World Trigger, Vol. 2

ワールドトリガー [World Trigger] #2

by Daisuke Ashihara, Lillian Olsen (Translator)

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.

Ever since meeting Yuma, Osamu has protected the feisty Neighbor’s secret through a combination of covering up and taking credit for Yuma’s actions. Turns out, though, Yuma isn’t the only person Osamu’s been protecting. He sets in motion a plan to help his friend Chika, who for mysterious reasons seems to attract Neighbors. And it also becomes clear that Osamu isn’t covering for Yuma as well as he thinks…

Genres: Manga, Science Fiction, Action, Comics, Young Adult, Graphic Novels, Shonen

189 pages, Paperback

First published September 4, 2013

Reviews

[Bibliophile Cat]

Re-read

This being my second time reading, I'm noticing things I didn't really think about before, such as Yuma showing a more positive attitude toward Kitora when he learns she does not want to lie about defeating the Ilgar and claim undue commendation. "I see....So that's an A-rank agent."
Understandably, truth is extremely important to him.

Seeing Miwa making his first appearance reminded me of how bad I feel for him and his struggles with grief and hate. I can't wait to see how his character arc turns out in the end. I'm hopeful that it will be good.

Something that made me laugh was the moment toward the end when Jin arrives and is standing over Miwa, who is pinned on the ground by lead bullet and glaring, and Jin says, "See, Shuji? I told you not to do this."
It reminds me of a parent reprimanding a defiant teenager, lol. Like, this is what happens when you don't listen. XD

I went through this one a bit faster than the first volume because the third is one of my favorites and I'm very very excited to read it again. (!)

First read

*angry screeching*

Excuse me, you're gonna do WHAT to Yuma?!!

*goes into attack mode* ╰༼⇀︿⇀༽つ-]═──
DON'T YOU DARE TOUCH MY CINNAMON ROLL

but to review this thing properly, well, in this volume you find out more about how Trion works and learn some very important information on Triggers. Plus exactly why Yuma is such a powerful fighter. And more characters are introduced, such as Border's Top Brass and Miwa Squad. But the most important ones are Jin Yuichi and Amatori Chika, both of who I think will probably play big roles in the future of the series.
I don't know too much about either of them yet but I am curious to find out more. Except...I'm not quite sure what to feel about Jin so far...part of me wants to be fond of him because he just has this sort of endearing, confident, laid-back personality but also. He's a pervert. Fortunately there was only that one scene with Kyoko and it was brief but...I got the vibe it was supposed to be funny or something...?!? And just-- Nope. Not okay. It gave me a bad taste in my mouth. :S I'm glad the anime left this stuff out...
That's my only complaint and the reason for the four star rating in what is otherwise a five star volume.
So besides that incident (Edit: there is only one more similar, brief incident in one of the following volumes, so far. The rest is fine.), this manga is continuing to be fantastic and it's only becoming more interesting. The action scenes are amazing. I like the strategizing and depth of thought that goes into them. I'm enjoying the slower pace at which the story is moving. I think it gives the characters more time to grow and develop relationships organically. And it's not as if there are moments that lag, no, each scene matters and the story is always progressing in some way.

But my favoritest part in this whole volume had to be Yuma trying to learn to ride a bike. And humorously failing. xD

"I just can't figure out how anyone can ride straight on this thing that looks so unstable."

"Do the Japanese people get special training on it?"

Oh, Yuma, you are the cutest (ᗒᗜᗕ)՛̵̖

[Lu]

SLAY THE WORLD vol2 was a lot better than vol1 - even though I liked vol1 - i felt more engaged with the fights and the characters! Plus the new ones??? so interesting!

[Rereader]

An improvement over the first volume, but just barely. Chika is super freaking adorable and makes me want to hug her everytime she's there and Kuga's fight with the A-rank Border soldiers was cool. I'm glad the Border higher-ups are still unwilling to make Kuga an ally despite becoming more passive. As obnoxious as they come across, they're taking the situation seriously and not welcoming every Neighbor who doesn't kill humans with open arms. Still, this series is still average in my opinion, but that doesn't make it bad and I still recommend it to people. Just not grabbing my attention like other shounen action series.

[darcy]

Un deuxième tome qui ne déçoit pas après la réussite du premier... les choses avancent bien vite, je ne sais pas comment ça va évoluer sur le long terme du coup !

[Grant Wood]

Story is pretty good. Interesting characters.

