Ayanashi Vol. 1

Ayanashi #1

by Yukihiro Kajimoto

In this world, humanity has been driven underground to live like moles, hiding from the fearsome monsters which roam the surface. The monsters are impervious to every sort of weapon known to man. The only ones with the power to defeat them…are the Ayanashi. One day, in one such underground city, a pair of siblings encounter a mysterious boy covered in wounds. The boy introduces himself as Holo, and in the following days slowly opens up to the pair…until a monster from the surface descends upon the city, laying waste to everything in its path. Holo stands to face the threat, brandishing a flaming short sword attached to his right arm. And so, the story of bringing light back to a world of everlasting darkness begins.

Genres: Manga, Fantasy, Comics, Action, Drama, Shonen, Dystopia

224 pages, Kindle Edition

First published February 17, 2017

Reviews

[Melanie Schneider · Rating 5 out of 5]

Von Anfang an hat mich die Geschichte gefangen genommen. Die verbundenen Elemente sind unerwartet und passen richtig gut zusammen. Das Design der Oni (also der Gegner) und wie sie ihre tödliche Kraft wirken ist super. Ich würde am liebsten sofort weiterlesen!

[Spira Virgo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Trigger Warning: Gore, Death of a Sibling.

4/5

Many Video Games Designers ends up one way or another creating their own IPs during their time. Some more successfully others are butchered because of poor plannings and executing the project. Ayanashi is a manga that's remarkably unique with its setting but it's not anything you never saw before in the Shonen genre. In fact one of the many reasons people avoid reading the book its because it's been labeled as another Attack On Titan clone. Let me assured you that Ayanashi might share some similarities but they aren't. First of, our story is set underground, humanity is now divided in sectors, afraid of ever above the surface after a calamity ruined the old world. There's dangerous monsters lurking outside, some thought of them as mere grandma's tales but it's all true, the Ogres are real and only the ever so seclusive Ayanashi can fight them.

Right away I liked the setting because I'm a sucker for a dystopian setting and interesting artwork especially thanks to Yukihiro Kajimoto experience on JRPGs like Infinite Undiscovery and Star Ocean series. He knows how to craft memorable monsters and characters and for that I am going to keep reading plus what the hell happened to the protagonist, Holo and why his brother (shocker, lol) was murdered. The series was wrapped after 4 volumes only but still try and picking the first book in the series. You might have a nice brief action read if you just let assumptions aside :)

[Madame Misc · Rating 3 out of 5]

Inhalt
Während auf der Erdoberfläche nur noch Monster und Ayanashi, also Menschen die nicht mehr zur Gesellschaft gehören, leben, sind die Menschen unter die Erde gezogen.
Auch Holo ist ein Ayanashi und kehrt eines Tages unter die Erde zurück. Doch auch Monster haben den Weg in die unterirdische Stadt gefunden.

Meine Meinung
Nicht nur Cover von Ayanashi sondern auch Klappentext haben mich hier direkt angesprochen.
Ich finde die Idee der Story total gut und diese hat mich auch beim Lesen nicht enttäuscht. Es geht direkt spannend los und wir lernen die Hauptcharaktere kennen. Dazu gehört natürlich auch Holo und ich finde ihn echt super.

Auch das Worldbuilding gefällt mir sehr gut. Eine komplette Zivilisation die unter der Erde lebt und sich vollkommen auf dieses Leben angepasst hat. Und eine sehr gefährliche Erdoberfläche voller Monster und Kriminelle. Das hat in meinen Auge Potenzial und ich bin gespannt was da noch alles kommt.
Allerdings finde ich es nur teilweise gut umgesetzt.

