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Doubt (manga)
Encyclopedia
, also known as , is a shōnen
horror manga
written and illustrated by Yoshiki Tonogai
. The series focuses on the "Rabbit Doubt" cell phone game, with rules similar to Mafia. The players must find the wolf, or killer, amongst their group of rabbits as they are picked off one-by-one. Six players of this game find themselves trapped in a building with one of the group already dead; to avoid the same fate, the remaining five must play a real-life game of "Rabbit Doubt" and find the wolf hiding among them.
The manga was first serialized in Square Enix
's Monthly Shōnen Gangan
on July 12, 2007 and ended its run on February 12, 2009. Square Enix also released the first volume on December 22, 2007 and released the fourth and final volume on February 12, 2009. The series has continued with a sequel, titled .
In the story, four players of the "Rabbit Doubt" game Yū Aikawa, Eiji Hoshi, Haruka Akechi, Rei Hazama and a non-player Mitsuki Hōyama meet to relax together. They are knocked unconscious and awaken in an abandoned psychiatric hospital
to meet Hajime Komaba and discover Rei hanged. The group find Rei's cell phone and realize that they're playing a real-life game of "Rabbit Doubt". To survive, the wolf, described as the liar, must die.
Further into the story, the groups tries to find an exit and the wolf using bar codes found imprinted on their bodies. However, their chances are limited as each bar code will open only one door. As the story progresses, the "rabbits" are killed off one-by-one, until Yū discovers that it is Mitsuki who has been killing everyone. Mitsuki explains that she wants to punish all liars to achieve her coma
tose father's revenge. When Mitsuki leaves, Hajime reveals his real identity as a detective investigating teenage disappearances and hands him a scalpel
to use as a weapon. Yū and Hajime successfully knock her out.
When Yū tries to open the exit with Mitsuki's bar code, Rei is revealed to be alive and she identifies herself as the actual wolf. Rei is seeking revenge because the media believed her hypnosis
was a sham, causing her parents who supported her to commit suicide. In order to achieve revenge, she manipulates Mitsuki. However, the love Mitsuki has for Yū occasionally overpowers the hypnosis. Rei releases the surviving players and calls the police. Mitsuki, who has fallen into a coma, is accused of the murders as there is no evidence of Rei being there. At the hospital, Yū receives a call from Rei, who tricks him into saying a phrase that causes Mitsuki to awaken in her "wolf mode". In the last scene, she approaches Yū with a knife.
, the chapters of Doubt have been published in Square Enix
's Monthly Shōnen Gangan
since its premiere on July 12, 2007. The series ended its run on February 12, 2009 with a total of twenty chapters. One chapter was also serialized in the magazine in May 2009 to commemorate the release of a drama CD
adaptation, which was released May 27, 2009. A sequel titled Judge began serialization in Monthly Shōnen Gangan January 2010.
The individual chapters were published in tankōbon
by Square Enix. The first volume was released on December 22, 2007. The second volume was released on May 22, 2008 and the third was published on October 22, 2008. The fourth and final volume was released on May 22, 2009. The French language release is licensed by Ki-oon.
Shonen
The term refers to manga marketed to a male audience aged roughly 10 and up. The Kanji characters literally mean "few" and "year", respectively, where the characters generally mean "comic"...
horror manga
Manga
Manga is the Japanese word for "comics" and consists of comics and print cartoons . In the West, the term "manga" has been appropriated to refer specifically to comics created in Japan, or by Japanese authors, in the Japanese language and conforming to the style developed in Japan in the late 19th...
written and illustrated by Yoshiki Tonogai
Yoshiki Tonogai
is a Japanese manga artist from Shiga, Japan. He is notable as the illustrator of one of the Higurashi no Naku Koro ni manga adaptations: Himatsubushi-hen. He is also the artist and writer of Doubt,which was completed in February, 2009.He is also the artist and writer of Judge, the sequel to Doubt,...
. The series focuses on the "Rabbit Doubt" cell phone game, with rules similar to Mafia. The players must find the wolf, or killer, amongst their group of rabbits as they are picked off one-by-one. Six players of this game find themselves trapped in a building with one of the group already dead; to avoid the same fate, the remaining five must play a real-life game of "Rabbit Doubt" and find the wolf hiding among them.
The manga was first serialized in Square Enix
Square Enix
is a Japanese video game and publishing company best known for its console role-playing game franchises, which include the Final Fantasy series, the Dragon Quest series, and the action-RPG Kingdom Hearts series...
's Monthly Shōnen Gangan
Monthly Shonen Gangan
is a manga imprint of Square Enix . It publishes manga in several magazines aimed at different reader demographic groups in the Japanese market. Its magazines are home to some popular manga series which were adapted into anime series, like Fullmetal Alchemist, Moribito: Guardian of the Spirit,...
on July 12, 2007 and ended its run on February 12, 2009. Square Enix also released the first volume on December 22, 2007 and released the fourth and final volume on February 12, 2009. The series has continued with a sequel, titled .
