I thoroughly enjoyed reading Atelier Ryza: The Manga: Ever Darkness & The Secret Hideout! As someone who has loved the Atelier series for a long time, and played the game this manga is based on, I can say it's a very faithful adaptation of the game and the art is simply gorgeous. I would recommend this to any Atelier fans!

tl;dr
A video game adaptation that reads like a video game, punctuated with some truly beautiful artwork.

Thoughts
I didn't know this was a video game adaptation when I started reading it, but it only took two pages for me to figure it out. The main character introduces herself as a normal girl from a normal town, and then I turned the page and was greeted with a stunning JRPG heroine design, replete with accessories, extra belts, and cute thigh highs, all lovingly rendered in delicate inks and detailed tones. The rest of the book follows suit, with plenty of beautiful artwork and attractive character designs. Settings are also beautifully illustrated, making a book that feels very good to look at. The story in contrast moves like watching only the cutscenes from a video game. Plot points are doled out in spoonfuls, with missions and battles spacing them out evenly in such a way that you can practically see "New Mission!" alerts pop up on the screen. I think the biggest weakness here is that we miss out on the actual game portions. Alchemy is a core focus of the story, but it gets skipped over regularly because it's gameplay. Fights are handled very quickly, often in a few panels, to make way for the next cutscene. Overall, this largely feels like a book for fans of the game who'd like to relive the story in a more digestible form. As for me, I'm genuinely curious about the game now - so I guess the manga did its job after all!

Inspired by the RPG game, you meet Ryza and her friends.

Resalin Stout, or Ryza for short, and her friends, Lent and Tao, long for adventure. One fateful day, they encounter two travelers, Lila and Empel, after trying to rescue a girl named Klaudia, which changes their lives forever. As a result of this encounter, the three friends uncover their true calling and unravel some dark secrets about their island.

It's been a while since I've delved into the world of manga, so stumbling upon this gem was a pleasant surprise! What piqued my interest even more was the revelation that it was adapted from a game. The book is brimming with charm and unexpected plot twists that kept me engaged. However, I wish it delved deeper into the intricacies of alchemy.

Ryza exudes bravery and an infectious cheerfulness that resonated with me. Her character had many standout moments throughout the book. Tao provided solid support and guided the characters through challenging situations. On the other hand, Lent's impact on the story seemed minimal, and I found Klaudia's character a tad annoying. Lila and Empel were intriguing characters with enigmatic backstories that were skillfully portrayed.

Overall, I recommend this book to fans of Atelier Ryza who are curious about experiencing the game's narrative in manga form and anyone who likes an intriguing fantasy with a solid story.

Happy Reading, Paige ❤️ 📚

Thank you, @netgalley and @udonent, for the complimentary ARC. I am leaving this review voluntarily.

I was very excited for the opportunity to read this book due to Atelier, the cover and the topic.
I enjoyed the last act but until we got there, I did not find the pacing, the complexity and the action that I was looking for.
Yet, for the fans of Atelier, this can be a nice companion and I still recommend it.

The art in this is stunning! But that’s to be expected when it comes to something with the atelier title! This is the plot of the first ryza game and just covers everything that happened in the game. It might seem repetitive if you just played but, it might be a good recap if you haven’t played in a while.

I'm not sure what it was about this one, but I had such a hard time getting through it! It felt like every time I picked up it I was already exhausted to start it again. I think that it would still be a fun read for others, but just not for me.

I think this would have been more enjoyable had I played the game this is based off of because I couldn't really get into the characters or the story. A lot of fun adventures happen with these group of friends, but it did feel like I was dropped in the middle of a story that was halfway done.. like I should know these people and where they live already, but since I don't I'm very lost!!

Ryza and her friends live on a fantastical island they can't leave. They dream of being explorers and when they accidentally run into a girl who needs saving they unfortunately need it, as well, and that is what gets them on their path to being stronger! Elements of alchemy are in this and I thought that was pretty cool. I could see how playing the video game of this would have been very fun!!

If you're looking for a game to manga adaptation you will like this!

First up thank you for this book, sadly I didn't click with this one despite really really wanting to read this one!
I have played a couple of Atelier games, love several of the characters from the universe, and so I was excited about this one. Sadly, I just couldn't click with this one. The story didn't really seem to flow naturally, there was a lot of text and dialogue but I missed important bits that made it make sense, and it was just boring as heck due to that.
I did love the art though and I am still happy I got the chance to try to read this one! 2 stars (1 for the art, 1 for alchemy stuff that I always love in stories).

*I will not be posting my review on my blog*
The thing I enjoyed most about this was the art. However, pretty art doesn’t save this from being boring to me. It didn’t have a compelling story to keep my attention. In a fantasy I need to feel that theirs real stakes and that the characters feel real. This was just cute girl discovers she can do alchemy and they “fight” monsters and it’s over in 2 panels. This was unfortunately not for me.

Ryza is growing up on her little island with her friends Lent and Tao, and quite frankly, they are over it. These three are looking for adventure and a chance encounter with the alchemist Empel and his companion. Lila set them off on the adventure to end all adventures.

