Member Reviews

This story line was absolutely addicting and action packed! I loved following our characters on the journey that they went on. The artwork was gorgeous! I need more of this storyline for sure so I know what happens next!

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Another story about apocalyptic Word. The idea of bugs is quite new for me so it took me a little time to get to the story. I loved the characters since Kidow is mysterious and I love those kinds of characters. This first volume is interesting start for the rest.

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I forgot how fun it was reading manga (yup, it's been a while) and this one was good!! In 2125 the world has been ravaged by an infection called Cagaster that turns people into human eating giant bugs. Kidow is an interesting character, there's quite some mystery surrounding who he is, where he comes from, and what "crimes" he's committed as one of the best exterminators out there. Ilie, considering her recent loss, is also interesting and I'm curious how she'll make her mark in the story. The art isn't as detailed as I thought it would be but it's still really well done and while the topic is dreary, there are some fun dialogues throughout the pages. Can't wait to read more!

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I really quit enjoyed reading Cagaster Vol. 1. I really like the art style it was very well done and the passing of the story was great, very fast pass but with a clear story line. It also had a little bit of all the things I like to read. It was full of action humor great characters Ilie was interesting and I can’t to learn more about her. Kidow is not my cup of tea but it was only volume 1 so I’m guessing he will improve. Will be looking for vol. 2 when it comes out.

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This adventure/dystopian manga is a delight. This has the capacity to become a long running series. We have characters we instantly like and the premise of a disease that turns people into bugs is intriguing. Add in a mysterious killer and a band of orphans - its got promise to be something bigger. It reminds me of To Your Eternity in the potential for scope - there is this whole world and we are only occupying a small region of it.

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One in a thousand people are turning into giant bugs, and they procreate with each other! A group called Exterminators are hired to take out the bigs and protect people. I enjoyed reading this. I wish there was a little more action with Exterminators and bug killing, but getting to know the characters is also important! This is also an anime on Netflix that I will be checking out, as well as volume 2.

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I admit that I wasn’t expecting much with this manga. While the idea was interesting, there wasn’t anything about it that screamed it was new or genre changing. As I was reading, I kept guessing the plot beats that would occur and not being too surprised when they came.

The art was fine, but you can tell there was some cost cutting involved. Many of the scenes had blank backgrounds, and unpolished designs.

In the end, I was a little bored. If it had done something different or spiced things up then maybe it would’ve been stronger.

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Thank you to Netgalley and Diamond Book Distributors for a free e-book of this manga for my true and honest opinion.

The story is set in a strange place called Cagaster in the year 2125. During this period, there is a strange plague going around infecting people. It turns ordinary human into terrifying, cannibalistic insects who only think about hunting and killing humans.

We follow a kidow, an expert bug exterminator, who's job is to terminate those who have turned into human killing insects or to kill the humans within 30 minutes that they have been infected (to avoid full transition). While, on a hunt he finds a dying man and makes a promise to get his daughter Ilie to her mother.

I really enjoyed it and am eager to see how this story unfolds. It reminds of Walking Dead mashed with Attack on the Titan with Mad Max setting vibes.

Even better, I found that it has been adapted in a anime series on Netflix.

4 stars!

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Cagaster Volume 1 was a book that interested me based on the premise. A young kid forced to kill former humans before they turn into monsters is something that other apocalypse media has dealt with but never as directly. The way the world and Ilie view and find out about Kirow is what drew me into this book. Some view the Exterminators as butchers who kill for fun who are protected sadists. Others view them as a necessary service to keep society safe since without them fear of neighbor’s turnings and killing them all, stop by the exterminators. Across this first volume we see and interesting society unfold through the viewpoints of multiple characters which gives the world a nice level of depth and development. This story does contain some sections I personally found problematic. The owner of the boarding house where Kirow and Ilie stay is portrayed very stereotypically and is very flamboyant and even referred to as just the cross dresser by characters. There as is a scene early on where Kirow does slap Ilie as well, but the story does try to justify as Kirow shocking her to get her to try and focus and leave a dangerous are despite her father just dying. Cagaster started as a self-published project that only got picked up years after it finished. The art is impressive for a one man show and characters like Ilie and Mario were drawn quite well and I feel stand out on the page. Other simple smart things like making Kirow have a black shirt where most other characters have lighter clothing help distinguish him on the page as well. Overall I like the first volume of Cagaster and am interested to see where this story goes.

