I never knew my eyes could hold this many tears... they just won't stop falling!
really though, I truly recommend this manga it is so beautiful. the art is pretty, the story story is amazing and it makes you feel.. erm stuff...

This series is simply amazing as my subject line says. It's a story of the end of the world and the love you find during that time and how you deal with all the emotions that come with it. The entire story is written in a perfectly melancholy atmosphere. Never once giving you the feel of anything but what it is and that's a sad story of the end of days. A story that brings to mind the thought, even when you know its all going to end anyway THIS is why we struggle to keep on living.
If you are looking for a light read stay away. This is the kind of story that will tug at your emotions.

Please read this you will not be sorry there is a good reason its rated as highly as it is.

It's been a few years since my last reread of the series, so the details are not as vivid for me as to try and describe the story as best as it deserves, but the experience and feelings it left me with are something I can't put into words, it's like something very personal on an intimate level, it's like the experience was my own, truly, it made me take a moment and let my self be impressed by man's genius and marvel at it, because this was man made... right?

One thing I recall that made the manga hit home for me is how the characters were on a first name basis, and the names really easy to remember, it was as if this wasn't a Japanese setting but instead it was all happening in the next town, or maybe this was all set in a school in the neighborhood, it was funny at times, painfully agonizing at others, magnificent at all times, the relationships are real, you'll think about your real childhood friend when you see the MC's and the rowdy crowd of kids you were, you'll appreciate what you have now and treasure it.

One special moment that left me not knowing how to feel, is when the world was crumbling and falling apart (literally) and the MC and heroine treasured their bond, with what little resources they had left, I'm a guy and I never ever imagined that I'd shed tears for anything real much less fiction, this made me cry like a little girl (well almost).

So does this series have no downside to it? the only downside I can think of is how I couldn't enjoy any other series after reading it for weeks, it left me looking for the next Saikano desperately, but there's only one of those, too bad for me.

Cute Chise and awkward Shuji will live on in my heart for ever.

... Last updated on November 10th, 2012, 12:34pm

Just as the subject says, this one tore my heart to pieces. Although the drawing could be better and the story is hard to follow at times, this is--and will be--the greatest drama manga that I will ever read.

...UTTERLY DEPRESSING!!! Now this is what drama for you guys! The 1st chapter is a common one for love drama, but things will start shaking on the next chapter. The deep, dark emotion from all the character in this story (which IMO inspired from the Japan's WW2 experience with a bit of fantasy) keep developing that in some points make you feel like you lost your will to live. Not recommended for thou with a weak heart.

PS: BTW, It would be great if the anime opening is ALONES from Aqua Timez (I knew, but it's just that those 2 are so perfectly matched, right?)

Please, people, don't stop at chapter 4... you'll miss something awesome. It's... beautiful. The characters are... Ah! I just can't express it. I've just been so touched by this manga. It's deep yet light and fluffy. The drawings are very sketchy yet awesomely soft and perfect. Well I may be influenced by the fact I just love that author since reading Tom Sawyer, but hell, that guy just draws too well. Never once did I feel like the story was too far-fetched even though the principal subject is just stupid : One day, Kanojo gets abducted then she comes back as the perfect weapon (just how would something like that happen ? I mean, fuck, if they could create one, might as well just create an entire army, that's just too unrealistic). It's... the only thing you might not like ("might" because in the end it doesn't matter).

If you want to read this, I suggest you prepare yourself some time alone, and then read, as slowly as possible starting from volume 2 (vol 1 is just cute, the real show starts in vol2). And, don't try skipping anything, I feel that every detail of this piece of art is a piece of art in itself. Personally, I ended up crying like three times reading this even though I'm a guy(yea I know that doesn't mean anything) and my tears are thing I had kept precious all my life.

Well. Maybe it's just me but, this is one goddamned great manga anyway, and I love it, it's my favorite and it will always be.

This is not of much value, maybe, since I didn't read past chapter 4 or so.

Still, any story about a war that's set in the present has to take account of modern armaments. Things like nuclear bombs and 50-rounds per second Gatling guns can NOT be successfully fought by one human, no matter how augmented. To set the stage for all the wonderful feeling and philosophy and suchlike in this mange you have to give the girl amazingly massive powers that a reader can still swallow despite their excessiveness because they come from a familiar tradition, i.e., magic. Note how much time in Magister...Negima! the author spends in filling in lots of detail of how magic works so that when 10-year-old Negi fights the bad guys with giant magic effects it doesn't just seem ridiculous.

This is why I hate fantasy in most cases. It makes the writer or mangaka's scene-creating job a piece of cake. He can just massively rearrange how the physical world works, or even IGNORE same, until he gets the world the way he wants it, and since some people will swallow that, his story sells. It's too easy.

One anime that actually went to the trouble to create a plausable world for the fantastic battle story to take place in is "Simoun".

To sum up, let me quote lbloodll in his review: "In addition I felt that if the author wanted to tell a story about the depth of love, he could have used any other wartime scenario."
Yes he could, and if he had, the story would have probably have been more affecting, because I think that even the person most besotted with fantasy can more easily generate truly deep, painful feelings within a story set in something like the real world than in any other kind. After all, if it's happening in something like the real world that the reader lives in, then OMG all that painful stuff might actually happen to him!

... Last updated on January 19th, 2012, 7:23pm

After reading a few of the comments, I finally decided to pick up this manga. Much to my despair, it wasn't as great as I thought it would be. The manga wasn't "thought-provoking" to me but maybe it's because I dropped the series at chapter 4. However, by then, I felt that if I wasn't in love with this manga, nor interested, I wouldn't ever be interested. I also felt that some scenes were too rushed and choppy. Maybe I'm just too critical but this manga is only alright to me.
*Edit: I ended up finishing the manga since I was bored. Overall, it was alright. Maybe I just couldn't relate to the characters or probably I rushed the reading too much. I think that since I didn't really want to read it in this first place, my rating of the manga never went above average. I'd give this manga a 6 at most.

... Last updated on November 16th, 2011, 2:39pm

I wasnt going to comment on this manga until I saw Cedante90 comment. and all I can say is that he/she is so right. its a beutiful and emotionaly moving manga that made me want to cry.If you can stomach heartache and tears-I'd highlyu recommend this manga (dont worry though-it doesnt end too sadly)

This manga will show the deepest emotion and darkest abyss of Mankind. It's an masterpiece of philosophical, yet lovely story making. In my opinion one of the best mangas so far. It let a very deep impresion on me, one that can't be explained with words. Can recommed it to everyone who is able to handel hardtship and crying.