Bizenghast by M. Alice LeGrow

Hi all,

I seriously cannot believe I'll be back in school tomorrow! It's too unbearable to think about right now, thus I will blog. Today is the last day I'll blog until Wednesday, which will begin my weekly schedule. (Maybe I'll blog on Saturday, too...) Anyway, let's talk about 'Bizenghast', an English-language (OEL) manga series I've really enjoyed. Yes, it's not technically manga, but it's still a very pretty and entertaining series. Though, the fact that it's read forwards, rather than the traditional backwards of manga, is annoying! XP

Okay, 'Bizenghast' is series by M. Alice LeGrow. It's published in North America by Tokyopop, which has released seven volumes, expected to finish with a final volume soon. The story is set in the haunted town of New England, where an orphaned girl named Dinah Wherever is sent to live with her aunt. Dinah can see ghosts, which causes trouble because her aunt's home is haunted; however she is believed to be schizophrenic. Later Dinah and her only friend, Vincent, find an old mausoleum where they accidentally subject themselves to servitude to free ghosts and release their souls, or die! Dinah is bound to a contract that makes her return every night to work, a job which Vincent voluntarily accompanies her. The story continues with the adventures Dinah, Vincent, and the ghosts of the mausoleum experience.

Unlike the shoujo romance I usually love in manga, 'Bizenghast' caught my eye entirely for its art. 'Bizenghast' is illustrated in beautiful gothic styles, for which Dinah and Vincent are always dressed. LeGrow uses interesting macabre objects to create figures for her characters and the prisons the ghosts in the mausoleum have suffered in. This quality and creativity in art does slack as the series continues, probably due to the fast publications of the series, which has only been out for five years. The story is very strong in art and plot with the first four volumes, but after the death of Vincent (spoiler, but you just had to know), it seems the plot unfolds too. The attempt to become a horror manga is weak, but it's lucky that LeGrow illustrates so well, because she definitely keeps her readers interested in the visuals of the story. The story was well received for its American audiences, but has yet to be come an animated show. It's been released as an imanga (a concept I don't quite understand, or like at all) through myspace, which doesn't do the art justice, so I definitely recommend taking a look at the manga yourself.

Best,
~Pseudonymous Jayne