Manga Review: Children of the Whales, Volume 10, by Abi Umeda

Rating (Out of 5): ~3

Publisher: VIZ Signature (VIZ Media)

Release Date: May 2019

Volumes: 15+

Spoilers?: No.

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

Volume: 1. 9. 11.

Goodreads Synopsis:

In this postapocalyptic fantasy, a sea of sand swallows everything but the past.

In an endless sea of sand drifts the Mud Whale, a floating island city of clay and magic. In its chambers a small community clings to survival, cut off from its own history by the shadows of the past.

The promised land of Amonlogia has turned out to be a nightmare for the people of the Mud Whale. Suou and the Unmarked are being held hostage, and in order to save them, Ouni and Chakuro agree to serve the duke as soldiers. Orca’s forces and an inevitable bloody battle draw ever closer, but the duke has a far darker mission in mind for Ouni—one that will rock the very foundations of Amonlogia!

Review:

This volume lost me a little.

The mud whale inhabitants are still trying to save Suou and the others on the island, while Suou and the others are being threatened and hurt, and Rochalizo is being a weak boi against his cruel father. And then there's Ouni, who's kind of accepted his role and is finally willing to fight with the mud whale people to win this battle.

There's a lot happening in this volume. There's the mud whale debate and rescue mission happening, there's the struggle between Suou and Rochilizo and Rocholizo's father, and then there's a couple of side battle of wills happening at the same time. Lykos, for instance, is off on her own.

This battle is turning out bigger than I expected, and I think going to be uglier than I thought, too.

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

Manga Review: Children of the Whales, Volume 9, by Abi Umeda

Rating (Out of 5): ~3.5

Publisher: VIZ Signature (VIZ Media)

Release Date: March 2019

Volumes: 14+

Spoilers?: No.

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

Volume: 1. 7. 10.

Goodreads Synopsis:

In an endless sea of sand drifts the Mud Whale, a floating island city of clay and magic. In its chambers a small community clings to survival, cut off from its own history by the shadows of the past.

The Mud Whale has finally reached the shores of Amonlogia, but it quickly becomes clear that Sir Rochalízo wasn’t being entirely up-front when he said the people of the Mud Whale would all be welcome. His father the duke has placed harsh conditions on their citizenship, and they only have three days to agree…or face the consequences!

Review:

Back into this series, they have reached Rochalizo's home, Amonlogia. They're immediately confronted with violence, and then with strict negotiations that turn out to be not much of a negotiation, really.

It wasn't terribly surprising what Rochalizo did to them, despite thinking they'd been getting along so well. I can see what a bad position Rochalizo was in, but he still wasn't very smart about his choices here. I was really surprised to see what a standing Suou ended up taking, and was honestly impressed by how strong of a stance he took. He was put in a bad spot, and he did what he thought was right, and it makes me a really big fan of his character, honestly.

I'm intrigued and worried by where the plot was going at the end of the volume. It could go really bad before they get out of this.

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

Manga Review: Children of the Whales, Volume 7, by Abi Umeda

Rating (Out of 5): ~3.5

Publisher: VIZ Signature (VIZ Media)

Release Date: November 2018

Volumes: 14+

Spoilers?: No.

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

Volume: 1. 6. 8.

Goodreads Synopsis:

In this postapocalyptic fantasy, a sea of sand swallows everything but the past.

In an endless sea of sand drifts the Mud Whale, a floating island city of clay and magic. In its chambers a small community clings to survival, cut off from its own history by the shadows of the past.

The Sea of Sand harbors many mysteries, and an encounter with one of them awakens deep memories of the past for the Eldest of the Mud Whale. But everyone is still reeling from the recently revealed harsh secrets about the true nature of the Mud Whale. How can Chakuro and the others handle the new knowledge these strange visions grant?

Review:

As the mud whale continues its journey, the inhabitants continue to research and attempt to learn more of their history and what led them here. When they meet up with a ghost of their ship, they get to see the ghosts of their past.

At the same time, the group is reading and going deeper and deeper inside the mud whale, until they discover a history no one expected. It hits Chakuro hard, as we see the effect on Ouni. It's a surprise, but an interesting revelation. I'm curious what it means for what happens next, and what they all know.

In the last quarter of the volume, we get to see a side story, with characters we've never met, but supposedly an untold story set in this world. It's not hard to believe in this setting, but still very sad. Sweet at times, but an overall sad tale.

This series really intrigues me. The world it's set in, the characters; and I love the art and style of telling it all. It's always an interesting read.

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

Manga Review: Children of the Whales, Volume 6, by Abi Umeda

Rating (Out of 5): ~3.5

Publisher: VIZ Signature (VIZ Media)

Release Date: September 2018

Volumes: 13+

Spoilers?: No.

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

Volume: 1. 5. 7.

Goodreads Synopsis:

In this postapocalyptic fantasy, a sea of sand swallows everything but the past.

In an endless sea of sand drifts the Mud Whale, a floating island city of clay and magic. In its chambers a small community clings to survival, cut off from its own history by the shadows of the past.

The people of the Mud Whale have been trapped on the floating island since their ancestors were exiled to the Sea of Sand nearly a hundred years ago, yet their prison has mostly felt like a home. But now the true extent of the punishment inflicted on the criminals of Faláina has come to light, and the cost exacted by their home is immense.

