Pumpkin Scissors

Description

From Kodansha:
The bitter war between the Empire and the Republic of Frost has ended, but three years after the cease-fire, the Empire is still ravaged by starvation and disease, and bandits terrorize the populace. Can the Imperial Army State Section III, aka Pumpkin Scissors, stop a renegade force with chemical weapons? And who is the mysterious stranger helping Pumpkin Scissors?

Official English: Azuki, INKR

Type

Manga

Associated Names

หน่วยพิทักษ์ธรณิน (VBK)

パンプキンシザーズ

パンプキン・シザーズ

陆军情报部三科

Groups Scanlating

Aizen-sensei

Kuudere Scans

Orca Ninjas Killer Whale Squad

Tampan-scans

More...

Latest Release(s)

v.12 c.45 by Orca Ninjas Killer Whale Squad 8 years ago

v.11 c.44 by Orca Ninjas Killer Whale Squad 8 years ago

v.11 c.43 by Orca Ninjas Killer Whale Squad 9 years ago

Search for all releases of this series

Status in Country of Origin

23 Volumes (Ongoing)

Completely Scanlated?

Anime Start/End Chapter

Starts at Vol 1, Chap 1

Ends at Vol 5, Chap 15

User Reviews

N/A

Forum

2 topics, 8 posts

Click here to view the forum

User Rating

Average: 8.5 / 10.0 (186 votes)

Bayesian Average: 8.2 / 10.0

40%

17%

20%

12%

Last Updated

March 23rd, 2025 2:10pm PDT - 3 months ago

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Genre

Action Comedy Drama Fantasy Mystery Romance Shounen
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Categories

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Category Recommendations

Usagi Yojimbo

Tsurugi no Joou to Rakuin no Ko (Novel)

Recommendations

Author(s)

Artist(s)

Year

Original Publisher

Kodansha

Serialized In (magazine)

Gekkan Shounen Magazine (Kodansha)

Magazine Great (Kodansha)

Licensed (in English)

Yes

English Publisher

Azuki (digital)

Del Rey (Defunct / 5 Vols)

INKR Comics

Kodansha USA (23 Vols - Ongoing; digital)

Activity Stats (vs. other series)

Weekly Pos #783

(-2)

Monthly Pos #1866

(-124)

3 Month Pos #2672

(-694)

6 Month Pos #4013

(-403)

Year Pos #4682

(-500)

List Stats

On 1403 reading lists

On 999 wish lists

On 37 completed lists

On 55 unfinished lists

On 337 custom lists

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Forum Posts Click to view the forum

Pumpkin Scissors Manga Coming Back after 4-Year Hiatus

1 year ago

Is this still licensed

5 years ago

User Comments [ Order by usefulness ]

A slow, dull start that eventually ramps up into something quite special

by Psi
2 years ago

Rating: 9.0 / 10.0

While I would (currently) only rate this manga 9/10 overall, this series is still one of my all-time favourites and is also one of the few manga I would and have re-read from time to time; something that can't even be said of many of the manga I rate 10/10.

What lets this series down is the first few volumes which are very generic and a bit of a slog; absolutely run-of-mill shounen stuff: unimpressive and nothing much noteworthy. However, if you stick with it and persevere, and allow the story and world building to slowly unfold, I think you will begin to enjoy this more and more. The early stories feature mostly vignettes of short, self-contained missions which makes it a little hard to get into the series, but successive main arcs will eventually become larger affairs which allow for much more depth and development.

I should also note that I first discovered this from the anime. The anime was perfectly acceptable if a little generic (7/10) and like many anime, it elevates and gives a little more oomph to generic shounen manga, so the very beginning isn't quite as dull as in the manga (I'd rate the beginning volumes of this manga as a mere 6/10).
However, like the manga series, it's only really from episode 14 (out of 24 episodes) that the story begins to really pickup with the story arcs spanning more than just an episode or two. As such, the anime was at its best towards its end and because the anime ends early on in the series, I transitioned over to the manga and was able to mostly skim over the weak early chapters and eventually continue on with the rest of the story which I have generally thoroughly enjoyed. The manga unfortunately has been on hiatus for a while as of this review, but even in its current incomplete state, it is still highly enjoyable, and has been well-worth the few re-readings I've done of it.

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Great Manga

by Baka@MangaLover
2 years ago

Rating: 9.0 / 10.0

Imperial section III's duty is to help with reconstruction of the empire after the war but their only importance is to raise funds for sections like artillery & intelligence. But as the manga progresses it becomes evident that relief efforts are more needed than weapons and people need a helping hand to stand on ground.

Alice is by far the best female protagonist seen in this kind of manga. Denying a woman's lifestyle, she is devoted to her duty & responsibility. This manga has many arcs. My personal favorite would be the Anti-Ares arc & Karrussel arc. Ch.66 is a very realistic representation of chaos & fear.

Iwanaga sensei has shown an eternal truth-one needs evil to fight evil. He has expressed many philosophical thoughts regarding war, espionage, peace, function of state & it's people, political organization & symposium etc. District 0 which is a weakness for any country join forces in fighting a terrorist attack. Everyone has his own role to play. Heroes can't always act according to people's expectations. Rondario is a twisted man but he knows when to do business or save a country from devastation. One can't save a country with weapons alone they need strategy, economy & above all compassion to bring back it's former glory. Best manga ever in realistic fiction.

