I don't ever write reviews, but I feel like this title deserves it since it's so underrated. Starving Anonymous is one of the most underrated manga I've ever come across. It's not quite a masterpiece, but it's worth the read.

(spoiler-free review)

story: 8/10

If you're a big fan of cosmic horror, then you should definitely check this out ASAP. On the other hand, if you don't like graphic gore and sex stuff then you might want to reconsider. I personally didn't have a problem with it after the first chapter or so.

The story really gets you hooked from the start. Some foreshadowing is done in the very beginning, but the situation turns out to be a lot more complicated than we assumed. One thing I found clever was establishing that Ie was a painter and then having him use that skill to show Yamabiki and Natsune the layout of the room that he saw. There are a few clever moments like that in here, and they're sprinkled through the story.

Later on the characters ask questions about the building they're trapped in and don't get the answers right away. And if they do, they're vague and hard to understand. That kind of suspense is what kept me turning the pages. There's frequent twists, too, and the stakes constantly rise throughout the story.

As for the horror, this manga is full of it. I haven't been this scared by a horror manga in a long while. In the beginning it's mostly the fear of the unknown, but even after that's subsided and you think you know what's going on, the creep factor is still prevalent.

characters: 7/10

The characters aren't very unique or anything, but their backstories are above average. After reading one of the supporting characters' backstories, I liked them so much I thought they would have been a better choice as a main character. After reading for a few more chapters, though, I was deeply disappointed that a character with so much potential was just wiped out so quickly. Not long after, something terrible happens to another character, but we don't get to see a whole lot. What I mean here, is, toward the end this story gets intensely frustrating. Some of the character deaths and plot twists leave a lot to be desired.

(Volume 6 isn't available in english as of me writing this review, so things could turn around for all I know. But volume 5 was by far the weakest, even with the decent flashbacks it includes.)

Ultimately, I noticed that all the characters besides Ie and Kazu were infinitely more interesting than them. I would have liked to learn even more about them.

art: 10/10

This manga' art is grotesque and detailed, and it suits this story perfectly. Some characters look more realistic while others look like normal manga characters, and that makes for some good contrast.

The body horror in this manga is drawn really well, and all of the creatures' designs are creative. The Masters do look kind of funny, but they're still terrifying. And character's facial expressions range from normal to downright uncanny.

overall rating: 7/10

Starvation Anonymous is definitely a must-read for fans of cosmic horror, grotesque sci-fi, and body horror. It's not something that can be read in one sitting, though. I had to take a few breaks from reading it so I could process what in the world I just witnessed. Anyway, the beginning and middle of this manga had the potential to be a masterpiece, but there were a couple of bad twists that kinda killed it for me.