Ich hätte gern ein wenig mehr über diese Lebensweise mitbekommen und auch so war es nicht immer sehr übersichtlich wo man sich gerade befand.
Was vielleicht auch ein klein wenig mit an dem Zeichenstil liegen könnte. Ich muss gestehen dass ich damit bei Ayanashi doch so meine Probleme hatte.
Gerade Action Szenen sind hier sehr verworren gezeichnet so dass ich gar nichts wirklich erkannt habe. Während das bei anderen Manga dann wenigstens mit Text betont wird, waren es hier einfach undefinierbare Bilder mit denen ich nichts anfangen konnte.

Klar, die ungefähre Situation erschließt sich natürlich aus dem Kontext aber ich habe das Gefühl dass mir hier einige Details abhanden gekommen sind und das frustet dann doch ein wenig.
Und es ist auch schade denn der Zeichenstil ist ansonsten echt toll. Also da wo es wirklich übersichtliche Bilder gibt, hat mir alles gefallen.

Ich bin jetzt tatsächlich noch am Überlegen ob ich die Reihe weiter verfolgen möchte denn Story ect. sind ja wirklich toll aber wenn man nur die Hälfte mitbekommt bringt das auch nicht so viel.

Fazit
Durchaus tolle Story mit interessantem Worldbuilding und viel Potenzial aber leider sehr unübersichtlicher Zeichenstil. Ich denke da muss jeder selber schauen wie er damit zurecht kommt.

[Jessica · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nothing Special

There's nothing particularly outstanding about this manga, either good or bad. The most interesting thing is the world, one where humans live underground and monsters roam the surface. It's weird how there seems to be a day and night cycle underground, but not above ground. Maybe it'll be explained in a later volume, but maybe not, given the level of explanations in this one.

The plot is pretty basic, with the main character, a teenage boy, roaming around killing monsters and looking for the person who killed his brother. He's not super interesting, but he has a potential spark of personality, so maybe he'll be more interesting later. The side characters sure exist.

The art is average, maybe a little less during the fight scenes. I know it must be hard to draw them well, but I hate when I can't tell what's going on, and that happens in here.

Overall, I'd give this a pass, as it didn't grab me. It's not awful or anything, but it's not bringing anything especially new, exciting, or well done to the table. There's plenty of other manga and graphic novels out there that are more worth your time.

[SereneReads · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a librarian review. I try to leave notes on books I’m considering for a school library for others in the school library profession because manga is hardly ever professionally reviewed for us to properly vet before buying. I mainly just look for troublesome issues for younger ages, such as sexual content, language, or extreme violence.

I read this on Hoopla, so I didn't see a rating, which is usually on the backs of volumes, but I would personally rate this for older, more mature teens. The main reasons for this are the language, violence, and heavier themes. As of volume 1, there was no inappropriate sexual content, imagery, or even language or innuendo, which I am VERY pleased about. There's only one thing I'll note about it further below.

Language:
This consisted of various uses of everything but the F-bomb: hell, shit, bastard, son of a -, etc. So nothing is really held back there, but that's typical of a very gritty action manga with fights.

Violence & Graphic Images:
The monsters ('ogres') are described as "death incarnate", and anything they touch rots and dies upon contact. We see this in gruesome ways when one grabs a person and that person begins to decompose alive. We see plenty of skeletons and remains of people attacked by the ogres. The ogres themselves don't really appear intelligent, just sentient and set upon killing living things.

Ayanashi are the people (part of an organization) who kill ogres and keep them away from human towns underground. This involves blades, as guns and cannons cannot kill ogres. So there is a TON of direct fighting with blood, stabbing, and even a portion where the main character rips an ogre's heart out from its chest on his blade.

There is people-on-people violence as well. One elite Ayanashi threateningly holds a gun to another's head. Ayanashi are also sometimes assigned to be executioners. Finally, someone kills the main character's younger sibling by thrusting a hand through his chest. The main character is thus on a quest for vengeance.

Sexual imagery:
Like I mentioned above, there is practically nothing to speak of. The only thing was a small visual joke when a little girl, while looking though remains of a town, holds up a really plain bra in confusion while she and her father are looking for useful items to sell. Otherwise, there's nothing. Not even revealing clothing on any characters.