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I admit I wasn't entirely sure how I'd feel about this after having been less than wowed by the first chapter in French, but once the story moves beyond that, it's an engaging shounen action series that toys with moral gray areas in a post-apocalyptic world. While hardly the only series to use the "humans become literal monsters" trope, Cagaster does a better job than others by juxtaposing the monster fighting with humans who are actually far worse because, unlike the giant bugs, they can think about what they're doing. Kidow feels a little underdeveloped even by the end of the volume, but this is an interesting book nonetheless, and one that gets better as it goes on, which bodes well for future volumes.

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I really could not finish this book, which hurt like mad.
I wanted to love it. It's a sci-fi action manga, with a fantastic premise.
But the characters were flat, and two-dimensional, which isn't aided by the way the conversation flows, or doesn't really. It's tangled and grammatically butchered, and had me questioning more than once if it had been mistranslated.
The world and the art were the best part to me.
I really hope that this isn't published, and that there's time to correct it. It has a great deal of potential, but its' currently unrealized.

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I believe this is a great start to a new series. I would have liked a little bit more of the monsters and a little less childish antics. Art is amazing though. Thank you Net Galley for accepting my request to review this ARC.

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3/5 stars

Thank you to Netgalley for providing this e-arc

What do i have to say about this? Well, that i'm not hooked and a big fan of the genre at all. Both shounen and dystopia. I wouldn't rate it lower due to the great art style and the great volume ending that could definitely intrigue people into purchasing the next volume

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Post-apocalypses with stoic looking protagonist, a child who makes him feel human again, stiffs who are against the people who hunt down monsters, and a bunch of gags there because of no reason. Add to that a serial killer who targets these hunters. All things considered, there is a story here but right now I don't really have a reason to care about any of these characters.

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3.5/4 stars.

Dark and gritty, this is a fantastic manga for those interested in apocalyptic worlds and are also fans of human mutations. It flows together with a great amount of mystery about our main characters past, and the start of an interesting journey.

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While it seemed quite cut and dry, I actually really liked the story and the characters and the world building so far. I feel like I wasn't able to get very deep into the world or connect to the characters quite yet, but that's understandable considering it's only volume 1. I'm definitely interested in the story and ready for volume 2!

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The story follows the exterminator Kiddow, and a girl, Ilie. He takes her back after he promised her dying father he would help the girl find her mother. While Ilie is getting used to her new life in E-05, Kiddow gets more jobs as an exterminator.

The premise reminds me of the bug arc in Hunter x Hunter, but that's where the similarities stop. Cagaster is less shounen and especially Ilie's perspective gives a soft touch to the otherwise rough story. The characters are a blast though. The crossdressing Mario, the pickpocket queen, and the mysterious serial killer. One volume is barely enough to dive deep into the story, but it's enough to pique my interest. I'm curious how the relationship between Kiddow and Ilie evolves and if he will ever see her as more than a strange kid. Will they become friends?

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This was not for me. The art was a alright and the story was fine. But there just wasn't much for me to grapple with.

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It's an action manga with ZERO ACTION!
It had so much potential too - a future world that has been overrun by a disease that turns people into huge flesh-eating bugs (which we only get to see like twice) and our main characters are an "exterminator" and the girl he rescues when her father is killed by one of the bugs. And then NOTHING HAPPENS. There is a bit of a side story developing with a weird hooded figure who is killing a bunch of exterminators, but we don't even get enough about that to spark much interest.

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The story is set in a dystopian post apocalyptic premises where the world is affected by a dangerous disease. A disease that turns humans into insects and is difficult to get rid of. Exterminators are front line warriors against these insects. Our protagonist Kidow is an exterminator. During one of his intervention with the insects he finds a father daughter duo. As a promise to Ilie's dying father, he accompanies her to find her mother.

The characters were interesting but the story was monotonous. The smudgy illustrations made the strips unappealing. Well it is just the first volume. Hope the next volumes turn up to better than this.

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