Blame! Master Edition Box Set

BLAME! #1-6

by Tsutomu Nihei

In a future version of Earth, there is a city grown so chaotically massive that its inhabitants no longer recall what "land" is. Within this megastructure the silent, stoic Kyrii is on a mission to find the Net Terminal Gene—a genetic mutation that once allowed humans to access the cybernetic NetSphere. Armed with a powerful Graviton Beam Emitter, Kyrii fends off waves of attacks from fellow humans, cyborgs and silicon-based lifeforms. Along the way, he encounters a highly-skilled scientist whose body has deteriorated from a lengthy imprisonment who promises to help Kyrii find the Net Terminal Gene, once she settles a score for herself...

Genres: Manga, Graphic Novels, Science Fiction, Comics

2184 pages, Hardcover

First published September 1, 2003

About the author

See also 弐瓶 勉.

Tsutomu Nihei (弐瓶 勉 Nihei Tsutomu, born 1971) is a Japanese manga artist. His cyberpunk-influenced artwork has gained a strong cult following. He has a relatively large community of fans in Germany where his manga Blame!, NOiSE and Biomega were published by Ehapa. Blame! was also published in France and Spain by Glénat, in the US by Tokyopop and in Italy by Panini Comics.

At first he studied architecture and later it is shown up in his manga works with drawing huge structures. This became one of his general theme that makes his manga unique. His works are usually in black and white. He is also an avid fan of the video game series Halo, as he mentions in his commentary section in the Halo Graphic Novel.

Taken from Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tsutomu_...

Reviews

[Monif Chowdhury · Rating 3 out of 5]

Whenever I hear Tsutomu Nihei my brain automatically translates it to "body horror, scifi gore and vague plot". Blame! as much as maybe his best work it still fails to deliver on the thrilling plot.

The manga was mostly visual with lot less dialogue, so it was easy to read. The plot revolves around a guy trying to find this net gene to put a stop to the conflicts going on in this dystopic vertical city which has kilometers long heights and several thousands floors, yet they couldn’t have good transportation method. I am not taking about trains or things like that, but a world where cloning machines can operate effortlessly, a lift wouldn’t hurt.

Being a scifi fan I was amazed by the concept but disappointed by the presentation.

[Else]

otrolig?

[Davide Pappalardo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Blame! non è assolutamente un manga che vuole essere amico del suo lettore. Nervoso, veloce e criptico tanto nel suo stile grafico, quanto nella sua narrazione, ci getta sin dalle prime pagine in un mondo di cui dobbiamo accettare le regole senza molte spiegazioni e preparazioni. Eventi, spazi e tempi sono colossali ed alieni, immersi in un universo meccanico continuo e smisurato che sembra protrarsi all’infinito verso l’alto. Cyborg, mutazioni, entità robotiche abitano questo spazio ostile dove la morte è dietro l’angolo; l’esperienza si fa sempre più rarefatta ed onirica con il proseguire della trama, e la cosa si rispecchia in un disegno sempre più ridotto e minimale, ma mai privo di fascino. Un’esperienza che può lasciare confusi, ma che certamente affascina nella sua singolare costruzione caotica capace veramente di stabilire un mondo “altro” con un suo linguaggio estetico.

[Juan A. Arias · Rating 4 out of 5]

Es la segunda vez que me leo la saga de "Blame!". Pensaba que la primera vez me había enterado poco por ser un joven adolescente, pero ahora veo que no importa qué edad tengas, seguir el hilo de la historia es realmente complicado.

Supongo que la cuestión es dejarte llevar por páginas y más páginas sin ningún diálogo, solo los magníficos dibujos de Tsutomu Nihei (que es arquitecto, y se nota), alguna onomatopeya, y esa sensación de inmensidad en el tiempo y el espacio que transmiten estas obras.

De principio a fin, una obra sobre la desesperanza de un mundo hiper-tecnológico y la esperanza de que quizás todavía se puede recuperar algo de lo que se fue. Ese día llegará cuando mires al cielo y veas estrellas en lugar de una inmensa e inabarcable bóveda de acero.

[A · Rating 5 out of 5]

How often have I thought of this story so far, I cannot tell.
I'm adding it to my goodreads account because I don't see it as merely a manga, and I believe nor should you, if you are planning to enter this mesmerizing philosophical journey.
P.S.: NOiSE is a short prequel to this story.

[Matteo G · Rating 5 out of 5]

A me è piaciuto molto, l'autore ha uno stile particolare con pochi dialoghi e bisogna capire la storia dai disegni, una sfida certe volte ma è questo che ti fa apprezzare l'opera. I disegni sono spettacolari, la storia meglio di Knights of Sidonia dello stesso autore. L'unica nota negativa per questa versione è il tipo di carta, molto opaca, che fa perdere un po' la bellezza dei disegni. Chi ha pibblicsto in Italia ha fatto un pessimo lavoro. La versione inglese è meglio