Re:Anima 1 by Yoshinori Matsuoka is a decent sci-fi offering that presents some interesting ideas and a solid premise but doesn't quite manage to rise above the level of "good" to something truly great. While it has moments that are engaging and thought-provoking, the first volume ultimately leaves something to be desired in terms of pacing, character development, and overall impact.

The central concept of the series—exploring the merging of human consciousness with advanced artificial intelligence—holds promise, but the execution feels somewhat uneven. The world-building is certainly intriguing; Matsuoka presents a futuristic society where the boundaries between human and machine are constantly shifting. There’s potential for deep philosophical exploration about identity, memory, and the ethical consequences of technological progress. However, the story doesn’t always fully explore these themes in a way that feels truly original or ground-breaking. It occasionally treads familiar ground that we've seen in other sci-fi works, which makes the narrative feel less fresh than it could have been.

The protagonist, while likable, falls into the "reluctant hero" trope, and while they are certainly relatable, their character arc doesn’t feel all that compelling by the end of this first volume. There’s a lack of emotional depth that might have made their journey more engaging. The supporting characters, too, don't manage to leave a lasting impact. They seem to exist mainly to further the plot, and though they add some intrigue, they don't feel as fully realized as one might hope.

The pacing of Re:Anima 1 is another sticking point. The story takes its time to unfold, and while this can sometimes benefit the narrative by allowing it to breathe, it also drags in places. There are long stretches where the plot feels like it’s treading water, and this can make the experience feel slower than it needs to be. Action scenes are relatively sparse, and while this isn’t necessarily a bad thing, it can leave the story feeling somewhat static.

On the positive side, the artwork is undeniably striking. The illustrations are clean and visually appealing, with a sleek, futuristic design that fits the sci-fi setting well. The character designs are varied and distinct, and the visuals help immerse you in the world that Matsuoka has built. The artwork is easily the highlight of the volume, with each panel showing a lot of attention to detail.

In conclusion, Re:Anima 1 is a solid but not exceptional read. It has an interesting premise and some good world-building, but it struggles to make its characters or plot truly stand out. While the artwork is impressive and there are moments of intrigue, the volume doesn’t quite reach the level of greatness that its premise promises. If you’re a fan of the genre, it’s worth a look, but don’t expect to be blown away. A 3/5 feels like a fair score—good, but not great.

A gripping story that draws you in and makes you lose time. I was so shocked when I hit the end of the volume! Volume 2, soon, please!

Acknowledgements and grateful thanks to NetGalley and Kodansha Comics publishing for the opportunity to read and review this e-ARC: 'Re:Anima 1 by Yoshinori Matsuoka'. All opinions are my own and are not a reflection of the publishers and/or author, of which I have no association with.

Five out of five stars (5/5 stars).

I hadn't read this manga before and I really enjoyed it. I was so disappointed when I turned the page and found it over. I've always enjoyed graphic novels, but I have only just started getting into manga, specifically.

'It's the near future in Tokyo, and the average temperature is around 170 degrees. Humanity lives underground to escape the deadly heat, only seeing the surface through the eyes of remote-controlled robots called Re:Anima. Shinano and Kara are members of the Enforcement Bureau, policing surface crime and illegal Re:Anima mods. But Kara has a secret: He lives on the surface full-time, in his real body!' — from the blurb on the NetGalley website.

I am going to have to check out more of Yoshinori Matsuoka's work because this made me laugh and I got so caught up that I was sad it was over.

I'd recommend this to anyone familiar with Matsuoka's work already or even a newcomer to manga. It's just that easy of a read. I would probably read this again.

Re anima is a sci-fi manga that explores a version of reality where environmental conditions are so bad that human beings have perfected the art of living below the Earth's surface. The artificial bodies are on the Earth's surface and they provide a glimpse of everything that goes around. However our cops duo are built different.

The story was off to a good start but mid-way through it felt a bit off. Then it picked up again by the conclusion. The execution of the story and establishment of the plotline needs a tad more explanation. However if you are a sci-fi enthusiast with a penchant for action and suspense then this book may satisfy you.

Re:Anima (Vol. 1): A Promising Start with Room to Grow
Re:Anima dives into a post-apocalyptic world where humanity has been decimated by a mysterious disease. Our mmc, a young man named Ageha, wakes up in a world where he is one of the few remaining humans. He soon discovers he possesses unique abilities that allow him to manipulate the souls of the dead.

This first volume sets the stage for an intriguing story with a compelling premise. The world-building is imaginative and the characters, while still developing, show promise. Ageha's powers are intriguing and the potential for interesting conflicts and moral dilemmas is high.
However, the pacing feels a bit slow at times. The story also hasn't fully hooked me yet, but I think i will pick up the future volumes.

