Every forty years, children from across the world are gathered together for the mysterious game Bakegyamon ("Backwards Game"), which was created by the Hell Master and held by monsters. It is said that whomever wins will be granted a wish, any wish they can think of. Eleven-year-old Sanshiro, eager to join an adventure, gets caught up in the world of Bakegyamon, where he finds out the hard way that the games aren't all they appear to be!

Highlights:

In the final volume of Bakegyamon, Neid the guide appears at Monster Castle and a battle erupts between him and the kappa. Sanshiro tries to save his friends, but they are turned into cards. London and Sayaka meet up with Sanshiro in town, just in time for the next game — escaping from a giant plate of noodles, while a hungry monster tries to eat them! Sanshiro and even London end up helping Sayaka win, as one of the cards is a friend of hers, but it is certainly not an easy victory. Sayaka has finished nine games, so she gets to pass to the final game — and Sanshiro and London end up going with her, which ends up with the three in another world confronting Demon Mask. His goal is to kill anyone who gets close to winning the Backwards Game so that it goes on forever!

A battle between Sanshiro and friends versus Demon Mask begins, one in which sacrifices are made, monsters are born and truths are revealed about the true nature of the game. In the final battle that may very well determine the future of Bakegyamon, who will win — the players or the grand master monster himself?

Overview:

Bakegyamon will not be everyone's cup of tea. I wasn't even sure that I was even going to like it, seeing as it's being released in the Viz Kids line and that usually says something about a series right there. But gosh darn it, I really enjoyed this book. The noodle game was fun and exciting, the battles interesting, and I looked forward to every chapter and was slightly disappointed when it came to an end. There's a great mix of humor and seriousness that both its target audience and the older demographic will appreciate, if they are willing to look past its kiddy shonen-flavored cover. Without spoiling anything, how many children's shonen series do you know that will willingly either almost kill off a main character or turn them into something so horrendous, their normal lives would cease to exist? Yes, there's Dragon Ball, another license by Viz, but even for Son Goku, even the full moon wanes after a while. Once you "turn" in the Backwards Games, there is usually no turning back.

But don't expect a Serious Business Shonen Series either. This series has fun with the tropes commonly found in Shonen Sunday serializations, and invites the reader to have fun with them. Some of the plot twists may be rather predictable, and the ending may make some wonder what all the fuss was about, but if you are willing to just let go and take a ride with Sanshiro and friends, you will find your time has not been wasted.

ComicsOnline gives Bakegyamon volume five 3.5 out of 5 fantastic adventures.