Hoping this manga will come out of hiatus very soon.

... Last updated 2 years ago

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I love this

by MLGSwag
2 years ago

Rating: 8.0 / 10.0

This manga is on haitus from 2020, the author may be suffering from health issues, the manga is seemingly very close to finishing, but not at the last point, so if you want to read the manga, read the manga , i believe that by the end of what has been realeased currently you can make your own prediction of what the ending will be

This manga is a joy every character is unique from one another and are so goddamn lovable. The plot itself is about repairing things aftwr a war has been committed and it has been a joy to read

If anyone is able to translate this, please do, this manga is a hidden gem and it would be a the vest thing for this tk be translated

Ok so im in chapter 50 and 60 territory and now im losing interest in this manga, what was originally a group of people trying to help reconstruct the country after the major war and the mc learning to overcome his inner demons with the help of his community has now become a political manga. It does not focus on the people trying to rebuild or help the populace, now its just focusing on the politics between the different groups and how each group is essentially the worst.
I would have appreciated the manga having this political thing as not the main focus, like they could use it when they were doing the repairs of the country, but having a whole section of just politics politics politics is just mind numbing.
By chapter 70 they finally change mainly from politics to the mc himself and the backstory, which made me be able to retain my attention.

The manga is great when the politics sections are not the main focus point. When it does talk about politics and stuff, my brain is unable to really comprehend everything going on and as a result i dont get to enjoy the manga as mych as i wanted. Regardless it is a good read

Chapter 109 was nice

... Last updated 2 years ago

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Support The Author...!

by Padawan
4 years ago

Rating: 10.0 / 10.0

To anyone who wants to keep up with this unique series, follow the link:

https://global.bookwalker.jp/series/89218/pumpkin-scissors/

Kodansha has officially translated Pumpkin Scissors from volume 1 all the way to volume 23, which as far as I know is up to date with Japan. They are all available digitally in the link above.

My review:
It was back in 2006, when I first laid eyes on this series by way of its anime version.
24 delicious episodes made by Studio Gonzo, back in its heyday.
I instantly fell in love with it.

Now 15 years on, there's still nothing else like it, and I'm still loving it.
The closest I've found are probably Golden Kamuy and Gunka no Baltzar - both great series in their own right.
(In some ways it reminds me also of Ghost in the Shell, in that the main characters are part of a government Section solving problems, and there are other Sections and factions that they sometimes fight with/against.
Its all very cool.)

20th century military political drama thriller - there's never enough of this genre in the manga/anime scene and I have such a soft spot for them.

The story may appear simple at first glance to some, but there's actually a lot of depth and thought put into them. The author manages to show mature, complex issues in a smooth, easy to digest and fun manner. He depicts dark topics without being overly disturbing and without going for cheap thrills. A good story should not be overly convoluted (get off your high horse, nozomiEX) - it should be intelligent yet simple enough for readers to comprehend, without treating readers like children, but the message must be clear, and the author has managed to convey them in spades for every chapter with excellent use of characters, drama and show of morals. As I said, it may look simple, but only because it was executed at such a high level that you don't notice the quality. The stories simply flow smooth like butter.

Many people have commented that the anime is far inferior to the manga. Though I do think nothing beats the source material, I thought the anime was pretty good. The animation and direction were well above average and very true to the manga. The opening theme "Aoki Flamme" by Yoko Takahashi still haunts me to this day. The scene where Hans the flammenwerfer dude in a diving suit, burning mercilessly two hapless spec ops members (because burning people "warms his cold heart a bit" ) remains one of the coolest, well-crafted anime scenes I have ever seen. You can watch it here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LvCFXgjf3Jc

Its a damn shame they never continued the anime because, as AValentin mentioned below, the overarching plot was just warming up.

Monthly series are a pain to wait for their next chapters, especially their next volumes, but to those new to this series, lucky you - there's already 23 fully translated, 200-page volumes at BOOK☆WALKER.
Knock yourselves out.

... Last updated 4 years ago

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Is this on hiatus/cancelled?

by teredevil
4 years ago

Rating: N/A

couldnt find any news of this having a new update anywhere

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The Golden Standard of War Manga

by AValentin
5 years ago

Rating: 10.0 / 10.0

You can't separate war from tragedy, where one goes the other is sure to follow. That is the theme of Pumpkin Scissors.

Note: Im a fan of war mangas like Groundless, Gunka no Baltzar and Alderamin in the Sky (all of which are serious war manga) so I may have slight biases towards the genre.

