I will initially say that I found this author by accident and I did not expect him to make such an impression on me. In this post I want to present his works and encourage you to give him a try. I will present it in the form of the manga that I liked the most to the one that is the least.

Ultra Heaven

A manga that hardly anyone knows and hardly anyone talks about. Honestly speaking, my heart hurts a lot because of it. In this particular manga we can clearly see the masterpiece of Keiichi Koike’s work. The graphics are amazing. Creative paneling tactics as well as beautiful drawings of characters, facial expressions and very precisely shown effects of drugs. I don’t think any other author in the world could have drawn such a rich and detailed manga about drug trips. The plot of the manga itself is also good and innovative. In general, Keiichi touches on all the topics that interest me at the moment. The effects of drugs (I’m not gonna take any it’s just interesting), beliefs of other nationalities, different dimensions IT HAS EVERYTHING. A brilliant work that can be interpreted in many different ways. Although the manga has not officially ended, it is, in my opinion, already over. There are many theories on the internet that say the same. All in all, if you want something that you haven’t seen in the manga yet, something innovative, something fresh, and you don’t mind that there is a possibility that for the most of this manga you won’t even know what’s going on (probably everyone should find their own interpretation and the one correct one probably doesn’t exist). Then quit everything you’re doing right now and go read Ultra Heaven. One of my favorite mangas of all time 10/10

Examples of Ultra Heaven’s art: pay attention to the fantastic panneling

Astroid

Astroid is another great production from this author. The art contained in it is at a very high, even delightful level. Once again we are moving into the world of drugs and some kind of very abstract creation of a god. At least that’s how I understand it from the chapters available on the internet, unfortunately, according to my research, you can’t find the last few chapters of this manga anywhere. Still, I definitely recommend it. 9/10

Examples of Astroid’s art:

Katajikenai

Great shown story with a historical meaning with a big dose of drugs to make it better ;). A concept in which Japan opens up to the world. Of course with a lot of fantastic elements added by Keiichi Koike. The manga has good art, panelling as well as creativity 8/10

Heaven’s door

Collection of works by keiichi koike included in one volume. After ultra heaven, it is probably the most recognizable manga of this author. Interesting short stories that are sometimes hard to understand since most of them are really deep.Art style at heaven’s door is good, but not as delicious as in astroid or ultra heaven. 8/10

G

Jumping between dimensions and time. An interesting and complex plot in just one volume. As always in the keiichi koike mangas presentation of drugs in this case we are probably dealing with something similar to ayahuasca and many others. Also interesting showcase of African tribes. Historical connections such as the discovery of America are also on the menu. It is definitely worth recommending and even reading it several times to understand this intricate plot 7.5/10

SPINOZA

Really creative manga done in a very interesting style. As always, the theme is drugs and reincarnation. Spinoza art is nice. A big plus is definitely how fast it is read. In fact, it has almost no text to read. It is also colored which makes things better One of the earlier Keiichi’s works. It also has some connections with Ultra Heaven, if you analyze it more closely. 7/10

FISH

Nothing to really say about this one. It’s really short and it doesn’t make much sense in my opinion. I’ve read it like 20 times and still I don’t understand a shit. It has a fantastic art tho, so u might just give it a try :)) (pssst u can tell me what’s the meaning of it if u understand it haha). I won’t post any pictures of it since it’s so short. 7/10

Shadow Man

One of the first works by Keiichi Koike. It is one of those productions that impose one point of view on us from the very beginning, and change it by 180 ° at the end. As for the art, it’s not amazing, but for one of the first works by this author, it’s still good. This manga shows us how much keiichi koike has improved his drawing skills. Comparing, for example, the design of the characters to those from ultra heaven, we can see diametrical differences in the quality.If you want something to read at once with a quick twist and accessible graphics, you can easily get down to the Shadow Man 6.8/10

Taiyou no Otoko to Daichi no Onna Navajo Sousei Shinwa

It was established in cooperation with a poet Keijirou Suga. Manga based on the beliefs of ancient Indians. The manga itself is ok but there is little originality and genuity in it. Apart from the last page of the manga, it is just an Indian legend and not the author’s work of Keiichi Koike. Nevertheless, if you are interested in the subject of beliefs of other nationalities, it is possible that this manga will interest you. Is it worth it? Hard to say. It was quite hard to find it on the Internet and when I finally did it, I was left a slight dissapoitnemt. 5.6/10

Conclusion

As I said I absolutely adore this particular manga author and I recommend his works to everyone. He’s really a talented person and I wish we could get more works from him. As for now, thanks for reading my Keiichi Koike’s review I hope I convinced you to read some of his works in the future. 🙂