[Leah]

lmao jin simp

[The Book Dragon]

Osamu (Border agent) and Yuma (a Neighbor) are at the center of an inter-dimensional war (between humanity and Neighbors) where allies could be enemies and enemies could pop up anywhere.

There are a lot of new characters introduced in this volume and even though they're all allies on the side of humanity, they all have different views on the Neighbors. Jin knows that some Neighbors are good. Chika made friends with Yuma before finding out he was a neighbor, the same way Osamu did. Shuji hates all Neighbors on principle because one killed his sister. Commander Kido and the other executives have to prioritize Border, both in function and in reputation, meaning some decisions will be more politically based than others.Each one is different and that makes for a very interesting conflict of interests.

Also, Ai Kitora gets some character development, or at least a situation that could lead to character development. Nothing conclusive, but definitely promising.

[Nicholas Driscoll]

Three and a half stars.

Things I liked: humor, giant monsters, sleek and attractive character designs, interesting world building and power system. It’s really quite fun! I also like the concept art and character descriptions in the back.

Things I don’t like so far: Yuma seems overpowered. The way characters deal with Yuma doesn’t seem to make sense. If he is a neighbor, the Border agents (including Mikumo) should be much more concerned about reporting him, keeping him in custody or otherwise communicating with him. But they let him hang out with a local girl instead of asking for back up or taking him in or anything. True, the heads of Border decide to kill him at the end of the volume, but only after the agents just let him go. I also find he art a bit too simplistic sometimes. And Jin sexually harasses women. He uses his super powers to get away with it. It’s disgusting.

[Mac Dubista Keso The Bibliobibuli v(=∩_∩=)]

Wow. Mind-blowing revelations and battles.

Of course, Osamu is still useless. Just kidding! He's so weak. Ughhh, why is he the MC?!

Chika is cute. She and Yuma look good together. The black trigger is very interesting. And I have high expectations for Yuma. Jin is really useful in the next chapters. I'm sure of it. I'm excited to read the next one. There are more fighting scenes here. And there will be a cliffhanger too! (even though I already know what will happen, since I'm on season 3 of this Anime. I feel sad because I know I'll be left hanging. I need to catch up on the Manga!) Highly recommended!

[Seth Howard]

One of my favorite off-the-beaten-path Shonen series. It reminds me a bit of Cyborg 009, or Kikkaider. Interesting characters, and action, with a touch of mystery. Not a bad choice to collect, if you're looking for a light but intriguing page-turner.

[theo ♡]

still feels a lot like setup tbh, the author’s lil loredumps and behind the scenes drawings between chapters are the best part. kuga gives me gender envy. not the best read but i read it at a kind of disjointed pace so that might be why, and i’ve already started the next one :3

[Galion Public Library Teens]

Review by D.H. : "The amount of progress Osama makes on becoming a good agent is surprising. My dad and my sister [would like this]."

[Kathleen]

Intriguing!

[Camila Quezada]

Me declaro adicta

[circvsalcvhvl]

it’s killing killing killing

[Adam Sunny]

Chapter 8-16

[Lindsay]

This is so interesting. I like all the new characters were introduced to.

[Kaytalist]

I think i can understand why does my friend love this series so much

[DonutKnow]

Mikumo is so wholesome 😍

[Brannigan]

It’s lost its charm. I might try the anime.

[James]

Our adventure continues with Osamu and Yuma as Yuma continues to allows Osamu to take the “glory” of his achievements. This backfires has Osamu is caught by the Border agents and meets some resistance amongst his superiors. At the same time, Border agents is learning more about the Neighbors and fear the worst could just be the beginning.

[Meah Cook]

Love getting back into this!! Found that one of my libby libraries has them so I read this on my kindle! Finally getting use out of it lmao 🤣 (im just such an audio/ physical book girlie)

Finally meeting Chica, from what i remember she is a bad a**! Cant wait to see more of her, she is the character on the next vol. so I’m excited :)

the ending!! Kuga be kicking booty 🙌🏻😚

[Sara]

Osamu meets up with a young girl named Chika, who is the younger sister of one of Osamu's friends, previously killed by a Neighbor. Chika has a strange gift - she seems to attract Neighbors exorbitantly! Yuma sheds some light on the case, and it turns out that Chika's Trion levels are off the charts! He also explains that Neighbors come to Earth to capture humans because they need to use them as Trion batteries, so there's a chance that Chika's brother is still alive. As Yuma explains everything, another Border team comes to take him out, but they are woefully unsuccessful. Osamu believes that neither Yuma nor Chika will be safe at this rate, so he decides to come clean Border command and demand protection for his friend.