Overall, I LOVED this story. It hooked me in pretty quickly. But it is definitely not suitable for younger readers. This is closer to a more mature YA rating.

[Brandon · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ayanashi has a story style that unfolds like a stripped down Attack on Titan, borrowing some of the action and movement of Fullmetal Alchemist but without the philosophy and tactics, thrown into a Fallout style universe with weird radiated monsters that roam the surface and threaten tiny vault-like towns.

It's not particularly bad at any of these, I actually really enjoy the art and the use of lighting effects with the variety of shadows (or "miasma") and the main protagonist Holo's fire weapons, but I can't help but be reminded of all the ohter manga that do what it does better. It wants to be dark, but even its monster designs don't have the body horror and creepy vibes that make other series work. It borrows the vault-like radiatied overworld from Fallout but without the zany character-building, the political commentary, or the creative creature designs.

For a first volume I'm not expecting something mind-blowing, but I was hoping it would have anything unique about it that drew me in and made it worth reading isntead of the dozens of other manga just like it.

[Ashe · Rating 5 out of 5]

Why isn't anyone talking about this more!

This was a wicked read. Ayanashi is a manga that is unique with its setting but it's not something entirely special. One of the labels that this manga has been given is that of... Attack on Titan. I do see the similarities but they are also completely different.
Differences:
This story is set underground, not on an island,
Humanity is divided in sectors, not based on 'race',
Afraid of going above the surface after a calamity ruined the old world. (Ah I guess this is the same concept as the 'walls' in AoT but it's a completely different setting.)
Monsters known as 'Ogres' have taken over the surface level of earth and nothing can kill them except for the people classed as Ayanashi. (Or so it was believed)

The monsters can be seen as similar as the Titans in AoT but these monsters also have an 'aura' that eats away at your energy and you are left defenseless if you get too close to them. That's how they are able to claim and 'rot' away their prey.

Definitely going to be continuing on with this series!

[AP · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.8
I have one problem; my library doesn’t have the fourth and final volume and I do not currently own an e-reader.... And then I am doubting this series will be able to wrap up decently in 4 volumes given how the story has been so far.
That said I enjoyed the art style; I like the mystery about the monsters and towns and the plot lines introduced along the way. So much so I did consider buying the series almost regardless of how it ended, but that dream fell apart the moment I realized this is another digital only series. I hope my library gets the final volume at some point so I can read it in my browser or perhaps I will get an erader and buy the final volume. I’m not sure if I will pay for the entire series digitally as when it comes to books/comics/manga I like I prefer physical copies, aside the fact the digital copies I ran across briefly roaming the net seemed almost as expensive as physical manga I can buy in some online shops.

[Ryan Russell · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ayanashi has a compelling, dark and dystopian premise. World-building and action seem relatively well balanced in this first volume.

This part of the review is for the English version: the direct translation of lettering for the sounds and the use of sounds in panels with dialogue was highly distracting. Additionally, it was strangely difficult to ascertain who was speaking in many panels. This is a shame as I would otherwise expect this series to consistently rate in the 4-5 star range for it's engaging theme and artwork.

[BumfuzzledNerd · Rating 3 out of 5]

Erinnert mich ein wenig an 'Attack on Titan', was nichts schlechtes bedeuten muss.

Das System der Ayanashi scheint ausserdem nicht ganz durchdacht zu sein, weil nie erklärt wird wieso nur kurze Waffen gegen die Oni wirken. Selbst als ein Ayanashi direkt danach gefragt wird, kommt als Antwort nur was wie 'dauert zu lange zum Erklären'.

Trotzdem ist es unterhaltsam, Band 2 werd ich mir wohl auch noch anschauen.

[Rebo · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 Stars. Very “shonen-y.” I like the concept a lot. The art is OK. Not a lot of depth here, but I think the later chapters really improve. I’m intrigued and want to continue.

