Fool Night

    Imagine a world engulfed in smog, smog so thick that it blocks out the sun. Temperatures drop globally. Plants that rely on photosynthesis start to die off. Mass extinction draws near, but life will find a way.

     This is the world of Fool Night, and the world Toshiro Kamiya lives in. Despite the sword hanging over his head, Toshiro works himself to his limits day in and day out at a factory to support himself and his mother, earning a wage that leaves him with not even 2,000 yen after expenses. And with the cost of his mother's schizophrenia medication on the rise, it's looking like any savings Toshiro may have for the future are about to evaporate. 

   All hope is not lost, though, for Toshiro and the rest of humanity. A procedure known as transfloration can plant seeds into humans, which then grow & sustain themselves using their host's flesh, allowing them live in constant darkness. The downside is that once they plant the seed, you've only got 2 years left to live. The upside is a 2 million yen subsidy from the government.

    After a near-death experience, Toshiro decides that life's too short to be living like he does & opts for transfloration. The procedure goes off without issue, but unfortunately that doesn't mean everything's smooth sailing. Shortly after being discharged, Toshiro is mugged, losing all 2 million of the subsidy yen, and left in the gutter. And here, at his lowest point, does a strange change start to occur inside of him. Toshiro starts to hear the voices of the plants around him, voices that open a new world of possibility for him.

     It is at this point in the story that Fool Night emerges from its cocoon. Toshiro joins up with Transflora Medical, the organization responsible for transfloration and all of the red tape that comes with it, to work as an investigator. From here, we're introduced to a flurry of new characters, concepts, institutions, counter-institutions and more. And just when you think you've something's been taken as far as it can go, a wall gives out and shows you just how much further there is to go.

    To me, Fool Night is the perfect metamorphic manga. Not only does its central plot device involve people undergoing an irreversible transformation, but the story itself is constantly in flux. One second its a family drama, the next a detective procedural, and then you turn the page and you're in the middle of an all out raid. And with the world in flux, its the perfect time to jump into a story that'll keep you constantly engaged like this one.