Dear readers, what I have for you today is something different from what I normally review. It's neither shoujo nor yaoi, though it does come close to the first in regards to the art. I came across it by accident and, oh boy, am I ever so glad I did: The Monkey's Foot is a real treat for those of you who enjoy both dark humor and horror, but that's not to say others won't like it.
Japanese title: Saru no Ashi
Author: OSAKA Mieko
Genres: comedy, drama, horror, supernatural
Length // Status: oneshot // complete
Warnings: funny corpses
Synopsis
A month after her boyfriend's death, a girl resorts to the infamous Monkey's Foot to bring him back, with unexpected and...hilarious consequences.
Plot and character development
The oneshot starts off with a merchant telling the story of the Monkey's Foot, a powerful amulet that can grant its owner three wishes. We're told what happened when the previous owner wished for money (his son died and he collected the insurance), his son's resurrection (the son came back as a zombie) and, finally, his son's redemption (the son went back to heaven).
Afterwards, we're introduced to the heroine of the story, who is...different from the image you might've created in you head based on the synopsis above. For starters, she's quite sarcastic and doesn't seem as heartbroken as one would think she'd be after losing a loved one. But what made me love her was the way she not only pointed out the logical flaws in the Foot's "way" of granting wishes, but also the solutions she found for the "minor downsides" of her boyfriend coming back as a zombie (true to the merchant's story).
However, as entertaining as the story and characters are, the ending is what makes this oneshot absolutely beautiful (now there's a word you didn't expect to hear in relation to dried-up corpses, eh?). Without giving too much away, it puts the rest of the story in a completely different light and reveals even more about the characters.
For an extra treat, watch out for the expressions of the people in background!
Art style
You won't see any artistically drawn panels here, as everything is in tone with the story. As such, the art is the type that you'd normally find whenever characters do something "silly": a bit into deformed territory but not chibi either. I won't provide any images for now, but the style is consistent and similar to that in the image above; I don't want to spoil the story - which would unfortunately happen, since I'd have to show about half of the oneshot.
Final verdict
Go read it now. It doesn't matter if you're not a fan of horror, the horror aspect of this isn't meant to shock or be taken seriously (and if you really can't stomach it, you can focus on the comedy aspect). Plus, at only 17 pages, this is a story worthy of the attention of any mystery fan with a dark sense of humor.
Originality + creativity: 1 / 1 points - while "raising the dead" stories are common, this one puts a great twist to the genre
Characters: 2 / 2 points - absolutely fabulous, everyone has a distinct personality which shines through
Realism/believability: 0.2 / 1 points - had to subtract points because it's not believable in the least
Art: 1.8 / 2 points - the style is perfect for the tone of the story; however, some of the panels do look lazily drawn
Flow: 1 / 1 points - easy to understand and you're told everything you need to know on the second page
How much I enjoyed it: 3 / 3 points - overall charming, and with a great lesson towards the end
My final rating: 
(8 out of 10)
Where to read it: Mangago
Where to download it: MangaTraders
