My Experience With The Bat

I just wanted to share my wild rollercoaster ride of a journey with this series.

I always saw Billy Bat popping up on my manga website's main page. I never really gave it much thought until one day I just decided to see what this story was about. I didn't expect much out of it, just to quench my curiosity and toss it to the side. The sheer idea of the plot weirded me out in a good way. What was I reading? Some Micky Mouse-esque character was being worshipped and his supposed artists had the "Will of Billy"? People could somehow tell an artist was a fake or didn't have the Will of Billy if they didn't draw him perfectly?

I kind of enjoyed only scratching the surface of the series and reading it weekly rather than starting from the beginning. It added to the eeriness of the series. It kept the sense of mystery alive. Before I knew it, so much time had gone by that the series was wrapping up within a few chapters so I knew I HAD to binge read the first 100+ chapters and save the final chapters for later.

I was blown away with everything. I LOVED connecting the dots of important events early on and seeing how characters came into the story that I barely understood weeks prior. Seeing the symbolism first hand how Kevin Yamagata will eventually look like his master Zofu in old age. The reveal that Jackie, Maggie, and the taxi driver are part of the Momochi family. That same taxi driver helping reunite Tony and Diane after their wedding, only to realize that they will become the Goodman family! Seeing how Devivie and Smith eventually help the artists in their endeavors. Realizing the significance of Timmy beating the Hollywood sign near the end of the series. UGH, I could keep going on!

I know I've rambled long enough, but I needed to share just how amazed I am with how inter-connected this series is. I could honestly tell how the authors, Urasawa and Nagasaki, put a lot of effort to backtrack important events throughout the series to properly wrap up the ending. I usually don't go into series like this at all, but I feel like this somehow enhanced my experience more so than if I were discover it on my own from the very beginning and continued from there.

Billy Bat, Billy Bat, Billy, Billy Bat Grant My Wish, Billy Bat