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Reviewed by Michael Aronson “A flash flood turns the desert into a drowned world, and the students struggle to protect the school – and their precious vegetable garden – from the deluge. But just as the first vegetables are ready for harvest, a strange fungus invades. . . Lonely for home and their parents, the students make a surrogate mother out of a statue, only to find it replaced one day by a new, terrifying idol. . .” Drifting Classroom finally sheds its skin, so to speak, and embraces the horror genre more wholeheartedly while nodding here and there at Lord of the Flies. Seriously, it’s hard to go wrong if your inspiration is Lord of the Flies and you’re not squelching on the violence. As should be expected from Drifting Classroom by now, things continue to go to hell, and quickly. A flood threatens to ruin crops, a strange weed takes root in most of the edible food, and secrets and betrayals among the children run rampant. Students of literature will recognize the symbolism of the kids’ new idol and their growing religious fervor, not to mention the divisions in authority that threaten their already crumbling order. Fans of Junji Ito’s Uzumaki may also want to take note, as the aforementioned weed bares a very similar likeness to one of the themes of his story. In fact, I’d be hard-pressed to believe he didn’t borrow the idea from Umezu, as the similar effects it has on the kids both emotionally and physically is much too coincidental. It’s also just as creepy, especially since the characters of Drifting Classroom are much younger. Although DC still remains in a sci-fi-esque setting with horror overtones, it hasn’t stepped completely over the bounds into the horror genre – until now. That’s not to say it’s abandoned its sci-fi roots, but it’s clearly crossed the line. On one hand, I’m relieved to see the narrative taking the reader definitively into new and eerie territory and not attempting a Shyamalan-style cop-out. On the other hand, the story will have to work harder to maintain its sense of realistic horror in terms of starvation problems, civil unrest and the desperate quest to return home, all the while balancing new elements that don’t necessarily stem from reality. I’m really pleased with how the story’s unfolded. Although the narrative has been rushed in previous volumes, the plot unfolds at a more reasonable pace this time, buffered by a few extended action sequences. The art does a pretty solid job with the action, given that Umezu’s art style better lends itself to characterization and shock moments. What’s best is that there’s no sense that we’re rushing to any conclusion, but there are far more terrible factors for Sho and crew to deal with after the events of this volume. Comment on this review of The Drifting Classroom v7 on the Manga Life Forums. |
6 October 2009
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