I must admit my mistake for stereotyping this kind of series... I mean, moe personified naval things (if u know what I mean). I start this series with curiosity and mixed with intention to sneer and find its fault (my apology to mangaka). But hell, instead of finding fault, I got immersed on the story... after reading some chapters.

The plot mystery is intriguing. The character is well defined and somehow interesting to watch (plus the moe ;9). The main plus is the twist when the naval battle is started... strategies is certainly applied in here (even though I dun understand completely what are they talking about).

Anyway, this is a good series. If u use ur pride and prejudice to decide to read this or not... well, u make the same mistake that I did (I guess).

For a manga all about sentient battleships personified as cute girls, Arpeggio of Blue Steel is really, really good.

It's really rare to find manga about naval battles, and it's even rarer to see it done in this way, with a plot that makes you think "contrived!" but actually turn out to be well-thought out and reasonable. I'm really surprised at how the mangaka manages to turn a seemingly strange premise into something as serious and intriguing as this one.

The only criticism I have for this manga though is that while the battleships are growing and developing (I'm frankly amazed by how much they have developed and how central it is to the plot), the humans have... well... not. That's not to say the humans are poor characters, by any means, but it doesn't feel like any of them, Gunzou in particular, are changing at all.

Now that isn't precisely a complete downside, as this isn't one of those fast-paced mangas where the main character does a bazillion things within forty chapters, and Gunzou is also an adult, so it's understandable why he wouldn't be as susceptible to change as, say, the battleships who have just recently become sentient in comparison. However, I would definitely like to see more backstory on Gunzou and slightly more focus on the human crew on Iona. It would certainly give more perspective on why exactly they're so intent on their goal, that's for sure.

so you thought battleships were hot and sexy?
no they are Cute & Moe!!
hey guys don't take this seriously but this manga is in the middle way between Moe Anthropomorphism comedy & eye candy and war/adventure drama/plot

This series is a rare gem. Forget big boy robots, now they deal with transforming battleships, IMO they're original ideas, since I haven't read any manga about ocean war, except Zipang which is of another kind. It really has potentials.
On another note, as same as other mecha, during the battle scenes it's hard to follow who is who.
Hope it will turn out great.

Lets get one thing out of the way first : If you like navel stuff and/or mecha musume, this manga is for you, go read it, NOW.

The whole manga seems to be confused as to what it whats to do. The first few chapters setup a massive global scenario between Humans-vs-Humans-vs-Mecha Girl/Robotic Navy Fleet with super technology (the "Fog"). Sounds cool right? Depends on what you're looking for.

If straight-up combat action is what you want, its rare but when it happens, it delivers.
If wartorn/wracked worldview is what you want, other than a few nods (such as a reference to food rationing and lack of supplies) you would have no idea that theres a war going on.
If intriguing investigation into the Fog is what you want, after the first 4 volumes, you'll be more confused than you were in the beginning.

The action is fun to read, awesome in its depiction of equipment and battleships. It's also quite fast-paced so some of the tactical decisions and details are likely glossed over and left to the reader to imagine or to figure out. Also, I think some of the battles might have been simplified for a broader readership and to avoid detail clutter. Yet, I do wish there was more psychology to the action.

In order to preserve the pacing, many of the tech details are only included at the end of the tankouban while the readers are likely assumed to be familiar with certain terms(not that difficult to look up).

Also, I'm really glad they didn't bother concentrating on the earlier eras when the Fog of War first appeared 'cos then the battles would revolve around overwhelming might and power, endless crushing defeats than tactics and skillful battles. However, I wish they had at least included part of that history as a prologue though.

As for the story, it's still developing so far and it seems to be centered around vengeance against humankind, though the reasons for the enemy's stance are mostly unknown at this point. The writing has potential to be even more interesting, provided the layers and characterisation develop properly and that the different angles are accounted for. And also, provided it doesn't drop right into a typical mindless conspiracy plot but it's all too early to tell anyways.

Btw, I'm sure most reading this have already heard of Red Eyes but just mentioning it anyways.

... Last updated on August 18th, 2011, 3:56pm

i thought this gonna be another boring marine warfare manga. while i do like some marine war movies, captain pitting their wits to bring down the others. but i doubt this manga can present it properly. while the battles between fleet is acceptable.

the main point which i was drawn to this manga is the story premise and the characters interaction.

Well, a cool looking young man commands one super-tech submarine with some cute girls as his subordinates and fights cute battlecruisers. I think you have the picture eh? maybe not. find it out!
The drawing is exceptional and the background is pretty solid and interesting, so I will probably stick with this manga for few more chapters to see what's more inside the box.

... Last updated on July 12th, 2011, 1:36am