User rating of this review - 4 out of 5
Story/Plot - 5 out of 5
Characters - 5 out of 5
Drawing Style - 4 out of 5
Enjoyment - 4 out of 5
Overall - 5 out of 5
Plot/Story
The story begins as 15 children spending their summer vacation by the sea are urged by a stranger to take part in an unknown game involving a giant robot fighting to save the earth. I am sure that you will not be shocked to find out that the game is in fact real. I know, this isn't a very new or unexpected plot twist. Very fast, the situation turns very serious. As the story unfolds, one by one each child is put under extrem stress needing to cope with the task laid at their feet. This is the main focus of the manga. Each child reacts in a unique way, related to his past, family and lifeview. If you are familiar with the mangaka, you will already know, that there will be a lot of dark and desperate struggling. So don't worry about a used storyline, i will cut of my hand and eat it if anybody can show me a similar comic.
Characters
A lot!
Needless to say, the 15 children and some outsiders later on become key figures.
As each childs turn comes to pilot the robot, about 2 or 3 chapters are almost solely dedicated to them. So even if they stand only briefly in the spotlight, they are all unique and have rich backrounds. Exactly this detailed look into the different childrens lives and thoughts are what make this manga one of my favorites.
Drawing Style
As in his other works, the mangaka draws his characters very thin with comparitivly big heads, giving them a almost alien look. Fitting to the plot and dense atmosphere, cartoonisch gags and so on are hard to find. Thin lines are the standard. The mechas are very alien, nothing transformerish or Gundam about them.
Enjoyment
Don't expect laughs. The lives of these children and the scrifices they make are far from funny. However, the incredibly thick feelings and wierd philsophies make this manga a compelling read. The big questions of life are what the plot circles about.
Overall
A mecha story that makes these 15 children seek out the answers to all that is truely important. Since i haven't read the ending i can't give a final opinion, but i really recommend this to any seinen reader.
This is a nice review, if a little biased.
The main problems come from the fact that you don't seem to have run it through a spell/grammar checker. Words like "lifeview" and "truely" drags down the overall impression of the review.
You do have all the facts which are important for me to come to the conclusion that I am not interested in this period of time. Which is what is important though.
