Healers (Adult Content)

I recently got contacted to review some titles from J18 Publishing and I perused my options. "Hmm, what should I review first?" I wondered and then I saw it. "Noooo!" I cried as I recognised the characters on the cover. For those who may not be aware, doujinshi, besides original titles, can also be derivative works based on other intellectual properties, often without the express permission of the copyright holder. However, they are often viewed as non-competitive with the original titles so they tend to be overlooked, resulting in a vast, thriving doujinshi industry that also serves as a starting point for many aspiring mangaka. Now, returning to the series in question, longtime readers may remember my admiration for the FromSoftware games and I've reviewed plenty of them for this website. That was why I was immediately curious about this series called Healers which depicts some NSFW content in Dark Souls III, Sekiro and Bloodborne. I have played and reviewed Dark Souls III and Sekiro although I have yet to play Bloodborne due to it not being available on PC (which is mind boggling since Sony would print money from a port) but I have seen some let's plays of it, giving me some familiarity with the settings and characters. Considering these are some of my favourite games of all time, let's take a look at what these interpretations have to offer.

The series consists of three chapters, each covering a game with the order being Dark Souls III, Sekiro and Bloodborne. With regards to their plotlines, it's important to note that each is set during events in the games and contains spoilers for those who've yet to experience them. While this may limit their appeal, I actually think this was a brilliant choice on the part of Aoin as it makes the stories feel more integrated in their worlds and, a couple of times, actually provoked an emotional response from me. My personal favourite of the three chapters is its first entry, Dark Souls III which is set during the questline for The End of Fire and concerns a choice whether to pursue that ending or not. The chapter uses some direct quotes from the Firekeeper as part of that questline but continues to use the same archaic manner of speech once it moves into original territory, a detail that I greatly appreciated. However, this did leave the one-time use of the term "flesh rod" as crude and immersion breaking and I think there must've been a better choice for that but the rest of the dialogue works very well. Aoin also made the bold decision of having the Ashen One be hollowed, something that is actually optional in Dark Souls III, which results in their body looking grey, dried and wrinkled. As a fan of the game, I was relatively ok with this choice but I can imagine it being off-putting for some people. By the time I'd finished the chapter, I was surprised how much I'd felt. True, a lot of the emotions came from my familiarity with the source material, but, for a sexual depiction of the Dark Souls series, I ended up being very impressed by the end.

The Sekiro chapter follows on from that and takes place just before the Dragon's Homecoming ending with Wolf stopping by the temple for one last conversation with Emma. I do admit that my biggest issue with this particular entry came from the characterisation of Emma who seems more assertive and, dare I say, aggressive than how she is depicted in the game but I managed to get past that and found the banter between Wolf and Emma quite cute. The way the ending is depicted is also quite effective and melancholic which, though it didn't hit me as hard as the Dark Souls III ending, I ultimately found satisfying.

The final chapter covers Bloodborne which concerns mainly a hunter and the Doll along with some scenes of Lady Maria. I will admit that I found this chapter a little hard to absorb since I couldn't quite figure out its place in the timeline, no doubt due to my relative lack of knowledge of the game compared to the other two, but there is some enjoyment to be had from the dialogue and setting, even if it ends up being a little too grim for my liking due to Bloodborne's obsession with birth, sacrifice and blood.

With regards to the artwork, I have to say that I'm very impressed with Aoin's work. The series is depicted in full-colour and has a more realistic although still stylised look than most of the other doujinshi that I've covered, something which matches the art-style of the original games. I also have to give kudos to the choice of colours used which are sharply different in each chapter and perfectly match the game that they are based on. Panels are also used excellently with some wonderfully dynamic use during the sex scenes and an action scene that appears in the Bloodborne chapter. The Sekiro chapter's art stood out to me in particular as it had a very painterly vibe with visible brushstrokes and impressive lighting. Admittedly, some of the male anatomy looked a little...off at times but the art remains strong overall and does a fantastic job emulating and depicting the games themselves.

I wasn't sure what to make of Healers when I first saw it but I'll admit that I've been pleasantly surprised by the experience which has exceeded my expectations. It's hard for me to imagine a better hentai depiction of Dark Souls III while the Sekiro and Bloodborne chapters hold their own as both entertaining and loyal to the source material. If you're a FromSoftware fan then I would fully encourage you to try Healers out. You just might end up being as pleasantly surprised as I was!

You can read the title for free on doujin.io.