Innocents Shounen Juujigun

On my first attempt, I stopped reading after the first few chapters and promptly forgot about it. After re-discovering it, I finished it in 2 sittings. I like the afterword by the author explaining his thought process behind the creation of this story. I did not know the Children's Crusade was a historical thing. At first I felt a bit uncomfortable reading this because it seemed twisted and rather blasphemous, but I'm pretty satisfied with the resolution ultimately. If anything, it's an intriguing (if rather disturbing) read--which is typical of a work by Furuya Usamaru.

As for the drawing style, it is quite detailed and the only thing I disliked was the style of the children's faces--they reminded me of those stereotypical martians, with those oval-shaped heads and large eyes.

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Disappointed....

by Redyred
9 years ago

Rating: 1.0 / 10.0

It was good at the start but then it got weird and then weirder and

then the kids started killing each other and things got really out of hand! The author was trying to make it all bloody and dark but it went overboard..... they also made islam look bad and evil and if someone criticises any religon, it should not be approved whether the religon is Christianity or Buddhism or even islam.

The character development was the only thing good about the manga but i guess all the bad points cancel this out..

If you want, you can read it but if you don't like things get really messy and weird then i think you should go look for another manga that isn't as horrible as this one....

... Last updated 9 years ago

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Give it a try

by lfb
9 years ago

Rating: 8.5 / 10.0

I just finished reading volume 2. imo, the series is quite similar to Litchi Hikari Club in some ways but a lot more interesting and the art is easier on the eyes. If you liked LHC even a bit, then you'll probably enjoy this.

Pros (for me):
-Variety of characters (in personality and appearance)
-Varied character interactions
-Some homosexual content (but don't read this expecting a love story, BL fans)
-Light, innocent beginning, leading to gruesome tragedy
-Foreshadowing

Cons (for me):
-romance (it's not a lot but pops up in vol 2)

I'm looking forward to volume 3 (and placing bets on who's going to be alive after all this).

What really astounds me is that this series has a lower rating. It's probably because of the sensitive subjects.

... Last updated 9 years ago

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by dreamer00013
15 years ago

Rating: 10.0 / 10.0

I've read it and seriously pondered whether to continue reading or not at the very beginning. The art style is very strange - I can't help staring at the eyes, they are so detailled and pretty- the characters as well, and honestly - the beginning is boring. It's a prelude, the whole story will only begin after these three first chapters.
Also there are some things I'm not really okay with (God kills? Honestly? When little boy is all innocent and glorious, he's in fact a killer? What's with that??), but all in all, I'd like to continue reading this story. The art style is really beautiful, you just have to get used to it since it's so damn unusual. The characters - meaning the kids - all have a personality fitting their apperance. What's totally boring, but makes it easier to distinguish those twelve little kids.
The whole story just begins, I look forward to a lot. I guess all of them will grow up during their journey and will be formed by their experiences.
Btw, if you are a yaoi fangirl, you may should avoid this title. I know, it says "shounen ai" and I dare not to change it (yet), but you will not see any BL in those first three chapters. All in all, I enjoyed this series. It took some time to get used to it (a bit more than two chapters), but I look forward to the future. Usamaru Furuya always makes interesting stuff, but mature stuff. And it will probably get more serious in the later volumes since we are talking about the guy who made Jisatsu Circle. Nevertheless, if you can handle a little bit blood, a god who makes barbeque out of some bandit and a pretty boring beginning, but like epic adventures and excellent art, plus good story telling, I'll gladly recommend you "Innocents Boys' Crusade"
Go read it now =)

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It's pretty interesting so far...

by VampireBanana
15 years ago

Rating: 8.5 / 10.0

It's quite an interesting read so far and it'll be fascinating to watch as this epic adventure develops. The world setting is gorgeously and intricately depicted in a fairytale-like manner while being fairly historically accurate: the unfolding of the prophecy, the decorative art that accompanies the cast introduction, the sounding of a trumpet which was used in times of olde by angels and humans to herald calls of war/worship/etc., the belief in power of miracles and prophecies and how people who were thought to be "receiving the diving power of God" were treated as saviours/prophets/utmost divine, how the parents punished the kid by whipping him, the mentality regarding the age when a child became an adult*, usage of Latin in "official/holy" documents like the Bible(canon/non-canon), etc.

*If I'm not wrong, 'cos of high mortality rate due to famine, disease, poor medical care, poor nutrition, etc., etc., by the time male children reached the age of 14, they were already of a marriageable age when they would be starting their own families. For females, it was 12 years old. (The concept of "teenagers" only came to existence in the 21st century, btw.)

So, there is something breath-taking yet equally foreboding of this fictionalized tale of the Children's crusade(which most likely never really existed but instead, "children" being used to denote "the wandering poor" who travelled as a crusade). What will happen to the children and what will they do?

Btw, I don't get it. What's with all the bad ratings? Is it because this title portrays Christianity in a negative light, contains a fictional account of the Crusades or because there are depictions of Jesus Christ?

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