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ドラゴンヘッド [Dragon Head] #4
Dragon Head, Volume 4
Teru and Ako have survived a grisly train crash, the near-fatal collapse of a crumbling tunnel, and the psychological trauma of walking too close to the shadow of death. But as the struggle to survive this heart of darkness continues, they come upon the ghost town of Sakurayama, mysteriously abandoned by the lost souls who tried to escape the terror that now awaits Teru and Ako...
232 pages, Paperback
First published October 10, 1996
7 people are currently reading
81 people want to read
About the author
Minetarō Mochizuki
70 books66 followersMinetarō Mochizuki (望月峯太郎) is a manga artist. He is best known for his apocalyptic thriller series Dragon Head (ドラゴンヘッド Duragon Heddo), as well as the comedy series Mai Wai. Mochizuki has also written one-shot manga such as Zashiki Onna.
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Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews
March 12, 2023
It deteriorated really soon.
October 30, 2023
This is turning out to be really good. Things go totally apocalyptic here, and the tension is high throughout. On top of everything else, this ends in a cliffhanger. The atmosphere in this series is also. Claustrophobic, horrific, and unrelenting. You can actually feel the pressure as you read. This is intense material.
March 15, 2022
Volume 4: Chapter 37-47
Arc 2: Searching for allies
I kind of like this volume. It shows more destruction of the surrounding. I'm impressed with the detail. In this volume, Ako acts like a burden. The storyline getting interesting as Teru "unlock" darkness in himself same as Nobuo did. He was supposed to die by a stone pillar but darkness save him 🤯 Teru is badass in this volume tbh.
Highlight:
• A squadron of military helicopters passed above them.
• They followed the direction of the helicopters and arrived at the ghost town.
• Aboard the helicopter are Captain Nimura, pilot Iwada and crewman Yamazaki and Oike.
• Teru gets separated with Ako.
• Teru confronts Nimura, Iwada and Oike while Ako confronts Yamazaki.
• Nimura beats Teru half-dead and he presumably dead.
• Teru faces same thing as Nobuo did: "give in to the darkness".
• Oike burned to death cause by Teru's molotov cocktail.
• Fire tornado burn the town.
• Iwada and Ako save Teru and Nimura.
Arc 2: Searching for allies
I kind of like this volume. It shows more destruction of the surrounding. I'm impressed with the detail. In this volume, Ako acts like a burden. The storyline getting interesting as Teru "unlock" darkness in himself same as Nobuo did. He was supposed to die by a stone pillar but darkness save him 🤯 Teru is badass in this volume tbh.
Highlight:
• A squadron of military helicopters passed above them.
• They followed the direction of the helicopters and arrived at the ghost town.
• Aboard the helicopter are Captain Nimura, pilot Iwada and crewman Yamazaki and Oike.
• Teru gets separated with Ako.
• Teru confronts Nimura, Iwada and Oike while Ako confronts Yamazaki.
• Nimura beats Teru half-dead and he presumably dead.
• Teru faces same thing as Nobuo did: "give in to the darkness".
• Oike burned to death cause by Teru's molotov cocktail.
• Fire tornado burn the town.
• Iwada and Ako save Teru and Nimura.
November 4, 2020
Ugh, this one was so bad. Honestly, with how the last volume ended, I thought volume 4 would be exciting and action-packed. However, I was so painfully bored. Bored with the plot, bored with the characters, it was just an overall snooze-fest. This installment was so horrendous, I don't even know if I am going to continue the series. I have lost all interest entirely, and I truly don't know what happened. The characters became unlikable, and the mystery did not pull me in. I think the first couple volumes were unique and had a special appeal to me, but volume 4 is as generic as generic gets. I'm going to have to give this a 1-star. Booooo! 😂
May 15, 2023
It all starts with a class trip on a subway train. All of a sudden the underground railroads collapse beneath the weight of an earthquake and all the students aboard the train are trapped underground where it’s hard to breathe and it’s excruciatingly humid. The few survivors must dig their way out from the labyrinthian tunnels to reach the surface, but the world above might not be as they remember it.
A great concept with a weak execution. The atmosphere is intense and the art is hauntingly bleak. Unfortunately, I found all of the main characters very unlikable. The dialogue is also pretty bad and doesn’t always make sense which could be the fault of a poor translation. The story also drags out way longer than necessary with repetitive drama and the unlikeable cast constantly bickering over dumb issues doesn’t do the plot or the stakes of the narrative any favors.