Just realized I’m the only written review so I’ll write a proper one later.

[Emma (littledollreads) · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5

This was an interesting story. I liked the world that was being built and the characters that appear to inhabit it. There was an interesting intrigue being built p in this volume that I would be interested to see how it played out.

[Theodor Baumann · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ein Manga, der erstmal recht stereotypisch daherkommt. Im Verlauf der Geschichte wird jedoch viel Spannung aufgebaut, es ist trotzdem recht linear und auch der Schluss der Serie war etwas enttäuschend. Das Artwork hat aber sehr meinen Geschmack getroffen!

[Emir · Rating 3 out of 5]

Inicio interesante de un mundo post apocaliptico, con un personaje en busca de venganza y recuperar su humanidad.

Las peleas no son lo mas claras del mundo, pero el estilo artístico y el mundo que plantea hacen que valga la pena seguir viendo que sucede con la historia.

[Irene · Rating 2 out of 5]

El libro es interesante y te mantiene intrigado, pero la lectura es compleja. Da muchos saltos y parece que no está estructurado, y eso hace que a veces te pierdas. No está mal, pero no me llama lo suficiente quizás para leérme el manga entero. No sé qué haré

[Silvx05._ · Rating 2 out of 5]

2,5/5

entretenido? es que salta de una comunidad a otra entonces no te encariñas con ningún personaje, solo con el prota. Extraño mundo construido peor intrigante. Que será ese hombre que le persigue? El atraerá a los orgros por algo de la sangre??????

[scarlettraces]

(Mangaka's first serialisation explains why action and story were sometimes a little opaque.)

[Trigger Warning Database]

Trigger & Content Warnings

Death of a sibling

[Pata · Rating 3 out of 5]

La verdad es que la historia es bastante normalita.

[S46354595 · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was really interesting, although very short.

[Andre · Rating 4 out of 5]

To be honest, at first this manga appeared to me like an Attack on Titan clone. The oni is some big monster that just came through the main gate and now people are fleeing. Albeit if it is a clone, it is way superior in writing. The writing in Attack on Titan was shit. In fact, after a while it became clear that it was not an Attack on Titan clone, because the characters show to much common sense for that. And the Oni also come across as much more dangerous on their own, not like the titans who are only dangerous because the humans are morons.
Not that there weren't tons of questions in my mind when reading this. Like: Holo has a superior? How does that work? So far it was suggested as if Ayanashi are loners and how are they organized here? The worldbuilding seems a bit off. How can Oni just overrun these cities? Do they have no defense mechanism? The inefficient cannon at the start was already pretty damn odd when the Oni attacked. That was Attack on Titan level of stupidity.
Most of these Oni here look so human that they seem to have genders, so were they human once? Either way, using the owl to distract them is a good idea. However, if they can sense an owl that far above them, how come they don't attack cities more often? No one should be surprised then if they attack.
It is really odd how well thoughtout elements clash with half-assed notes. Example: The way this spider oni was brought down (cutting its legs so its own weight makes it fall down) was a good and believable idea. But if they can only be killed with such short weapons and light/fire helps against their deadly miasma, why aren't cities equipped with spikes and fire systems?
And Holo, at 16, is now dangerous even for an Anayashi, for some reason killing Oni is ... problematic for humans... why? I get being an executioner is, but Oni barely look human and are considered death incarnate among the cities here, so why would anyone hesitate killing one when the have the chance? And the one-eyed one who killed Rico is here as well also... why is he necessary? Aren't the oni enough? And to consider that Holo attracts Oni is total nonsense. That might work for two of the cities but with the middle one he was there by coincidence and only after the attack. By that logic its more likely to assume that Oni attract him. And even that makes no sense.

[simply-desi]

Enjoyed this.

Completed Volumes 1-4 (finished series)

[Patricia · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5