Wow, this is one amazing manga. The art is simply jaw-dropping. The plot is immensely intriguing though not at all linear and a little confusing. The key, at least for me, is to read slowly and carefully, digesting every line and panel. It took me two reads of the whole manga to grasp the plot and boy, was it worth it. The battles are well-crafted though like the plot, can be a little confusing and disorientating, leaving the reader wondering what happened but nevertheless flabbergasted at the awe-inspiring art. The artist created a monstrously massive world filled with equally massive superstructures. The artstyle truly succeeds at conveying the enormous scale of this world. As the other comments have said, the mangaka prefers letting the readers piece together the plot and reach their own conclusion. This might turn off the less engaged reader but if one were to put in a little effort, it will be an utterly satisfying read. Fans of cyberpunk or worlds set in dystopian futures full of berserk machines and AI will surely love this. That said any self-respecting seinen reader should have a go at this masterpiece.

I found this manga to be extremely wierd. It didn't feel like there was beginning, middle or end. More like a bunch of events strung together somehow. There is no background info about the world or the characters in it. Because of this, it's hard to feel any attachment to the fictional characters or the world simply because you have no idea who they are or wtf the world they inhabit is. The plot, if you can call it that, is never fleshed out, as it is very unclear if the protagonist did what he set out to do. In all honesty, it is very unclear as to what exactly the protagonist's goals are in the first place. While there were plenty of action sequences, it was next to impossible, for me at least, to figure wtf happens in these sequences, let alone figure out who is fighting whom and what the results of these battles are. The same applies to non-fight scenes as well, since a majority of the time the protagonist is seen moving from one seemingly random place to another, without any sign of an objective or goal. The artwork used is very dark and good at depicting a MASSIVE world. The problem is the fact that it is so massive, it confuses the reader to where the characters are at a particular scene.

Overall, a very dark and confusing manga that seemed to lack a plot with a beginning, middle, or end and left me wondering wtf the manga was about.

... Last updated on April 5th, 2008, 2:26pm

Sometimes this manga goes 20 pages or more with little or no dialog. This isn't even an exaggeration but, don't get me wrong, that is what makes this manga great. Where as in most manga battles are told mainly within the character's heads or through arrogant explanation, this story tells you almost nothing directly in words. This forces both you and the author to make full use of the manga and really analyze the images you're given. It also allows for character archetypes that you don't often get in manga or at least not as the main character. The silent badass; they just don't work in manga driven by words because they're forced to talk more than they actually should. The world is also rather unique and interesting. Unfortunately the world isn't fully explored but it manages to be on because it's understood that the world is, for the most part, a bleak and repetitive one. The setting really serves to add to the overall theme of the story more than it does to advance the plot. If you're interested in something different, like awesome art or are illiterate, this is the manga for you!

The shining forte of this manga is the fantastic detailed imagery and setting. With minimal conversation, much of the plot is left to the reader to piece together while at the same time shows off the dystopian environs. Taking into account the art style and dark adventure themes of the manga, this is definitely a plus, as characters screaming technique names at high volume would detract from the experience.

The main issues with the manga stem from the extreme inconsistency in the unbalancing weapon the main character carries around, as well as a difficult to follow plot, which is filled with all sorts of symbolism (much of it religious) and seems to abstractly explore the theme of "life" through setting. Details are important, the short conversations between characters often reveal another piece of the puzzle of how everything ties together.

In short, the plot is confusing and explores some very abstract concepts that may be difficult to understand without some passing knowledge on the subject beforehand and/or the ability to connect events that may have occurred at any time in previous volumes.

On a side note, the setting is gigantic, many times larger than Earth, and seems reminiscent of a slowly imploding Dyson Sphere.

... Last updated on March 6th, 2008, 3:31pm

This is just a "must read" manga. The art is amazing and the story very interesting, even though sometimes it's hard to grasp because there aren't nearly any conversations in it. But every other "dark manga" has to to bear comparison with it, and I haven't found one so far that could take on BLAME.

i read this on line and think they were missing parts of chapters. its very intresting but i'm confused on where some to the characters come and go. i plan on reading it again but the hard copy this time

This is a 10. great dark story that captivated me. The art that is very different from other manga i have read but it made a positive impact on me. the art crude but it suits the story and the enviroment.

I don't really like dark stories but this was amazing.
Half the time I was asking WTF is happening, the other half my jaw was on the floor.

I didn't get any of it, but the art was great, and it's so addicting! I read it in 2 days, and was completely clueless afterwards, but you gotta love it!

Makes no sense, but I don't know how many times I'll say this: LOVE IT!

This manga is a must read, but it really is confusing!!!!! the art is topnotch.