I'm an action junkie, so I enjoy manga where small monsters fight big monsters, then a bigger monster appears and the small monster beats him, and then an even bigger monster appears, and the small monster beats him, or loses. This is what makes shonen manga so popular - the concept that there's always someone stronger than the protagonist, and yet the protagonist will fight and win (or at least try his best to), sometimes through rock-hard determination and a little sneaky attacks, but usually through newly discovered powers. Well this isn't a shonen manga (i.e. designed for 14 year olds), but then for me, shonen plot devices are always welcome. All of these are meant to make the reader want to read more, since he's always left wondering what the protagonist will do to defeat his next seemingly invincible opponent. DBz anyone?
Freezing is packed with action, and has plenty of these shonen plot devices to make sure there's always something new to make the reader excited, which is enough to keep most action junkies satisfied. I like how the action scenes flow and are easy to follow, as well as how speed (using after-images) and strength (using minimal force to block a seemingly fatal blow) are depicted. There's a large variety of weapons, and fighter types so that some weapons/fighters are weak against specific types. This is important in any story where battles are fought - you cannot have someone that's all powerful since it would be boring; it is the weaknesses that make fighters interesting because you're left wondering how a fighter will conquer his own weakness to win the fight.
Now, men fighting men would just be too boring, so here we have hot, high school girls, in short skirts and knee socks (Yoko Ritona is just soooo hot), some with big breasts to appeal to readers who like that sort of thing, all with bigass weapons fighting giant monsters (and other hot girls), and it is rather common for clothing to be torn off during fights. Now, the scenes don't put emphasis on the clothing being ripped off, but it is just a means to show how rough the fight is. If your body is hard as steel, and someone throws a grenade at you, why should your clothing survive the explosion? There's the occasional nipple here and there, so if that offends you, don't read this. Some people are desensitized (or mature?) enough not to fixate on nipples during a fight.
And then there are the controversies, oh the controversies. There's an arc with a sadistic brother who's obsessed with his sister, and pain ensues, yet in the end there's no retribution since fraternal love conquers all. This has many people up the wall since they all wanted retribution dealt out. They believe a sadist should die, and there can be no reconciliation. Well, I'll leave you to decide what punishment a sadist, who has realized the error of his ways, deserves.
In another arc a character was tortured, and some readers believe that this torture wasn't necessary, but (in the naive antagonist's opinion) it's a great way to punish someone and leave a lasting reminder for others to obey out of fear, however (as a plot device) it's an excellent way to incite rebellion, and to invoke feelings of disgust and hatred toward the antagonist. How would you have done it differently?
Overall, if you enjoy shonen action manga, enjoy seeing anime chicks in short skirts and knee socks, and don't mind a little "high-school" romance, and some intense drama, then you should definitely give this manga a go.
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