Not a terrible horror manga, but not nearly as good as it could’ve been. The few solid moments were underwhelming compared to the long periods of monotonous boredom, bland characters and uninteresting villains in between.
My rating: 2.3/5
A great concept with a weak execution. The atmosphere is intense and the art is hauntingly bleak. Unfortunately, I found all of the main characters very unlikable. The dialogue is also pretty bad and doesn’t always make sense which could be the fault of a poor translation. The story also drags out way longer than necessary with repetitive drama and the unlikeable cast constantly bickering over dumb issues doesn’t do the plot or the stakes of the narrative any favors.
Not a terrible horror manga, but not nearly as good as it could’ve been. The few solid moments were underwhelming compared to the long periods of monotonous boredom, bland characters and uninteresting villains in between.
My rating: 2.3/5
January 1, 2019
Trigger Warning: Hole/Circle phobia, attempted rape, fire, lots of fire
***
They find some people and most of the plot in this one is the group of guys trying to get the girl to do only heck knows what with her. One guy attempts to rape her. Not my cup of tea. I hope the rest of the series isn't like this. So the world goes to shit and people's first instinct is to keep girls as slaves and rape them?
Sadly... it isn't unrealistic.
***
They find some people and most of the plot in this one is the group of guys trying to get the girl to do only heck knows what with her. One guy attempts to rape her. Not my cup of tea. I hope the rest of the series isn't like this. So the world goes to shit and people's first instinct is to keep girls as slaves and rape them?
Sadly... it isn't unrealistic.
October 27, 2017
Yet again more attempted rape, Lord of the Flies bullshit. I don't care about that. I want to know the cause, it'd be better if it was just Teru and Ako running around investigating. UGH. But now I need to see how this series ends. But I bet, two volumes later, more attempted rape, more dumbass genre.
February 2, 2025
Some steps forward - more things going on, adding to the mystery, other characters that seem less like throwaway characters.
Some steps back - unintelligible series of panels, continuing with protracted sections of characters just acting strangely (which doesn't heighten the tension)
I think I still enjoyed it a little more than the beginning.
Some steps back - unintelligible series of panels, continuing with protracted sections of characters just acting strangely (which doesn't heighten the tension)
I think I still enjoyed it a little more than the beginning.
February 9, 2020
Pretty awesome Psychological Apocalyptic manga, really awesome artwork and story! 😁😻❤️❤️
October 14, 2020
The story is awesome but the female character is sooo annoying
Read
November 3, 2020You think you're getting rescued when the helicopters fly over...
May 1, 2022
Qué mierda es esta? Nada que ver con los primeros capítulos. Otro manga abandonado.
August 18, 2022
The MC has seen the darkness!
November 4, 2023
se puso re bueno pero no entendí nada
June 27, 2024
I'm glad he burned or I would have rated this lower.
January 3, 2025
Teru aceptando a la oscuridad ha sido uno de los mejores momentos de esta historia
January 4, 2025
It was good at begining, but now it is starting to get a bit too weird. Part of me wants to get to the bottom of it, part if me wonders if i am wasting my time
March 26, 2025
yo me hubiera matado hace ya rato
April 21, 2025
"I WAS THINKING ABOUT WHAT NOBOU SAW IN THE DARKNESS... WAS IT THE SAME 'THING' I FELT? NOBOU... ARE YOU STILL THERE? ARE YOU WAITING FOR US?"
Volume 4 brings some closure to the tunnel, but it didn’t hit quite as hard as I hoped. There’s still that eerie tone, that thick unease, and the presence of Nobuo hangs over everything like a ghost—but the pacing felt a little slower here, almost like it was catching its breath after the intensity of Volume 3.
Teru and Ako finally make it out, but instead of relief, the world outside feels even more alien. It’s quiet, covered in ash, and way too still. There are moments of reflection that work—especially Teru questioning what Nobuo saw, and whether he’s still out there in some form—but overall, the volume plays things a bit safe. Less survival horror, more aftermath and atmosphere.
That said, there are some strong bits. The contrast between the darkness of the tunnel and the pale emptiness of the outside world is striking, and the unease hasn’t gone anywhere. It just feels like this volume was more of a transitional step—important, but not as gripping.
Still decent. Just didn’t leave as much of a mark.
