Pages

Monday, December 24, 2018

Manga Review: Juni Taisen: Zodiac War, Volume 1, by Akira Akatsuki and Nisiosin, and Hikaru Nakamura


Rating (Out of 5): ~3.5
Publisher: Shonen Jump (VIZ Media)
Release Date: October 2018
Volumes: 4.
Spoilers?: Light.
Volume: 2.

Goodreads Synopsis:

Twelve fighters enter, one fighter leaves—who will win the 12th Zodiac War?

Every 12 years, 12 fighters take the form of the Chinese zodiac and engage in a battle royale. With their strength and mysterious powers, they fight to the death and the sole survivor is granted the ultimate prize—any wish.

Eleven of the twelve fighters have gathered, and everyone awaits the final contender—Boar. She is strong, confident and a favorite to win the twelfth Zodiac War. However, this time, the rules have changed! The battle is limited to an abandoned city and all of the contestants are forced to ingest a deadly poison. Monkey tries to call a truce, but before she can the floor explodes, scattering all the fighters. Despite the chaos, one thing’s for sure—only one will remain standing.

Review:

When I went into this volume, I quickly realized that I knew nothing about this series, and that perhaps there was a reason I hadn't watched or read it previously. It's definitely not something I would have had an interest in, had I realized what it was about.
We're immediately set in a Hunger Games (or Battle Royale?)-esque setting, with 12 characters in each zodiac animal theme, in war in which one winner will come out. They have to literally kill each other in order to get the thing they need to win. Each character has a different tactic, and a different perspective on their competitors. They've got different abilities, and some are underestimated more than others.
We get an introduction with a cocky character, who is very quickly eliminated from the competition. It's a bloody, fierce battle we're going into here.
I really had no idea what I was getting into, and honestly, I'm a little wary of reading more. I'm not even sure how I feel about the character development yet. That being said, though, I didn't necessarily mind reading this volume.


 A review copy was provided by the publisher, VIZ Media, for an honest review. Thank you so, so much!

No comments:

Post a Comment