I love this series, so there's just no way I wouldn't enjoy the manga. It is true to the game both by the storyline as well as keeping Ryza's reckless but wonderful sense of responsibility to those she loves. The art is, of course, absolutely gorgeous, and I loved how they were able to keep the same emotions that I had playing the game. Did I know they were going to beat the dragon? Yes, because I beat the dragon, but I remember thinking while playing that I was SOL, and was just as happily surprised reading it as I was playing it. To be able to capture that was really just amazing yo read.


Overall, of course I recommend it. The Atelier series and Ryza, in particular, have perfected the art of telling a coming of age story in gaming, and that has translated to this manga wonderfully.

As always, thanks to Udon Entertainment and NetGalley for the wonderful eArc! And now I'm off to play some Atelier!

Atelier Ryza: The Manga: Ever Darkness & the Secret Hideout is based on a game and only one book long. Perhaps this manga works better for those who've played the game, since I had hard time catching up what was happening. Ryza is a tomboyish girl and along with her friends she has to fight these monsters and save everyone. Mostly the manga is about relationships though and friendship. The characters talk a lot, but plot wise hardly anything is happening, which is why it's hard to follow the story. The panels are heavy with text and the fight scenes are over before they even started and no, I'm not a big fan of fights. It's just that I didn't really get what the monsters were or where they came from in the first place.

It's hard to cram fantasy story in one book. Considering this fact, the manga isn't all that bad. I liked the characters and their interactions with one another. This was probably the best part of the manga. I just wish the world building had been better, but perhaps this is meant for the gamers. As a sidekick to the game, this works nicely - but as a standalone? Not so much.

I picked up this book because I recently bought the game and was curious to get a preview of what I was getting into. I was really impressed with the art quality; it’s stunning and so detailed.

I also really loved the character development that each character went through in the book. I was surprised at how well it was done. Each character felt unique, had their own goals, and challenges to face. Ryza was definitely the glue holding the group together. She was likable, honorable, loyal, and determined. I’m glad that Bos was given more depth than being a simple bully. I liked this angle and enjoyed seeing him grow as well.

The story had good pacing. It covered a lot of information about the backstory of the island without feeling overwhelming. I loved the complex history and how all the characters were determined to set things right.

The ending was a little bittersweet, but I’m sure that the friends will reunite. I would definitely want to read any future volumes simply because of the beautiful art alone. I recommend this to any fans of some lighthearted fantasy!

Thank you netgalley for an advanced ARC of this manga

It was OK but not great, I didn't really connect with the characters but I can see this book being great for others but for me it just didn't love it

Manga d'un RPG, j'ai eu du mal a entrer dans l'univers et à comprendre les personnages malgré un premier tome... J'ai eu du mal avec les planches relativement chargées en noir et en texte avec pourtant des aspirations Shonen qu'on connait déjà avec des séries comme SAO notamment (que j'ai vraiment apprécié).

Peut-être une exception à la règle... J'ai n'ai pas été entrainée par ce premier tome...

Thanks Net Galley for the copy to review. If I could use half stars I would give this a 3.5 stars but since I can’t I rounded up to a 4 star since it is better than a 3 star.

I have recently been getting into manga and when I saw this one that is an adaptation from one of the entries in my favorite video game series I was excited. If you are a fan of the Atelier Ryza games (or any games in the atelier world) you will enjoy it, it stays true to the story and the characters you already enjoy. If you have never even heard of the video games you will still enjoy it and not have any confusion.

This manga follows Ryza and her friends who live on an isolated island where no one comes or goes, but like most teens they long for an adventure. This follows their adventures as they set out to discover the world and of course save their home and friends.

I loved everything about this manga, the colored art was perfectly done, and the manga panels were amazing.
you can tell alot of time and effort went into it.

This is an interesting story about a group of friends that live on an island that no one is allowed to leave. They all dream about going on adventures! When one day a traveling merchant comes to their island and a girl is being attacked by monsters. They meet a couple people who are coming to their island for research. Their journey for adventure and getting stronger turns into a path to learn their past, and save their futures. As they uncover the past and learn about the dangers that lurk in their home they band together to save their home and set things right that were wrong by their ancestry.

After the disaster that was the anime adaptation, I’ll admit I was more than a little worried about how this would play out. Honestly it took the complete opposite approach to the anime by focusing almost entirely on the big picture and the trials and darkness that Ryza and company face. Of course, that means we lose a lot of the little details of the interpersonal relationships, but the core of the story was there and we hit all of the major plot milestones. I’d be interested to know what someone who didn’t play the game(s) or watch the anime would think.

As for the art, I think it was fantastic - it’s highly detailed and keeps all of the silly quirks of these JRPG character designs while also letting the characters be expressive. I would have liked to see a bit more scenery, though I suppose that’s more important for the two later games which may, hopefully, get manga adaptations of their own.

Nothing beats the level of detail in a video game that you can spend dozens of hours playing, but this manga does a very good job of distilling this story down to its most important parts and conveying them in a way that’s true to the original.