Manga Review: Karneval, Volume 10, by Touya Mikanagi

Rating (Out of 5): ~3.5

Publisher: Yen Press

Release Date: May 2020

Volumes: 26+

Spoilers?: No.

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

Volume: 1. 2. 11.

Goodreads Synopsis:

Yogi reclaims control over his body and returns to Circus's ship, along with his long-lost sister Mieux-Marie, but many difficult choices await the two of them. And Karoku's memories of the time he and his mother spent in the Rainbow Forest after fleeing their hometown of Karasuna provide insight into Nai's origins...

Review:

 

I stopped following this series a while back, but it's still one that I enjoyed. The artwork is seriously so pretty, and I love the color pages at the beginning. The artwork is gorgeous, in a cute and intricate and colorful way.

While some of this volume concludes what's appears to be happening with Yogi and Manai, there's also a lot of backstory. We get to see some depth to Yogi's characters, with his sister Manai. I think that's a cute story, with a relatively nice ending.

Aside from that, we get a surprising history with Nai and Karoku. I wasn't sure who Karoku was at first, and it definitely seems like he's up to something bad. But the backstory for him and Nai makes me think differently of him. I'm still not sure what he's up to in the present, but in the past, there's a lot of good intentions and painful losses. It also makes me even more intrigued in Nai, who's a sweetie all on his own.

I still think I would like to catch up with this series at some point. The artwork, as I said, is gorgeous. But I also really like the characters. They're a lot of fun, and I would like to get to know them better.

 

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

Manga Review: Karneval, Volume 2, by Touya Mikanagi

Rating (Out of 5): ~3.5

Publisher: Yen Press

Release Date: July 2015

Volumes: 18+

Spoilers?: No.

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

Volume: 1. 3.

Goodreads Synopsis:

Stopping by his hometown of Karasuna, Gareki runs into his old friend Tsubame, who asks him to help uncover the truth behind a string of murders that have recently been plaguing the town. Though the crew assumes that the murders were the doing of their mutant quarry, they catch Tsubame's younger brother, Yotaka, red-handed at the scene of the latest crime. Ordering the bewildered Nai and Gareki to escape, Yogi prepares to do battle with Yotaka, but this is one fight that can only end in heartbreak for Gareki...

Review:

This volume did not pull me in as well as the first one did, sadly.

The group deals with the fallout in Gareki’s hometown. And then Gareki and Nai are separated from the 2^nd ship circus and pushed onto the 1^st ship for a while.

We get to know the 1^st ship inhabitants more, and they’re okay. But I think I’m partial to Yogi, because he’s a sweetheart, and he’s really fun. And clearly he misses Gareki and Nai, since he breaks out of the hospital to go find them.

In the background of all this, Karoku is clearly up to something. I’m not sure what yet, but it’s going to be bad.

Since this is in omnibus format, a lot happens in each volume, and I don’t want to spoil anything, so I can’t go into too much detail. But it’s fun, even if I wasn’t pulled in as much as in the previous book.

The artwork is still gorgeous, especially the color pages. I’m still a fan of the characters, Gareki, Nai and Yogi in particular.

Manga Review: Karneval, Volume 1, by Touya Mikanagi

Rating (Out of 5): ~4

Publisher: Yen Press

Release Date: March 24, 2015

Volumes: 14+

Spoilers?: No.

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

Volume: 2.

Wishlist Thursday.

Goodreads Synopsis:

Nai--a young man who travels in search of another by the name of Karoku, a lone bracelet his only lead. Gareki--a willful young man who earns his daily bread by thieving and picking pockets. Thrown together at an eerie mansion, where they are entrapped and framed, Nai and Gareki are soon hunted down as criminals by national security forces. As they are driven into a corner, before them appears the most powerful defense agency in the country, "Circus"--!!

Review:

I really had no idea what I was getting into when I started this, but I had no doubt I was going to get this volume. There was a lot of hype, and it looked pretty, and I was intrigued.

It’s definitely another series with a large band of characters, in a unique setting. And, to be honest, I’m already sold. It took no time at all, surprisingly enough.

First of all, this book is beautiful. It’s paperback, but it’s a large (also meaning tall) two-in-one book, with three color pages at the beginning. And the artwork is so pretty, the color pages are worth it.

The main character is Nai, and he’s searching for Karoku, his long lost friend (or something, we’re not really clear on that). Nai is clueless, oblivious to how pretty much everything works, but with amazing luck. He’s kind of adorable, honestly.

He meets Gareki, a thief (kind of), from a small town, who grudgingly comes to take care of Nai. And then we meet Circus, a very high up police force, full of a lot of unique characters. Among them are Tsukumo, a girl that we’re just starting to get to know, the leader Hirato, and Yogi, who I think is a complete sweetheart and I love him already. We’ve gotten hints to Karoku, and I’m not sure about him, but it looks bad. And I'm getting Loveless vibes, regarding him.

There’s a lot of mystery here, especially about who Nai and Karouki are. There’re a lot of characters here, which leaves a lot of room to get to know them all, and I’m excited about that. The artwork is gorgeous. This volume was fast and fun, and I’m so intrigued by the characters and the story. I’m sold, and I can’t wait for the next one.

Wishlist Thursday[98]: Karneval by Touya Mikanagi

Karneval 1 by Touya Mikanagi

Publisher: Yen Press

Release Date: March 24, 2015

Volumes: 14+

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

Volume 2.

Goodreads Synopsis:

Nai--a young man who travels in search of another by the name of Karoku, a lone bracelet his only lead. Gareki--a willful young man who earns his daily bread by thieving and picking pockets. Thrown together at an eerie mansion, where they are entrapped and framed, Nai and Gareki are soon hunted down as criminals by national security forces. As they are driven into a corner, before them appears the most powerful defense agency in the country, "Circus"--!!

Why?:

I’m intrigued by this series. For one, the hype with the fans is very big and has me very interested to see why. The artwork looks very pretty. It just looks and sounds like another good series from Yen Press. Plus it’s a two-in-one. I’m excited to read it.

What are you looking forward to?