Plot
Doubt revolves around a fictional cell phone game called "Rabbit Doubt", in which the players are rabbits in a colony; one of these players is randomly chosen to act as a wolf infiltrating the group. Each round, the rabbits guess which is the wolf as the rabbits are eaten one-by-one until only the wolf is left.In the story, four players of the "Rabbit Doubt" game Yū Aikawa, Eiji Hoshi, Haruka Akechi, Rei Hazama and a non-player Mitsuki Hōyama meet to relax together. They are knocked unconscious and awaken in an abandoned psychiatric hospital
Psychiatric hospital
Psychiatric hospitals, also known as mental hospitals, are hospitals specializing in the treatment of serious mental disorders. Psychiatric hospitals vary widely in their size and grading. Some hospitals may specialise only in short-term or outpatient therapy for low-risk patients...
to meet Hajime Komaba and discover Rei hanged. The group find Rei's cell phone and realize that they're playing a real-life game of "Rabbit Doubt". To survive, the wolf, described as the liar, must die.
Further into the story, the groups tries to find an exit and the wolf using bar codes found imprinted on their bodies. However, their chances are limited as each bar code will open only one door. As the story progresses, the "rabbits" are killed off one-by-one, until Yū discovers that it is Mitsuki who has been killing everyone. Mitsuki explains that she wants to punish all liars to achieve her coma
Coma
In medicine, a coma is a state of unconsciousness, lasting more than 6 hours in which a person cannot be awakened, fails to respond normally to painful stimuli, light or sound, lacks a normal sleep-wake cycle and does not initiate voluntary actions. A person in a state of coma is described as...
tose father's revenge. When Mitsuki leaves, Hajime reveals his real identity as a detective investigating teenage disappearances and hands him a scalpel
Scalpel
A scalpel, or lancet, is a small and extremely sharp bladed instrument used for surgery, anatomical dissection, and various arts and crafts . Scalpels may be single-use disposable or re-usable. Re-usable scalpels can have attached, resharpenable blades or, more commonly, non-attached, replaceable...
to use as a weapon. Yū and Hajime successfully knock her out.
When Yū tries to open the exit with Mitsuki's bar code, Rei is revealed to be alive and she identifies herself as the actual wolf. Rei is seeking revenge because the media believed her hypnosis
Hypnosis
Hypnosis is "a trance state characterized by extreme suggestibility, relaxation and heightened imagination."It is a mental state or imaginative role-enactment . It is usually induced by a procedure known as a hypnotic induction, which is commonly composed of a long series of preliminary...
was a sham, causing her parents who supported her to commit suicide. In order to achieve revenge, she manipulates Mitsuki. However, the love Mitsuki has for Yū occasionally overpowers the hypnosis. Rei releases the surviving players and calls the police. Mitsuki, who has fallen into a coma, is accused of the murders as there is no evidence of Rei being there. At the hospital, Yū receives a call from Rei, who tricks him into saying a phrase that causes Mitsuki to awaken in her "wolf mode". In the last scene, she approaches Yū with a knife.
Media
Written and drawn by Yoshiki TonogaiYoshiki Tonogai
is a Japanese manga artist from Shiga, Japan. He is notable as the illustrator of one of the Higurashi no Naku Koro ni manga adaptations: Himatsubushi-hen. He is also the artist and writer of Doubt,which was completed in February, 2009.He is also the artist and writer of Judge, the sequel to Doubt,...
, the chapters of Doubt have been published in Square Enix
Square Enix
is a Japanese video game and publishing company best known for its console role-playing game franchises, which include the Final Fantasy series, the Dragon Quest series, and the action-RPG Kingdom Hearts series...
's Monthly Shōnen Gangan
Monthly Shonen Gangan
is a manga imprint of Square Enix . It publishes manga in several magazines aimed at different reader demographic groups in the Japanese market. Its magazines are home to some popular manga series which were adapted into anime series, like Fullmetal Alchemist, Moribito: Guardian of the Spirit,...
since its premiere on July 12, 2007. The series ended its run on February 12, 2009 with a total of twenty chapters. One chapter was also serialized in the magazine in May 2009 to commemorate the release of a drama CD
Radio drama in Japan
Radio drama in Japan has a history as long as that of radio broadcasting in that country, which began in 1925. Some consider the first Japanese radio drama to have been "" which was a radio broadcast of a stage play. Others consider the Japanese translation of Richard Hughes's "Danger" or to be...
adaptation, which was released May 27, 2009. A sequel titled Judge began serialization in Monthly Shōnen Gangan January 2010.
The individual chapters were published in tankōbon
Tankobon
, with a literal meaning close to "independently appearing book", is the Japanese term for a book that is complete in itself and is not part of a series , though the manga industry uses it for volumes which may be in a series...
by Square Enix. The first volume was released on December 22, 2007. The second volume was released on May 22, 2008 and the third was published on October 22, 2008. The fourth and final volume was released on May 22, 2009. The French language release is licensed by Ki-oon.