WARNING: No explicit spoilers, but details hint at the vibe and cohesion of the plot.

Aku no Kyouten appears unique at first, but all-too-familiar, as well. The drama is built up steadily, and as the pieces start to come together and characters are developed and expanded upon, you really start to feel like the stakes could hardly be any higher. Unfortunately, the conclusion is anything but satisfactory, or earned. All wildcards built throughout the story are abandoned, all loose ends are dealt with in a flurry of rushed violence that gradually blends together and makes you wonder why you stuck around for 9 volumes.

The art for this manga is very pleasant. Eiji Karasuyama's art walks the line between pleasant and eerie at times, and it suits the story well - at first, anyway. The characterization is also built well enough, and the core characters the story seems to revolve around are given the building blocks for good development, though not enough work was actually put in beyond that.

Overall, this manga is suffering from an identity crisis. It doesn't know if it wants to be a nail-biting psychological drama or a gratuitous slasher, and unfortunately the compensation between the two is a plain division in the middle of the plot, right when things start to heat up. The escalation feels rushed and unearned, as if the mangaka wasn't sure how to end the story. Don't get into this book if you're looking for a thriller that delivers, OR a slasher that gets to the point in any reasonable amount of time.