This volume provides some much-needed explanation into Trion and the workings of the Neighbors. Trion was mentioned in volume one, but not in too much detail. The humans-as-batteries plot is very reminiscent of The Matrix, but it definitely provides an ample reason as to why Neighbors haven't destroyed Earth's civilizations. Chika is a typical cute and docile Japanese girl who now rounds out the trio of main characters. I can only hope that she harnesses the reservoir of Trion and becomes a super powerful character down the road. Yuma continues to make his silly face, which will probably be around for the entire series. The scenery and characters are still very beautiful and have great detail.

VIZ rates this series Teen, and this is an appropriate rating.

Sara's Rating: 9/10
Suitability Level: Grades 7-12

Read more graphic novel reviews at www.graphiclibrary.org.

[Amanda Setasha]

This series is really good and keeps you on your toes. Totally enjoyable if you love action. I liked the first volume a little more, but this one didn't disappoint either.

[Online Eccentric Librarian]

More reviews (and no fluff) on the blog http://surrealtalvi.wordpress.com/

World Trigger 2 continues exactly where volume 1 left off, with Ai about to battle a Neighbor. What these chapters bring is more information about the Border Agency as well as the neighbors. New types of monsters will appear and it becomes obvious that the Neighbor menace is escalating. But most importantly, we learn why the Neighbors are attacking Earth.

Story: A new type of flying bomber Neighbor has appeared. Osamu works with Yuma to save the citizens of the City. But Yuma's power signature is distinct and it is getting harder for Yuma to help Osamu and the City without bring the Border Agency down on him. Osamu also has a friend, a young girl named Chika, who seems to attract the Neighbor monsters and he needs Yuma to find out why. But with the Border Agency hot on Yuma's, trail will Osamu be able to save Yuma and Chika?

I really like all the shades of grey in this story. No one is evil nor completely good. Although there is an ever increasing number of side characters, they have all remained very distinct in personalities. It's fun just to watch the different people come into play around Osamu and Yuma.

Yuma and Osamu continue to impress. Yuma is as insouciant and inscrutable as ever. Osamu continues to be a level headed do-gooder. Together, they make for an interesting tag team that I am enjoying following. Yuma especially is such an interesting and unique character.

We're given quite a few answers in this volume about the Neighbors and why the humans are targeted. But at the same time, it's clear that there is so much more to come as the monsters continue to escalate their attacks - and only Yuma has the answers the Border Agency needs to protect the Earth.

Volume 3 can't come out fast enough!

Reviewed from an ARC.

[Jennifer Lavoie]

I really wish the third volume was already out. I'm enjoying this series very much! I bought it for my students to read, but I like the characters and the plot. Jin is a great new character, and I like the way he interacts with everyone, especially Yuma. His side effect makes him interesting, and it makes me think that Yuma's side effect is being able to perceive when a person lies.

I watched the first three episodes of the anime the other day as well, and it seems that they are from the first volume. A few minor changes, but over all really good. Arashima's interaction with his siblings is HILARIOUS.

[Rebecca Ann]

This is another interesting installation. The author steps up the world building and "scientific" info about how everything works. While this is very entertaining with good art, great battle sequences and interesting characters I doubt I'll continue it. I do want to know what happened with the neighbor's late dad, but otherwise I don't think there is quite enough inter-character drama to hook me. Great for fans of battle-manga, though!

[Tori Uchiha]

World Trigger by Daisuke Ashihara is a awesome book! I really would love to finish this series because it is so cool! The suspense and action really makes the plot interesting. My most favorite character from the book is Yuma Kuga. It's pretty interesting what you find out about him. It surprises you!

[Kyogou]

Following up from volume one, you learn a bit more about the mysterious humanoid neighbor that the main character has befriended, and how he's come across such a powerful trigger. The S rank agent that sticks up for them in front of the Board concerns me, however. Jin, was it...? Not sure, but there's a lot more to him than his easygoing nature and sexual harassment.

[Beckiezra]

Still good art, still funny artist notes, still the same story as the anime. I wonder if that will always be the case for this series. So far I don't mind the rehash (though this is the original so it's not really a rehash).