i love the fat guy! awesome. hope to enjoy more of this. nice art, not usually interested in the horror genre but this one actually makes me read more into it. also love Nami!

Alive is an above par-manga for its genre. It has its fair share of mystery, has a good mix of horror, and is quite dramatic in its own right. The premise is quite amazing - it talks about that value and horror of death, whilst staying somewhat sane.

If I were to combine two manga's, this would probably be Elfen Lied and Gantz, (maybe even but without the absurd amounts of nudity and gore. This manga is a prime example that you can create rounded characters without all the extras, and this manga does just that, and quite well I might add.

10/10

Woah! When I read this I had to re-read it again and again. Anyway this series is EXCELLENT. One of the very few I'm collecting. But the only down side in volume four it slacks off in the art department and the story is a little predictable. Still the story takes an usual twist to the normal, "I HAVE MORE POWER THAN YOU!". Where the main character has to use smarts alot instead of power.

In the beginning, artists were trying too hard to be purely shonen. From that the style became off and because they were beginners they were trying a bit too hard. But later they became more refine and their effects become better.

I'm up to the fifth volume and if you like a well paced story I suggest you pick this one up! It is really great!

The art may not be up to everyone's standard but I think that it's pretty detailed and enjoyable in its own right. As for the storyline, it goes along the guidelines of being your typical shounen. But what separates this series from the others, for me, is the concepts of life and death that the author introduces. I'm not all too sure if what I'm thinking about is correct, because I'm not a really in-depth person, but all I can say is that I find this series has got me thinking and it's likable. One thing, though, is that I hope it doesn't drag on like many other shounen titles. No matter how great a series may be, recycling the same plot for different situations tend to get boring and repetitive. If you have some spare time, it wouldn't hurt to check this series out.

... Last updated on March 10th, 2008, 7:43pm

This review will be updated as I get further into the series; at this point in time, I've only read what has been scanlated. I'll update this as Del Rey releases more volumes, though.

PLOT
EXTREMELY original. While it is also quite morbid, it is not overdone. (Translation: There is some carnage, but it's nothing like guts strewn over a two-page layout or anything.) It's fast-paced and twisting as well, so it's difficult to get bored of it even though the basic concept seems like it could be overdone. However, as it progresses, the plot does get a bit less original, but the way each plotline is strung out helps reduce the obviousness of this change.

CHARACTERS
Each character is nicely done, and there are no outstanding character clichés. I must give extra props to Kawashima for not over-doing the entire "ZOMG MY PAST WAS SO ANGST-RIDDEN1!11" cliché, for many authors find it difficult to not include such an event into a character's past. But, overall, each character has a rather simple backstory (can be either good or bad, whichever way you want to see it) and has engaging personality traits. They also come together to create humorous situations, which is always a plus.

ART
This is the only category I can really penalize the series on, and most of it is only personal preference. The only solid case against the artwork is that some of the details look shoddily done, and some features can be over-sized or under-sized depending on the panel (example: Yoko's lip size/lipstick, nose placement/size, etc). However, this only applies to the first volume in the series; the art gets much better as you get further into the story. So, in the end, it isn't a huge drawback as long as you can stick it out through the first few chapters.

... Last updated on January 21st, 2008, 10:37am

Even if it's not the greatest, this series is still underrated.

Just one word the comment 4 this comic, "AWESOME", with a compliment stories and a nice art from Adachitoka and a really great stories from Kawashima Tadashi. Cia Yo..^^'

... Last updated on February 11th, 2008, 2:22am

This one should've been done as a hardcore "seinen".

... Last updated on October 4th, 2007, 12:26am

Is this really original?
Is it worth checking out?
Is "Alive" truly up to par with other mystery and horror graphic novels or just another far cry from works of the same genre?

Disappointingly, no one should waste their time reading this junk, but it all comes down to personal preference.

The story does not in anyway complement the nice artwork, and that's a big letdown. I, too, was really looking forward to further development in latter volumes, but wasn't expecting every page of every chapter in every volume to be filled with the whole "naive hero with hidden powers who slowly learns to control it when one of his comrades is in a dangerous pinch." What more can I say?

Naruto, Gantz, and Hunter X Hunter is more entertaining. Naruto for it's plotline and ninja arts, with a fresh theme; Gantz for explicit scenes—intercourse, gore, and a story which unfolds unlike any other out there; HxH for also displaying more or less of it's originality, and for getting a shounen (well, I was one several years ago?) like me drawn into it. And I can go on and on about these three manga, but I'll keep it short.

Not a recommendation, nor is "Alive" worth reading, but feel free to give it a try.I sure as heck know shounens who hasn't been exposed to manga will be drawn to this pile of garbage.

I gave it a "3" for the decent artwork.

I haven't read it yet and I don't rate anything I haven't actually read a few pages of.

This looks like a great manga to me. The art is awesome and the main char,. kinda reminds me of Kyo from Blood+! XD
Reading the summary, I'm instantly pulled into this and can't wait to start reading. Horror/Mystery is literally my fav because it always keep me on edge wanting to see what will happen next. And I like making guesses and solving things on my own.

This kinda gives me the feel of Death Note for some reason... -.- heh hehh
Anyway, I'm totally giving this a try and I hope anyone who comes across this page reads it too!

P.S.(to "Trov") - GANTZ makes me feel like barfing... -.-; I can't get the intestines outta my head. I regret watching the series on Anime Network, but the storyline is very GOOD as well as the art in the anime.