Volume 4 brings some closure to the tunnel, but it didn’t hit quite as hard as I hoped. There’s still that eerie tone, that thick unease, and the presence of Nobuo hangs over everything like a ghost—but the pacing felt a little slower here, almost like it was catching its breath after the intensity of Volume 3.
Teru and Ako finally make it out, but instead of relief, the world outside feels even more alien. It’s quiet, covered in ash, and way too still. There are moments of reflection that work—especially Teru questioning what Nobuo saw, and whether he’s still out there in some form—but overall, the volume plays things a bit safe. Less survival horror, more aftermath and atmosphere.
That said, there are some strong bits. The contrast between the darkness of the tunnel and the pale emptiness of the outside world is striking, and the unease hasn’t gone anywhere. It just feels like this volume was more of a transitional step—important, but not as gripping.
Still decent. Just didn’t leave as much of a mark.
January 29, 2023
🌸4th August 2021🌸
Although still interesting, volume four is by far the weakest volume so far. Teru and Ako just can’t seem to get a break and their pursuit to get to Tokyo is severely interrupted. It feels very much like every natural disaster is going to make an appearance in this series! This story of what seems to be the end of the world is very reminiscent of Lord of the Flies. I do like how the story explores the mental toll that a situation like this would have on a person and how each character has to really battle to keep their sanity. So far every survivor other than Teru has been pretty awful and all seem to no only have complete disregard for other people and their lives, but also target Ako with disgusting intentions. This poor girl is just seems to be getting attacked but everyone! If you are sensitive to topics of SA, probably best not to read this series. I’m still invested in the story and interest to see what happens in volume five.
⭐️⭐️⭐️/5
Although still interesting, volume four is by far the weakest volume so far. Teru and Ako just can’t seem to get a break and their pursuit to get to Tokyo is severely interrupted. It feels very much like every natural disaster is going to make an appearance in this series! This story of what seems to be the end of the world is very reminiscent of Lord of the Flies. I do like how the story explores the mental toll that a situation like this would have on a person and how each character has to really battle to keep their sanity. So far every survivor other than Teru has been pretty awful and all seem to no only have complete disregard for other people and their lives, but also target Ako with disgusting intentions. This poor girl is just seems to be getting attacked but everyone! If you are sensitive to topics of SA, probably best not to read this series. I’m still invested in the story and interest to see what happens in volume five.
⭐️⭐️⭐️/5
December 1, 2009
Minetaro Mochizuki, Dragon Head vol. 4 (Tokyopop, 1996)
Teru and Sato find out they're not the only ones left on the planet, but that may not necessarily be a good thing. A group of young Defense Force recruits have split their helicopter off from the rest of the pack and decided to go scouting for contraband and women. Needless to say, Sato looks a lot like both to them. Not sure the series is going to stay at the quality level it was for the first three volumes now that Mochizuki is bringing in the wider world (and more characters), but it's still good stuff.
Teru and Sato find out they're not the only ones left on the planet, but that may not necessarily be a good thing. A group of young Defense Force recruits have split their helicopter off from the rest of the pack and decided to go scouting for contraband and women. Needless to say, Sato looks a lot like both to them. Not sure the series is going to stay at the quality level it was for the first three volumes now that Mochizuki is bringing in the wider world (and more characters), but it's still good stuff.
November 9, 2016
Ugh this volume was a little rapey. So in this volume (no spoilers) they meet some not so nice people who are in desperate need of some "puntang", their words not mine.
Anyways, I don't want to talk about where they are cause it's fun to find out yourself. Just know that the kids are lost and in need of some help. What they find is not very helpful.
One of the guys says "You know what happens during war? People start doing crazy shit."
That's basically the series so far.
Anyways, I don't want to talk about where they are cause it's fun to find out yourself. Just know that the kids are lost and in need of some help. What they find is not very helpful.
One of the guys says "You know what happens during war? People start doing crazy shit."
That's basically the series so far.
September 9, 2010
Um manga fantástico, do princípio ao fim, num cenário apocalíptico, mas centrado nas suas ricas personagens.
January 31, 2015
I dug the early volumes of this series, but the second the kids got out of the subway it just got a little too typical for me. I couldn't finish this volume because I just didn't care anymore.
April 14, 2019
(The first two volumes were included in the 2018 Halloween Terrors Humble Bundle)
Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews