfare of a Zombie story through the eyes of a revived zombie trying to get the Vaccine from Point A to Point B. While not shying away from the fact that our protagonists spent the last year as zombies, and they remember it.

This manga captivated me from beginning to end and given that it is part 1 of 2. I will be hunting down the second volume so I can see the ending.

Interesting premise and well drawn art. It lacks a bit in the dialogue department, just my opinion though. I had fun going through it all. Thank you NetGalley for accpeting my request to review this ARC.

2/5

The art was the saving grace of this manga and it was incredibly beautiful but unfortunately, the plot was lacking for me. It's super fast-paced and the way something different was happening practically every page got a bit frustrating to me as a reader and I couldn't enjoy it. I love reading horror and stories to do with zombie apocalypses but this one fell flat for me. Overall I personally wouldn't recommend this story but I do think that some people could really love it. Thank you to Netgalley, the authors, and the publishers for giving me this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was as graphic as a graphic novel could get - it felt like I was watching it onscreen, with all the grisly details. And this is despite the artwork being completely black & white, so kudos to the artist for bringing it to life. I actually avoided reading this at night because the images did stick with me. The time and effort put into creating this truly shows and is one of the best parts of this book.

Admittedly, I didn't feel like there was anything special to the story. Zombies are a well-worn trope and this didn't provide anything fresh aside from the infected people being averse to sunlight. The plot did get a little confusing at times too, and I felt like there was a significant gap between the time when Maki & Shota got out of the pharmaceutical company and when we next see them at a...farm?

Although the artwork was outstanding, this series unfortunately did not do it for me.

Thank you netgalley and to the author for allowing me the chance to read this amazing manga in exchange for an honest review.

Love, love, loved this manga! This had such a great start to what I've been craving to read. You don't find alot of zombie books or mangas around these days so it was amazing to find this and get approved for it, I was over the moon!

I will definitely be reading more of this as I'd love to find out what happens. I mean what could go wrong with gore and guts and zombies!

This was a really interesting first volume! The art is fantastic and the story is engaging. I did catch myself wishing there were a few more moments establishing the connections between the main characters so that it doesn't seem like they protect each other out of necessity but that they actually care. This is a very action-packed manga, though, so I wouldn't necessarily say this is a negative if you're just in the mood for some zombie fighting :)

Based on this initial volume, Crueler than Dead isn't a series for me. However, for those who can't get enough zombie stories, it contains a great deal to like.

The two high points of this comic are its artwork--gritty, about as realistic as manga gets, and lovingly detailed particularly where the zombies are concerned--and the thread of hope offered by the central plotline. It's clear that the creators are themselves diehard zombie media enthusiasts, and their enthusiasm shines through on just about every page.

Less appealing is the casual rape and misogyny rampant in both the depiction of the story's protagonist and the world she must travel through. I'm not sure why gritty zombie epidemic stories always seem to contain unexamined scenes of sexual violence, but it does not contribute to making this story feel fresh or new.

Ultimately, although this story moves so quickly that it is sometimes a challenge to follow, it should provide good entertainment for readers who really love zombie disasters and gore.

I received a free e-ARC of this comic via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

The artwork is amazing! The scenes are detailed and the atmosphere gritty. The world created is harsh, hard, and everything falls back on survival.

I love the unique twists where zombies don't like sunlight and there is a cure that's so new, who knows where this may lead!! The suspense!

Unfortunately, I did get lost a time or two and feels like there are parts in the story that need filled in.

It also feels so similar to zombie stories out there, almost like a continuation of The Walking Dead but on the other side of the world. The familiarity is nice but I hope it doesn't hold this story back.

Otherwise, a good story and excited to see what's next.

Thank you to Netgalley and Diamond Book Distributors for allowing me to review.

This was a decent zombie story! I though zombies being afraid of sunlight was a little silly but I still really enjoyed the story. It was very gory but the black and white art helps to dull the shock of it. I was a bit disturbed with the main characters appearance at the very beginning and I was triggered by some scenes in the Paradise building. If you are sensitive to or triggered by rape I would probably avoid this book because there are two panels showing sexual assault and a fair amount of rape talk. I was able to push through and finish the book. As far as zombie stories go, it's was easy to follow and it definitely gave me the creeps.

This gets a resounding meh from me. The story has very little substance, and honestly feels all over the place. The world building was lacking, and I spent a large part of the story just wondering when they would get around to explaining things. However, the artwork was phenomenal. I loved all the gory details, and the full page spreads were really dynamic. It's a shame there couldn't be more substance associated with such a wonderfully illustrated story.

Art was great. Storyline well developed. Great zombie details. Thank you #NetGalley for the free ebook for review.

I just reviewed Crueler Than Dead Vol 1 by Tsukasa Saimura, Kozo Takahashi. #CruelerThanDeadVol1 #NetGalley
[NetGalley URL]

It’s gorey and the art is beautiful but the plot is lacking. It simple goes so fast and is kind of ridiculous in a way by the way it over explains itself. But I love horror manga and I’m always on the hunt for more to read. Sadly, this was more than a miss. Thanks so much for the chance to review.