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myskaros
Joined: 13 Jun 2011
Posts: 601
Location: J-Novel Club
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Posted: Fri Nov 14, 2014 2:18 am
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leafy sea dragon wrote: | Sounds like this book may not last long on store shelves and has a good chance of being high in demand later. I ought to pick this up. |
It's been out of stock on RightStuff for over a week now, and it just came out a week ago, lol.
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Ali07
Joined: 01 Jun 2014
Posts: 3333
Location: Victoria, Australia
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Posted: Fri Nov 14, 2014 3:35 am
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This was a manga that I had heard about, and it stuck in my mind due to having 'Biscuit Hammer' in the title. First time you read that, you don't know what to make of it. And, for me, it stuck.
Glad that Seven Seas licensed this so I can check it out. Pre-ordered my copy (and volume 2 recently), but won't have it in my hands until next month.
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RAmmsoldat
Joined: 19 Oct 2005
Posts: 1261
Location: North wales coast
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Posted: Fri Nov 14, 2014 6:00 am
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After seeing folk on twitter flaunting their copies i went to buy this from amazon only to find they dont have it until December 1 so im gonna have to wait a bit but this is an especially hot title for me because it was rescued from all digital hell and I want to support the companies that give me the option to buy a title in print because that's how i buy my books.
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Wyvern
Joined: 01 Sep 2004
Posts: 1585
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Posted: Fri Nov 14, 2014 4:12 pm
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This is one of my favorite mangas ever, and I'm thrilled to finally see it in print over here! A definite buy for me.
It's true that at this point, the series seems like it's withholding a bit too much information. But this is because Satoshi Mizukami loves playing the long game with his stories. Just wait: by the end, everything will make sense and the series' long-term plan will be evident.
What's great about this series is that it really gives you an idea of the psychological weight that comes with being one of those superpowered manga teenagers. The battles against the Mage begin to take a toll on each of the knights, and that's where the real heart of the series comes from: the way these people each deal with the stress of being caught in a battle for the world makes each of them endearing and fascinating. But it never loses its quirky humor or sense of fun, even when its characters begin losing it.
Each Golem is significantly more powerful than the last, but the series is smart enough to not throw them out there in rapid succession, so they feel like real threats and not just monsters of the week. But the twist is, while the Golems keep getting stronger, the knights DON'T; there's no magic power-up or shonen training arc to boost their abilities. So while early Golems don't feel particularly dangerous, later ones require some ingenious strategies and teamwork to even put a dent in. The result is some of the most exhilarating battles in the genre, where every character feels like he's in real danger.
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_blah_
Joined: 28 Dec 2010
Posts: 4
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Posted: Fri Nov 14, 2014 8:25 pm
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I think this is my fave manga. Best cast of flawed heros this side of X-Men. Amazon say my copy will be here between the 28th and the 10th.
Watch a sniveling weasel of a human being become the greatest hero a work of fiction has ever known. Well, not quite, but he's right up there IMO.
If they ever make an Anime of this, they need to use "Never" by Jake E Lee, Bob Daisley, and sung by Ozzy Osbourne as the closing song of the last episode. Fits like a glove IMO.
get er done folks.
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Kaisos Erranon
Joined: 15 Feb 2013
Posts: 214
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Posted: Fri Nov 14, 2014 8:26 pm
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Wyvern wrote: | there's no magic power-up or shonen training arc to boost their abilities. |
Well, that's not entirely true.
The training arc is completely skipped over though, heh.
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Maokun
Joined: 11 Nov 2004
Posts: 53
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Posted: Sat Nov 15, 2014 7:52 pm
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This is one of the best manga I've read. One thing that the reviewer doesn't point and that helps to put the awesomeness of this story in perspective is that this is NOT a shounen manga. It is a seinen manga expertly draped on shounen trappings.
The first chapter is almost comically parodying of the genre by the overuse of shounen tropes. Magical talking animal handing out magic-granting magical items? check. Reluctant hero? check. Princess that needs to be protected? check. Evil wizard? check. Impending end of the world that must be averted? check and check. But then a tiny twist that turns everything on its head.
The reviewer seemed rather coy about revealing the true reason why "Lucifer" wants to destroy the world (she's dying. Having received the clout of the "princess" is artificially keeping her alive and healthy, but once the Mage is defeated, she'll lose that clout and go back to be a sickly, dying kid. She wants to destroy the world right before she loses her powers.) even though it's revealed in the second chapter and the reviewer spoils the protagonist's reasons to aid her, which are revealed later. Those hidden motivations set a completely different story than your normal shounen. These "heroes" are damaged, cynical, selfish people and the story is less about shouneny "good vs evil" battles (though there are enough of those, and they're great) and more about growing up and letting go resentment, fear and entitlement.
I cannot recommend this manga enough. I never buy physical manga because I have limited space, but I'm definitely buying this one and proudly displaying it next to the "grown up" books in my bookshelf.
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Princess_Irene
ANN Reviewer
Joined: 16 Dec 2008
Posts: 2636
Location: The castle beyond the Goblin City
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Posted: Sun Nov 16, 2014 8:07 am
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Maokun wrote: |
The reviewer seemed rather coy about revealing the true reason why "Lucifer" wants to destroy the world |
I thought it was the more important and interesting plot point, despite the fact that it came before Yuuhi's past story, hence my reluctance to spell it out. Besides, you wouldn't want me to give everything major away, would you?
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Thatguy3331
Joined: 18 Feb 2012
Posts: 1798
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Posted: Sun Nov 16, 2014 5:22 pm
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Can't wait to buy it! It's the first and still is one my favorite seinin manga ever! Truth be told it probably is because the beginning is so weird that I got into it at all, but as it goes on it balances its mood out gloriously.
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Animegomaniac
Joined: 16 Feb 2012
Posts: 4141
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Posted: Sun Nov 16, 2014 6:53 pm
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I for got to add that this Volume ends on what caused me to fall in love with the series: Hanagetsu's comment on living {a bonus page for the collected books and not part of the serialized story}, both simple and elegant and completely in character.
There's no better reason for the double volume format than that.
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enurtsol
Joined: 01 May 2007
Posts: 14873
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Posted: Mon Nov 17, 2014 4:24 am
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FlamingFirewire wrote: |
Maybe someday Trigger will animate it and bring The Pillow in to do the soundtrack for the anime version of this ^^
Very unlikely since the manga is now finished, but I think it'd be really cool to see done animated. |
So old. Obviously it didn't catch on in Japan.
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