Choujin X is a supernatural comedy manga with horror elements, written by Ishida Sui, the author of Tokyo Ghoul and its sequel, Tokyo Ghoul Re. The story revolves around Tokio Kurohara, an insecure high school student living in the shadow of his talented friend, Azuma Higashi. Ely Otta, a girl from the countryside, flies to Tokyo to submit her grandfather’s tomatoes for a competition. In their world, people can randomly transform into creatures known as Choujin, essentially individuals with various powers. In this volume, we witness how their paths cross as both awaken as Choujin and face dangerous enemies.

Ishida’s art style has always been appealing to me, featuring thick lines and a skillful use of the color black in some panels. The darker tone of certain panels, which contrasts with the lighter backgrounds commonly found in manga, is particularly well-suited for horror, as demonstrated in Tokyo Ghoul. Although Choujin X is not a horror story, some images tread the line masterfully, allowing for natural tone shifts between horror and comedy. Movement is effectively portrayed, with some panels showing unique angles of the character. This is especially evident in the double-panel images, such as the first instance of Tokio becoming a Choujin. These panels deliver a powerful impact and are used impeccably.

The pacing of this manga is excellent. Action sequences are well-executed, and the comedy is well-established from the start and skillfully dispersed throughout the story. Both protagonists are intriguing, with Tokio being more developed at this stage; however, since this is a longer manga, I expect Ely to receive further development as well. Their meeting at the end of the volume is decent, albeit somewhat lacking. The villains exhibit unique designs and personalities, and while they are predominantly comedy-focused, the manga successfully avoids overdoing this aspect. The theme of overcoming insecurity is well-executed in Tokio’s story, and I anticipate it to be a central theme for his character throughout the series.

The main strengths of this manga include its distinct and interesting characters, captivating art style, and well-balanced comedy. The only weaknesses I noticed were the potential for comedy to be overdone and the somewhat abrupt introduction of Ely to Tokio at the end of the volume, although this did not bother me much.

Fans of Tokyo Ghoul will likely enjoy Choujin X, though it is more light-hearted. Horror manga enthusiasts will appreciate the tone, while comedy manga fans will enjoy the humor.

In summary, Choujin X is an outstanding manga, one of my favorites in recent years. I believe the story will ultimately lead to an exceptional conclusion.

I would give it a 4.8 out of 5 — one of the strongest starts to a manga I’ve seen.

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