Thank you to Kodansha Comics for the copy of this Manga in return for an honest review

There is an entire sub-genre of manga and anime where a character finds themselves inside a world that is very much like a video game. The Girl, the Shovel and the Evil Eye is a new addition to that genre. The characters have tags that let them see their own stats, an adventurer’s guild that gives them quests and can buy potions.

Tsuguto Sumihara has become nicer since becoming an adult. He’s on his way home on the bus, when a teenager demands his seat. Fearing being beaten up or prison if he wins the fight, Tsuguto gives up his seat and stands for the rest of the journey, The bus has an accident and Tsuguto ends up dying on the bus, with the teenager recording him and mocking him. He then wakes up in a world he doesn’t recognise and has to adapt to survive.

I really enjoyed this manga. It’s not the most original or ground-breaking, but it’s a good time. The artwork is clean so it’s always clear what is going on, the characters are interesting and the opening scene on the bus is great. I didn’t expect it when I was reading it.

This one is quite a quick read as well, with minimal dialogue for a lot of it, so the pages flew by. I like the fantasy/rpg world the manga is set in and it reminds me of the Final Fantasy games that I played when growing up.

There is a mystery at the centre of what is actually happening, and the Evil Eye that Tsuguto seems to have. I feel like this is going to be further explored in further volumes and I’m definitely going to be reading them when they come out. The Girl, the Shovel and the Evil Eye is a really decent, if very familiar, manga series.