Combining futuristic science fiction with ancient religion and tradition, award-winning mangaka Oh!great presents this utterly unique battle for earth through gorgeous, electrifying art unlike anything we’ve seen before.

Once called natural disasters, now they are known as “Nights”

In the face of the onslaught of incomprehensible calamity, all these young people can do is dance—to summon the power of the gods, to quell the wrath of the Nights, to save their very world. Jin, a boy living in the hinterlands of Japan, finds his fate entwined with that of Gao, a British soldier driven from his home by Catherine, Night of Typhoons. Together they must find a way to fight off despair as the dark of night falls across the world…!!

This is a weird and unique manga that appeals to me, but I can see it not being for everyone. The combination of Shinto influences and kagura (sacred Japanese dance affiliated with Shinto and the gods) speaks to me, especially because I lived in Japan for six years and have seen kagura at Takachiho Shrine, and spent much of my time visiting shrines and historic places featuring the kami and their stories. So, I loved this.

What’s so interesting to me about Kaijin Fugeki is the marriage of futuristic tech and alien-looking monsters (the Nights) with these ancient traditions being the only thing that can subdue them.

One of the first things I want to comment on is how beautiful the art is. We get a special opening sequence in full color introducing the characters Jin and Gao.

This clearly marks Jin’s world as the break between before and after. Jin loses his Mom when Gao and his military come from Britain to Japan, and the Nights make their appearance.

It turns out, Nights have always been there, it’s just that they’ve been considered natural disasters all this time–it’s only until the action of the manga that they’re revealed to be mysterious creatures/spirits driving the destruction. The Night that plague Prince Gao is Catherine, The Night of Typhoons, and eventually that monster follows him from the UK to Japan.

But first, we see other Nights in action. Jin is a fighter who controls the Sword of Retribution, and through god-possession and kagura dancing, he wields it as a great weapon against the Night. He and Gao make a great pair and are able to fight against many of these spirits.

Tonally, the manga is a bit all over the place. I love the main action and storyline, but there’s a bit of silliness (The Split-Plit spirit), fanservice (which I’ve never cared for), and what feels like a little bit of randomness (Fuyu and Natsu, whose names mean Winter and Summer, are conjoined twins…they’re called something else in the manga which makes me think there is more to them than two different heads sharing a body). Then you’ve got the heaviness of Gao and Jin’s loss of their mothers, their dependency on each other, and the seriousness of what’s at stake if the Nights are left unchallenged.

Despite this manga having what at times feels like different personalities, I’m drawn in by how unique it is and how gorgeous the artwork is, even of the horrific-looking Nights:

They look exactly like aliens, as I’ve mentioned before, but they have papers on them that look like ancient Japanese and ofuda, and then Catherine, the Night of Typhoons especially, looks like she’s wearing the kagura paper banners they use to decorate the kagura-den. When I went to Amanoiwato Shrine, they had a kagura stage and they sold some of the papers, which I collected and hung in my apartment in Japan. They’re gorgeous, and you can see them all over Catherine in the manga. My brain desperately wants to know what all of this means.

This manga is strange, but it fascinates me and has me drawn into it. I wouldn’t recommend it for everyone, but to my friends who are die-hard into myth and sacred dance and Shinto, I’d say definitely look into this, as well as manga readers who appreciate gorgeous, detailed art. I’m looking forward to Volume 2!

Many thanks to Kodansha and NetGalley for giving me a digital ARC to review.

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Kaijin Fugeki releases TODAY, January 13, 2026. While you can read the manga online at K-Manga, I recommend showing your support to the publisher by purchasing a copy in print or in digital, which you can get here or from major booksellers online.