It's 2020 and if you're thinking about reading this manga, I highly suggest you do. It has 23 volumes so far but imo, they've outdone themselves after each one (it just gets better the longer the series go). Don't even consider nozomiEX's review, it's extremely outdated (making a review after reading only 9+ out of 122 chapters). I have to admit though, the first few volumes and chapters were a little light. The series' plot haven't matured yet. Nonetheless, I think the first few chapters did an excellent job of setting up for the rest of the series. It starts of easy, which I strongly believe is a good way of introducing the key characters and the world setting that make the world of Pumpkin Scissors so interesting (sections 1, 2 and 3, the Kauplan researchers, the secret 9, etc.). Even though the first few chapters aren't very heavy (maybe with the exception of the 908HTT arc) they all have a good amount of action, decent dialogue and a tiny hint of that bittersweet goodness known as tragedy (an gentle experimental soldier with a fucked up brain and an even more fucked up past, an old soldier who can't move on from the war, a tank crew who turned to banditry just to survive, the sole survivor of an experimental unit all destined to die, etc.) Once you've read all the way up to chapter 20, you'd have learned of three things in particular:

The Empire is a piece of shit who treats even its own people like trash.
The main characters are badasses trying their hardest to help victims of the war (see 1).
Tanks are the hottest technology out there.

So once you arrive Karousel arc, you've just hit the first of the major arcs. There are short stories between these major arcs that are all really good on their own (just too many for me to highlight). Each major arc has a theme:

Karousel arc focuses mostly on espionage, intelligence warfare, the effects of fearmongering and superior-subordinate relationships (romance tag wasn't a joke, btw).

The following arc isn't that big on war but damn I think it was good character development for Randel Orland. You get to know the MC better, his history, his reasons for joining the army and just how lovable/awesome his character actually is.

Then your next stop is the Anti-Ares Terrorist arc and you've reached the best arc in the series so far, hands down the best arc in any war manga I've ever read. So much good detail, character development and serious discussion goes into this arc that I'm not even gonna spoil it with a summary. It's over 40+ chapters long, a third of the entire series, including the build up to it. I'll bet everything I have that you'll get super into the series after reaching this arc. It's like reading a fucking documentary on terrorism (ISIS, start taking notes).

Overall, it's a 10/10. Because although the Pumpkin Scissors tag include ones like Comedy/Action/Drama/Romance (and it does have a decent a amount of them all), it's a war manga before it is anything else. And that's why it a goddamn mastah-piece..

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A bit slow start... but hella epic at Terrorist Arc

by rennov
6 years ago

Rating: 10.0 / 10.0

This one is a series that looks like a pushover shounen in the beginning, but become a somewhat deep seinen later.

The beginning chapter tells a country who tried to rebuild itself after a long war (not win but not lose either). It explain the setting, the key characters, n the general plot briefly. Later, one by one components of the story then fleshed out (character backgrounds, the country's darkside, n how each arc intertwined to each others).

I must say this is not a complex read, but how the author tells the dreadful effect of war n terrorism is damn great. Each characters emotion is portrayed well, n it made us to root for their struggle. The author really learn on how to write by the time goes... n u can really see it.

Overall, this is a solid series, n I hope u can try to read it until later volumes before abandon it for good

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Juvenile mishandling of higher concepts

by nozomiEX
7 years ago

Rating: 1.0 / 10.0

This is just your generic action shounen manga, except it has an added layer of frustation because of how often it skirts the line of being something greater. For the first few chapters, it was very similar to Fullmetal Alchemist, but with it's themes more focused in a concrete manner (the horrors of war rather than the metaphysical concepts FMA muses on like the boundary of life and death.) The point is, it was showing promise that it could intelligently explore some higher-brow concepts while still delivering the action that so titillates us. I was a little concerned that it might not meet these lofty heights what with the eyebrow-raisingly stupid noble who cartoonishly mows down serfs in his tank, but I figured it was the first chapter, he's not that important, I can let it slide. This, however, was a portentous warning of things to come. Every time the series neared an intelligent analysis or waxed the philosophic in a thought-provoking way, it was quickly dashed by cliched drivel that completely invalidated the preceding moments of brilliance. By the time I got to chapter 9 or so, there was a certain development that came literally out of nowhere that sets up all the shitty tropes you could ever cram into a shounen action manga, and sure enough, over the next several chapters, it hit every single one with an ardent thud, as if taking pleasure in making me roll my eyes in exasperation. You can predict every single development from that point on, although it often may surprise you with just HOW stupid they can present it.

If Pumpkin Scissors had not that gleam of cleverness that ever so faintly shone beneath the ordinary surface, I would not be so impassioned to tell you what a misleading washout this is. Alas.

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Incredible Series, Needs New Scanlators!

by GunslingerV
10 years ago

Rating: 10.0 / 10.0

This has been one of my favorite series ever since I watched the anime. I love the dark, gritty, post-WWI-esque setting and both main characters are strong character leads with solid character development, which is very refreshing to see. The manga version is better as it avoids filler and is a bit less censored than the anime. Unfortunately, the last scanlation chapter was released in 2014, and Del Rey Comics canceled Pumpkin Scissors back in 2010, so it could be a while before we can see more of this manga (unless you are literate in Japanese, of course).

... Last updated 10 years ago

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Really good

by casandra28
11 years ago

Rating: 10.0 / 10.0

I watched the anime first but I am enjoying the manga more. Its very interesting and fits the dark type I enjoy reading and even though I usually am not big on guns This one is already one of my favorites. I can't wait read more.

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