Ok Sorry for missing Saturdays post! I wish I could say its just cause I’ve been busy… (and I was a bit busy) but the truth is I got addicted to this ‘90s tv show by the name of Cybersix! It rocks and you should watch it free on hulu, but it isn’t what I shall be reviewing today. However, Cybersix did gave me a great idea for a Halloween~ish review! (if you want more of my reviews and other’s on some great horror manga check out Beloved Blood’s world Rein of Blood here)
However today we go a bit scifi!
Five Great Manga About Artificial Humans (Or Clones)
For those of you who don’t know an artificial human is one that is created completely from scratch and not through cloning or artificial insemination. And yes, because its Halloween and I’m looking at more mature level series that contain gore and/or nudity. So there shall be some mature series on this list. If you do not see yourself as able to handle nudity or adult situations be aware. The ones that are mature will be clearly explained. So enjoy and don’t hold that against them since these are all great!
5. MPD Psycho
--- MPD Psycho is an intense manga that is not for the faint of heart, but man is it awesome! It’d probably be higher on the list if it were not also super confusing! (I made a list of characters on a chart to keep track of this) MPD is more about the copying of the mind than of the body and follows the story of Kazuhiko Amamiya… or er maybe he’s Yosuke Kobayashi… Figured it out yet? MPD stands for Multiple Personality Disorder and man does this series take the idea and run with it! A really crazy and intense action packed horror/crime manga! It is mature for good reason! (And also awesome)
4. Akumetsu
---- Akumetsu is another action packed seinen manga. Unlike MPD, however, this one deals with cloning of the body and mind and what that means. If you die but your memories survive are you the same person? But lets put that aside, the main plot of this story follows a, by their own admission, “terrorist” group, that calls themselves “Akumetsu.” This is where the series gets both really gory fun and political. You see, not to go to deep into Japan’s political history, Japan had a similar recession in the late 80’s as what happened in the US in the last 5 years or so. (eerily similar really) And this series is a revenge fantasy about taking the Politian’s who embezzled money, stalled important changes, or were just A-holes to the country to task. How? By literally having them pay with their lives. It’s a really fun read and is a great introduction to Japanese politics. (Although its facts should be taken with a grain of salt) I should also mention that basic knowledge of economics is helpful when starting this series.
3. ES Eternal Sabbath
---- This one’s friendlier to young audiences than the last two! This one is straight up cloning and genetic manipulation! A laboratory created a young boy to test whether they could isolate the gene that prevents aging. They succeeded, however there was an unintentional side effect of also giving the child psychic powers. The story follows the boy, now a man, who can control people’s memories and brain with his power, he has no feelings of malice however and simply wants to live out his days roaming around. This changes when the clone that the scientists made of him starts causing the deaths that could expose him. This manga is super cool and the representation of how thoughts are shown is really amazing and fun to look at. Also don’t be fooled by that synopsis this series is very much a romance!
2. Yahsa
---- Yasha is an action shoujo manga that is similar to ES in that it is about a child created in a lab, however unlike ES our main character has gained traits more along the lines of physical enhancements and these enhancements are pretty subtle. He is a genius that has been raised by the company that made him and is starting to have rebellious dreams of freedom. So far so good! The manga hasn’t been completely translated to my knowledge but I am enjoying it a lot and I recommend this to shoujo scifi fans!
1. Zetman
---- I love you Zetman I really really do! And what do you know? This series is the poster child for artificial humans! The series’s basic premise is that the Amano Company has been tinkering with science to create people completely from scratch by mixing various genetics together from both animals and humans. However these being rebelled after being severally mistreated. Now needing to clean up their own mess, ZET is created to defeat the others like himself. This has been one of my favorite manga for years and I actually own it in Japanese to translate myself. Packed full of action and commentary this superhero manga (yeah I said superhero) is a must read for people who enjoy the genre! Also the artwork in this series is truly a sight to behold!
I’ll be back on Saturday with another post!
Do you know any amazing manga about clones or artificial humans?
Have you read one of these? Hated it? Loved it?
Please share in the comments!
~Tsu
PS. Hey, do you have an awesome review world? Do you want me to give you a completely awesome plug here? Drop me a line and I’ll be happy to do just that! Lol
Assassination Classroom
Ansatsu Kyoushitsu
Author: Matsui Yuusei
Ok normally I like to wait for a series to be completed before singing it praises, I've had too many series ruined by rushed sloppy endings, but I really adore this series despite it just getting off the ground. (as in its over the 40 chapter will it make it hump)
First off this isn't my usual cup of tea, I am not a huge fan of school comedies but I love this one! The reason I gave this series a chance in the first place is that I am a big fan of another series by the same author, Majin Tantei Nougami Neuro. (a fantastic mystery supernatural series) So I read the fist chapter and soon enough I was hooked on Ansatsu!
The plot is about a trouble class at an elite school that has been selected to assassinate their teacher, who is an alien (Kinda? He looks kind of like an octopus)(Although rescent chapters suggest that may not be the case) who has announced he will destroy the world within a year and as proof he can do it he puts a big hole in the moon. As part of a deal with the Japanese government he will be the teacher of a high school class but the students are the ones who have to kill him.
Sound silly? Who cares! It's a hilarious series with a healthy balance between silly gags and heart felt moments. It has everything you want and expect from a school place comedy with wonderful new takes on the genre with the addition of assassination and science fiction. The series deals with the schools unusual politics evolving the E class that holds the students with low grades, the scifi elements with the teacher, relationships between the students to the teacher and assassination. That may sound like a lot , but for a long running series it will be perfect. Being somewhat familiar with the author I can say this series is probably in for an interesting ride and I look forward to it.
Having read another series by the same author I have faith in Matsui Yuusei to develop a great story!
~Tsu
Ps. Sorry I've been slow updating lately. I think people read these as my views have been steadily going up and I would like to thank everybody who is and has been patient with me.
Also sorry its been awhile since I've done an anime, watching anime takes longer than reading a manga for me and my times been scarce .I plan to do an anime next, and as always am open to comments and requests or just chatting in general.
KISEIJUU
Other names: Parasite, Parasyte
Author/Artist: Iwaaki Hitoshi
Sometimes you just need a good old school scifi fighting manga! That’s where the fun and enjoyablity of Parasyte comes in.
A manga from the 90s this series has actually been published twice. There’s a “flipped” version (Where they took all the pages and flipped them so the book would read left to right so us English readers would buy them) and then again by DelRey in the now normal and original format. Come on people liked it enough it got published twice!
At any rate the story begins with some unknown race of parasites taking over people brains by eating them. The main character Shunji was a victim of one such creature but the parasite failed to eat his brain and has instead taken over Shunji’s right arm.
Normal parasites eat human flesh but Shunji’s arm can’t do that and feeds on Shunji’s blood. The story progresses to follow Shunji trying to come to terms with his new life while avoiding the other parasites that may try to kill him due to his parasite’s failure.
This series is definitely worth a read! I found it an extremely enjoyable mix of scifi and action. It also has great drama and a strong plot. (Something action series don’t always have) Anyways this series is just great! Also all the parasites are quite cool looking, the character designs for them are really quite impressive! I loved it the first time I read it and I found myself reading it again while prepping for the review and am now addicted again! ^-^;;
If you love old school manga its a must, if you like action scifi, again a must. I think even if those aren’t necessarily your thing this series is still worth while for it’s writing and strong bold lined art style. A very fun and intense read!
Have you read it? Comment!
Read after reading this? Share your thoughts!
Want me to review a series? Let me know!
As always good and bad opinions are welcomed just keep it classy! lol
~Tsu
