Is ‘Bibliomania’ The Next ‘Berserk’?
by Tito W. James
In Bibliomania a young girl named Alice wakes up in room 431 of a mysterious manor. She is greeted by a talking serpent who warns her not to leave the room. The game is simple: Alice must escape the manor before all the guests fill up the 666 rooms of the Manor. The only way out is room 000, and to get there Alice must traverse the surreal dream-rooms of the other guests. However, the closer Alice gets to freedom the more her body is cursed to rot away.
Bibliomania is a stand-alone manga by Oobaru and Macchiro that blends horror, surrealism, and dark comedy. The premise allows the creators to explore the bizarre occupants of the other rooms and their mysterious origins through Alice’s eyes. In addition to the escape plot there’s an underlying mystery as to how Alice got in the Manor in the first place and what terrible event happened to the outside world.
Macchiro’s artwork is breathtaking original. Their painterly brushstrokes add ornamentation to dilapidated tanks and sharp-toothed aircrafts. These are moments in Bibliomania that are worthy of the dark fantasy world of Berserk. The story keeps the reader guessing to the very end and it works perfectly as a single volume.
Bibliomania has yet to be officially released in America but has already garnered a cult following on the internet. I hope that Yen Press, Seven Seas, Viz Media, Kodansha, or another manga publisher will acquire Bibliomania and introduce new readers to this unique story.