Review:

Chakuro gets to learn what happened at the beginning, when the elders decided to bury the truth about what makes the Mud Whale work. Only three of them know the truth, aside from the remaining elders. It's sad, but a little sweet, why they make this decision. They had good intentions.

Of course, though, now that they're deciding to travel and find a new home, there's an attempted revolution. If there's someone in charge, there must be unhappy civilians wanting to overthrow it.

Now that the Mud Whale is moving purposely, they're on a kind of road trip. They make a few stops, as three of them want to explore the Tower of Time, a tower that reaches the sky, and supposedly if you reach the top, you'll be able to change time, go back to when you want to.

They come across rain, something they don't see often. And then a salt island, which gives them a bad omen of their travels. And during all this, we're aware that something is happening to Ouni, though it's unclear what exactly it is.

This series is odd. The lore and the world it's set in—it's odd, at times awful and at times rather beautiful. I'm kind of enjoying it, though.

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

Manga Review: Children of the Whales, Volume 5, by Abi Umeda

Rating (Out of 5): ~3

Publisher: VIZ Signature (VIZ Media)

Release Date: July 2018

Volumes: 13+

Spoilers?: No.

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

Volume: 1. 3. 6.

Goodreads Synopsis:

In this postapocalyptic fantasy, a sea of sand swallows everything but the past.

In an endless sea of sand drifts the Mud Whale, a floating island city of clay and magic. In its chambers a small community clings to survival, cut off from its own history by the shadows of the past.

The people of the Mud Whale have fought off the forces of the Allied Empire—for now—and their only hope for continued survival is to find an ally from beyond the Sea of Sand. So when the bombastic Captain Rochalízo sails his ship alongside their island, Mayor Suou is ready and eager to befriend the stranger. But even if Rochalízo can offer asylum, they have no way to navigate. That is, until the mysterious Aíma begins unlocking the Mud Whale’s secrets for Chakuro…

Review:

Some new inhabitants arrive on the Mud Whale at the start of this volume. They're a bit brash and rude, though they clearly have few options. The Mud Whale inhabitants make an equally bad impression at the beginning, and it's questionable whether they can help each other or if one has bad intentions.

Lykos has been acting weird for most of this volume, and we find out why at the end. She reveals something about the Mud Whale that is not good. It makes sense, as they are all cursed to live there, but it makes things even more complicated. And more interesting, to me.

As the islanders figure out more about how to control the island, they equally discover unsettling truths about the island and themselves. Sprinkled among that are thoughtful moments, and beautiful scenes.

I don't mind this series, and even enjoy parts of it, though I'm only somewhat following.

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

Manga Review: Children of the Whales, Volume 3, by Abi Umeda

Rating (Out of 5): ~3

Publisher: VIZ Signature (VIZ Media)

Release Date: March 2018

Volumes: 12+

Spoilers?: Some.

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

Volume: 1. 2. 4.

Goodreads Synopsis:

In this post-apocalyptic fantasy, a sea of sand swallows everything but the past.

In an endless sea of sand drifts the Mud Whale, a floating island city of clay and magic. In its chambers a small community clings to survival, most dying young from the very powers that sustain them.

The Mud Whale is in dire trouble. In four days, the imperial apátheia soldiers will return to destroy all its inhabitants. But the Committee of Elders would rather kill everyone on board than wait for the “mercy” of the empire, and the fighters of the island will do the elders’ bidding without a second thought. Now Chakuro and the other children are forced by circumstance to rebel against the adults in order to save their home and their lives.

Review:

The children stand up to the committee in their decision to save the island, to stop this while they can. Having one of the allied army there, and seeing Neri possibly sacrifice herself, seems to have put a stop to it.

Afterward, they decide to start training to fight. They know how long they have till the next attack, and they want to defend themselves and fight if they can. During this, is the start of the Sand Festival on the island, a time for them to celebrate and find joy in something after all the devastation.

They strategize, and they use the sand storm to their advantage. Despite the small reprieve we get in the middle of the volume, at the end it's back to the fighting, and the possible impending massacre. It's real bad.

This is an intriguing series, for sure. I'm a little unsure of it, and it's not generally my genre of book, deep in lore and violent. But I'm intrigued by it. And it's very pretty.

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

Manga Review: Children of the Whales, Volume 2, by Abi Umeda

Rating (Out of 5): ~3

Publisher: VIZ Signature (VIZ Media)

Release Date: January 2018

Volumes: 11+

Spoilers?: No.

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

Volume: 1. 3.

Goodreads Synopsis:

In this post-apocalyptic fantasy, a sea of sand swallows everything but the past.

In an endless sea of sand drifts the Mud Whale, a floating island city of clay and magic. In its chambers a small community clings to survival, most dying young from the very powers that sustain them.

Review: 

I missed the first volume, so I went into this with no real idea what was happening. I'm still not sure how their powers work or who has them, though the marks that appear look really cool.

The artwork on the covers caught my attention when the series was announced, because the watercolors and designs are so pretty. Inside it's a little underwhelming in comparison, but it's still a pretty style.

This volume was mostly just okay for the first part, as all the massacring was happening. And then the council revealed their plans, and I was caught off guard. Their idea is rather awful, and I was even upset at the injustice of it all, even without a connection to the characters.

I'm unsure which characters I like at this point, if any, but I am really interested in what's happening to their island. The cliffhanger has me intrigued, and I want to see how they save it.

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