Daphne in the Brilliant Blue

by Satoshi Shiki

Tells a story set in near future in which the remaining population lives in underwater cities, with waterways as streets. Years ago, while conducting underwater experiments, all contact with the surface was cut off. With the remaining human population now living underwater, The Deep Sea 9 Cities Association represent the last hope of mankind.

Genres: Manga

216 pages, Paperback

First published October 10, 2006

About the author

Satoshi Shiki (士貴智志) is a Japanese manga artist.

Reviews

[Daniel · Rating 2 out of 5]

It was okay. That's pretty much what I said after I was done reading this manga. The idea of having all of humanity living underwater is an interesting idea, but not completely engaging for me. The biggest gripe I have is the lack of character depth. To me, the story felt like all the other characters didn't have much to offer compared to Ai (the main character).
The story also felt like it was rushed offering little detail to the actions of some of the characters. This is the other gripe I had. If the book is going to be a one volume story, there should at least be a longer story with more explaining.

But in the end I have to say that I really thought this story was okay. It's not the most amazing manga I have read, but if you just want something to read and not really care about, then this manga is for you.

P.S. I am aware that this book inspired the anime, but please keep in mind I have never seen the anime.

[Michael Reilly · Rating 3 out of 5]

Although much of what takes place in this manga is only partly explained, I did enjoy reading it much more than expected. With good art and a futuristic setting full of purposeful characters, there’s a decent platform here for plentiful intrigue and action, yet this book introduces a lot of plot elements that aren’t expanded to anything too meaningful, so this single volume concludes with many loose ends.