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4.25 AVERAGE
4.25 AVERAGE
I had a few hang-ups with the first volume, but Sana Takeda's artwork continues to amaze; it's lush, evocative, and possibly makes this series more enthralling than it actually is.
Compared to first volume's heavier emphasis on slavery, torture, mutilation, and witchcraft, the nautical bent to this volume's selection of eldritch horrors is more to my liking. Ghost stories at sea, marooned perpetrators of genocide, and carnivorous/cursed islands delve into some great tropes, and also feel slightly less like graphic content for the sake of shock value.
Here's a little dose of eeriness:
It was fun to see Maika and her monster reluctantly work together again, while both simultaneously going through their own existential crisis. Ren and Kippa also start to get their bearings and do useful things here, but they're still far from being a fully cooperative and coordinated group. So far, character development is subtle when it's not tied up with blatant plot-related revelations.
I also enjoyed the new addition of war propaganda formatted infodumps that were tacked on at the end of each chapter. It was less tedious and more digestible than the lecture format used in other issues; it also added another layer of anachronistic whimsy to the series.
There's still a lot of world-building and setup going on in this volume, but it's beginning to feel less dense and less convoluted, with an increase in momentum and direction that has me looking forward to the next volume! Too bad it's likely another year away.
Compared to first volume's heavier emphasis on slavery, torture, mutilation, and witchcraft, the nautical bent to this volume's selection of eldritch horrors is more to my liking. Ghost stories at sea, marooned perpetrators of genocide, and carnivorous/cursed islands delve into some great tropes, and also feel slightly less like graphic content for the sake of shock value.
Here's a little dose of eeriness:
It was fun to see Maika and her monster reluctantly work together again, while both simultaneously going through their own existential crisis. Ren and Kippa also start to get their bearings and do useful things here, but they're still far from being a fully cooperative and coordinated group. So far, character development is subtle when it's not tied up with blatant plot-related revelations.
I also enjoyed the new addition of war propaganda formatted infodumps that were tacked on at the end of each chapter. It was less tedious and more digestible than the lecture format used in other issues; it also added another layer of anachronistic whimsy to the series.
There's still a lot of world-building and setup going on in this volume, but it's beginning to feel less dense and less convoluted, with an increase in momentum and direction that has me looking forward to the next volume! Too bad it's likely another year away.
Come era prevedibile, con questi secondi sei capitoli la storia comincia a chiarirsi.
Capiamo meglio chi siano alcuni personaggi intravisti (come la Spada) e la storia di questo mondo, mentre sia Maika che il mostro cercano di ricordare il proprio passato, ripercorrendo le uniche tracce al momento disponibili, quelle di Moriko.
Sempre grandiosi i disegni e sempre cupa la storia, con splendide new entry come i fratelli Imura o la Volpe di Sangue.
Le streghe rimangono da parte in questo volume, incentrato sul viaggio di Maika verso la terribile Isola delle Ossa, un viaggio che sa di percorso formativo: si salda il legame tra la Halfwolf e l'entità che dimora in lei, compare una strega che immagino possa rimanere nel cast in futuro, ma soprattutto il demone ricorda il suo nome e la sua storia: come evolverà la situazione?
Aumentano le fazioni a caccia di Maika (che ancora deve scoprire l'identità della sua presunta amica, come prenderà la cosa?), ma quale sarà il suo ruolo nei loro piani?
La storia si fa interessante.
Capiamo meglio chi siano alcuni personaggi intravisti (come la Spada) e la storia di questo mondo, mentre sia Maika che il mostro cercano di ricordare il proprio passato, ripercorrendo le uniche tracce al momento disponibili, quelle di Moriko.
Sempre grandiosi i disegni e sempre cupa la storia, con splendide new entry come i fratelli Imura o la Volpe di Sangue.
Le streghe rimangono da parte in questo volume, incentrato sul viaggio di Maika verso la terribile Isola delle Ossa, un viaggio che sa di percorso formativo: si salda il legame tra la Halfwolf e l'entità che dimora in lei, compare una strega che immagino possa rimanere nel cast in futuro, ma soprattutto il demone ricorda il suo nome e la sua storia: come evolverà la situazione?
Aumentano le fazioni a caccia di Maika (che ancora deve scoprire l'identità della sua presunta amica, come prenderà la cosa?), ma quale sarà il suo ruolo nei loro piani?
La storia si fa interessante.
Liked it more than the first, though it's still a little tough telling the difference between the races. I think theres ancients and then theres humans. Then the arcanics are half-human half -ancient?? Then the old gods we learned more about here and I am very into that story arc. Still trying to put the pieces of the war that happened recently that everyone is getting over now. It's tough keeping track of which race is oppressed and which race is the oppressor. I might need to just pay better attention, keep getting distracted by the amazing art
Oh, I feel really bad for only giving this a three. I know! It should be a five! The art is incredible, the world building dense and immersive, it has a feel that is deeply unsettling yet beautiful, it is unique...
...But it isn't for me - and I score on how much I enjoy it. Reveal after reveal of, er, what? I've got no idea what's going on so I don't care, sadly. Was going to get the next two volumes in but glad I didn't. I don't want to read any more. Every character is a multi-level fucking mystery. I just find that frustrating and irritating.
To be fair, I don't like this type of thing in prose fiction either. Remember how annoying The X-Files got? It's like that. But if you dig fantasy epics you'll absolutely LOVE it and I think it's great quality of that sort of thing.
...But it isn't for me - and I score on how much I enjoy it. Reveal after reveal of, er, what? I've got no idea what's going on so I don't care, sadly. Was going to get the next two volumes in but glad I didn't. I don't want to read any more. Every character is a multi-level fucking mystery. I just find that frustrating and irritating.
To be fair, I don't like this type of thing in prose fiction either. Remember how annoying The X-Files got? It's like that. But if you dig fantasy epics you'll absolutely LOVE it and I think it's great quality of that sort of thing.
adventurous
tense
medium-paced
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
adventurous
dark
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
dark
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This series is officially on my best-and-favorites list. The second volume was a bit more focused (on Maika's past and on her quest to uncover it) and introduced more cool species and characters, all beautifully illustrated as in the first volume. I love the matriarchal setting, the world-building, the quirky characters; I am still overwhelmed by the flashbacks that pop up willy-nilly and the panels overcrowded with speech bubbles from multiple characters/POVs, but it's a small price to pay for something so compelling!