Manga Review: No. 6, Volume 1, by Atsuko Asano and Hinoki Kino

Rating (Out of 5): ~3.5

Publisher: Kodansha Comics

Release Date: June 2013

Volumes: 9

Spoilers?: No.

Buy it here: Amazon. Barnes and Noble. Book Depository. Powells. RightStuf.

Volume: 2.

Goodreads Synopsis:

A PERFECT LIFE, IN A PERFECT CITY

For Shion, an elite student in the technologically sophisticated city No. 6, life is carefully choreographed. School, study, and the occasional visit with his friend and classmate Safu. One fateful day, however, he takes a misstep, sheltering an injured boy his age from a typhoon. Known only as Rat, this boy is a VC – a fugitive living outside the computerized tapestry of city control – and helping him will throw Shion’s life into chaos and start him down a path to discovering the appalling secrets behind the superficial perfection of No. 6.

Review:

I have finally given in and picked up a few volumes of No. 6. I’ve heard so much about it, and I watched a few episodes of the anime. It sounds good, and it looks good. And since I’m pretty much caught up with all of the other series I was trying to collect, now I have space for it. And I’m excited. (It helps, too, that volume 8 [print out August 26, August 19 for digital] will have 16 color pages. That sounds amazing and beautiful and I must have it.)

The volume starts a little rough in writing, but intriguing as twelve-year-old Shion rebels and takes in a criminal, Rat, overnight. Then we jump ahead four years, where we see Shion working, now bumped down to a harder existence after getting caught for harboring a criminal.

Shion seems like the only one around him who doesn’t think their dystopian town is the ideal, and he also seems to take rebelling in stride, with no problem. These things aren’t really pushed at him, though, until he discovers a diseased dead guy and the officials (the government people or whatever) cover it up with a lie. And then the officials decide they have to do something about him, which is where Rat re-enters the scene.

I’m not going to spoil any more than that, if that wasn’t already too much.

To sum up, I’m intrigued. Shion is an interesting character, and I’m looking forward to getting to know him better. His relationship with Rat should definitely be interesting, along with the place that Rat lives. And, yes, there are definitely yaoi hints, although I’m not sure if that’s going to go anywhere or not.

I know there’s still a lot to be explored, including some new characters, and I’m looking forward to reading more.