Manga Review: World Trigger, Volume 3, by Daisuke Ashihara

Rating (Out of 5): ~3

Publisher: Shonen Jump (VIZ Media)

Release Date: December 2014

Volumes: 11+

Spoilers?: No.

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

Volume: 1. 2. 4.

Goodreads Synopsis:

Destroy thy Neighbor! A gate to another dimension has burst open, and invincible monsters called Neighbors invade Earth. Osamu Mikumo may not be the best among the elite warriors who co-opt other-dimensional technology to fight back, but along with his Neighbor friend Yuma, he’ll do whatever it takes to defend life on Earth as we know it.

Border headquarters wants Yuma’s powerful Black Trigger—and they want it desperately enough to send their top three squads to steal it. The Tamakoma branch is one step ahead, having already safeguarded Yuma, Osamu and Chika by recruiting them to their group of eccentric and talented agents. And Jin’s precognition powers put him two steps ahead: he ambushes the thieves en route!

Review:

This is definitely a series that should be read in order.  I have not read the previous two volumes, so I jumped in with little knowledge.  I think if I’d read the previous ones, I would have more of an idea of how the world works and what the characters’ part in it is.

Saying that, this wasn’t too bad.  It had me intrigued.

We get some back story on Kuga, our main character, an alien come to Japan who’s rather secretive about his past.  I liked his group of friends, and how they’ve decided to study in order to work into the system, get stronger.  They meet a group of high ranking agents who agree to teach them.  They’re all rather unique, and I enjoyed the banter and dynamics between them.

Overall, an interesting story and world, and I liked the characters that I met.  I would probably have to read the previous books before going forward, though.

A review copy was provided by the publisher, VIZ Media, and Erik Jansen from MediaLab PR. Thank you so, so much!