With newer and newer manga plants vying for fans’ attention every waking second, sifting through the noise to find something with the staying power of a hidden gem is the constant effort of fans. A gem that I just put my peepers on and can’t get enough of After Goda manga that quietly builds to one of the most interesting fantasy areas I’ve seen in a long time.

After Godmade by Suspect Oneis a dark fantasy manga that takes a dystopian spin on modern-day polytheism. In it, the world is suddenly invaded by beings known as gods because there really isn’t a better description for them than how powerful they are. Their rules, as far as people’s trial and error of thinking, are this: they can’t be caught on camera because then their image is that of a false idol. So, the only way to see them is to, well, see them.

But once you do, it’s too late. Rumors say that when you look into the eyes of a god, what you see is the most beautiful creature you have ever seen in your entire life, which brings a sense of happiness. But what actually happened was more like an anglerfish attracting its prey. Once you get caught, they basically kiss you, and you turn into water. That’s it. It’s over.

In their wake, these gods developed a small divisive following. On the one hand, there are anti-god researchers dedicated to finding a way to kill these gods, which they call Idolatry Prohibited Organisms (IPOs). On the other hand, these so-called gods are at the center of social unrest because they are treated like gods by people who practice religion, are agnostic, or pledge their lives to science, but have no choice but to bow the knee to the terrible power and influence of the IPO. They have acolytes and all kinds of fanatics who follow their mystical desires. Those who refuse to drink the Kool-Aid wear clothes and masks to cover their faces to protect themselves in case they encounter a god in the forest.

In the same vein, they’re great for the worst content creators you know who venture into the uninhabitable danger zone—locations where the gods are separated from Japan, leaving ecological disasters in their territory—in shot Logan Paul-esque suicide forest videos for viewing. In general, society is broken.

Everything is the same basis for the premise of the series from chapter one. The story proper follows Waka Kamikura, a high schooler who travels across town to find answers about the disappearance of his best friend (she’s the girl in the image above). To do this, he is about to wander into one of the aforementioned dangerous places before he is stopped by a researcher named Tokigawa Sachiyuki. Their chance encounter leads to the two running into an acolyte who appears to have killed Waka by impaling his skull on a support beam of a playground swing.

But since all this is still a chapter, the other shoe has yet to drop. What we discover, as the Viz Media trailer scoops, is that Waka has the eyes of a god. In addition, he also seems to hide a more bloodthirsty nature beneath his irreverent disposition. Fortunately, Waka appears to be fighting on the side of humanity and swears, in no uncertain terms, that he wants to kill every god for their involvement in his best friend’s disappearance.

True, most of the After GodThe plot development is one that fans, including the current company, have vowed to keep under wraps. unspoken bond of spoiler secrecy. And for good reason; the series is one that is best explored without having the slightest idea where it’s going. Not since the takeover This is Kasumi Yasuda Crazy Night (Another dystopian manga folks should absolutely read, about people who volunteer to change into plants to save a world engulfed in eternal darkness) have I encountered a series whose story is so captivating. The huge double-page spread of the gods is equal parts weird and awe-inspiring.

Eno’s artwork is as close to what it is biblically accurate angel meme Fashions will look like if they are inside a beautiful manga. And that feels a lot by design, how entrenched the manga is in the hyperspeed discourse of a media cycle trying to make sense of IPOs and how social media flattens it into an amorphous meme that doesn’t matter much. That sinking feeling of mistrust comes from almost every chapter because everyone—gods, acolytes, Waka, Tokigawa, and the anti-God researchers—all have ulterior motives at play and use each other for their own purposes in pursuing them.

But the series also balances its heavy, heavy plot and body horror with a fair share of humor that is definitely there. These elements (like the herd of cats seen below) somehow don’t detract from the overall weight of the story but add a wrinkle to how frivolous and chaotic the whole thing is. They have a Remove from confused quality to make reading less stressfuland they are highly valued.

So if you want to watch a manga series with a mature cast that’s equal parts adorable and disgusting, world-building that doesn’t seem like its wheels are spinning, and drop-dead gorgeous art, you should definitely add it. After God on your shelf.

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