Manga Review: No. 6, Volume 5, by Atsuko Asano and Hinoki Kino

Rating (Out of 5): ~4

Publisher: Kodansha Comics

Release Date: February 2014

Volumes: 9

Spoilers?: No.

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

Volume: 1. 4. 6.

Goodreads Synopsis:

“THE MANHUNT IS HERE!”

The rumors were true! Armored vehicles from No. 6 roar through the gate into West Block, massacring the helpless and arresting everyone else. Amid the chaos, Shion and Rat realize this could be their only chance to get into the Correctional Facility and save Safu. But when they do make it inside, what they find is worse than anyone could have imagined...

PRAISE FOR THE ANIME

“Sadly beautiful in places, hauntingly violent in others, No. 6 [is] worth your time.” – Anime News Network

“No. 6 is science fiction the way it’s meant to be – boundary pushing… and completely spellbinding.” —Inside AX

Review:

Things are getting more intense as the series goes on.

The manhunt, a horrible thing the government does to the people in the West Block, happens. And so Rat and Shion get transported somewhere new. Shion struggles with the horror of it and having to move forward, wanting to go back to how things were. But he wants to be there for Rat, and he wants to save Safu, and he promised Dogkeeper he’d be back.

Shion is a sweetheart, and it’s hard seeing him struggle like this. The cliffhanger makes me really scared, both for him and for what he’s doing.

I love Dogkeeper. She tries so hard to be tough, but the way she gives in for Shion’s sake is nice. I just want to know more about her. She’s separated from Rat and Shion at this point, but I hope we get to see more of her in the next volume.

A lot is happening, and the main plot is moving forward at a very steady pace. Shion is learning to deal with the horrors of what No. 6 is doing, and I like that he acknowledges that he doesn’t want to get used to it, or become cynical of it. I’m looking forward to reading more.