Overall: Re:Anima is a solid start to a potentially great series. Fans of post-apocalyptic and supernatural stories should give it a try.

Thank you net gallery for an advanced copy of this book. This is one of those post-apocalyptic stories where the earth's surface is no longer inhabitable. People use dolls instead to navigate the surface and they live underground. The characters were likable. Stii seems sad that with all that tech they cannot afford basic medical care.

I really enjoyed this - the world-building is great, I liked the characters, and it pulled me in really quickly. I am definitely interested in seeing where this will go! I am eager to read more volumes.

This is an OEL (Original English Language) manga and I was surprised by the concept. However the execution fell flat for me.

The story builds the world through the characters’ interaction and daily life. In the first chapter there is a lot happening in this futuristic world and it gets a little messy. It wasn’t until I was three quarters into the story that I realized what was going on. The Earth is too hot so humanity has taken to living underground. However with the use of artificial bodies, they are able to live aboveground, while some seek to exploit this technology. Kara and Shinano deal with these criminals as part of the Enforcement Bureau and this volume captures their cases.

This was a unique concept to me with artificial bodies being used. I found it interesting yet confusing since I couldn’t tell the environments apart. There were too many similarities between the under and above ground worlds. I couldn’t justify why humanity couldn’t embrace living underground with pockets of natural light seeping through. Artificial bodies were a great benefit to technological advancement but I would have enjoyed it if the story put some focus on taking steps to rectify the Earth’s climate.

Kara is a typical character found in many action manga. Kara wields a sword, has a catch-phrase, is nonchalant yet observant, smart, comedic and has a small height for which many mistake his age. I don’t think there’s anything unique about Kara but I did appreciate how he trusted and treated Shinano as an equal. Shinano is Kara’s partner as part of the Enforcement Bureau who is very strong. However, her background is vague so it’ll be interesting to see if the future volumes expand on it.

Currently the manga is structured to portray Kara and Shinano’s Enforcement Bureau activities. The targets they capture and the cases they solve. It does become repetitive but the volume has other information woven throughout. Such as, Kara’s ability to live aboveground without an artificial body, the origin of Kara’s sword, why people are exploiting the artificial bodies and more.

The artwork is nice with a good amount of details and backgrounds used throughout. The action scenes feel a bit underwhelming and disconnected but the different angles help create various perspectives and emotions.

Overall, this was a good read albeit confusing. I will continue reading this series because I want to know more about Kara and Shinano. They are interesting characters and I think the story is good but needs a little more finesse.

Thank you to Netgalley and Kodansha for this eARC in exchange for a honest review.

Re:Anima is a refreshing take on Shonen. Maybe its just because the market currently is so saturated with fantasy and crazy magic and such that the futuristic setting is a nice change of pace and very interesting.

I'm not sure how many volumes this series is going to end up being but the world building so far has really peaked my interest. There's so much I want to know about how we got to this point and how the Re:Anima's work, etc, that I know I will definitely be reading on.

I will say I was very "ehh" at the beginning. It felt like we got thrown in the deep end very early, which isn't bad necessarily but it did take a little to get adjusted and to be able to wrap my head around what was going on (mostly just due to having to learn the rules of this world). By the end of the volume I was genuinely very captured in the story and action.

The art feels a bit odd in how some characters are drawn from panel to panel. Sometimes they feel like their faces look too different? But its not in a way where you wouldn't know who they were, just that they look different in a way thats like "huh, whats different about this". I think as the series progresses the characters will be more consistent so I'm not really adding that to my rating, just something I wanted to point out.

Overall I really enjoyed this. Started a bit slow for me in terms of getting me interested but by the end I was very "I need the 2nd one now!!". Def check it out if you want a change of pace from stories like Demon Slayer and One Piece.

Thank you to Kodansha and NetGalley for this arc.

This volume really struggles to get going - there’s not enough to grab you and pull you in. The concept has potential - the Earth is too hostile to go outside so everyone uses an avatar but with so many apocalyptic and post apocalyptic stories out there it fails to deliver anything that would really hook me. The art style is…alright but nothing groundbreaking.

I will definitely be continuing this series!!

Climate change has made the earth nearly uninhabitable, so humans mostly live underground. The way they can still walk on the surface is re:anima, robotic versions of yourself. One big advantage is that you as a human feel no pain when your re:anima gets hurt (or ‘killed) but it has made people mod their robots to cause chaos and destruction. Because of this a task force was created to stop modded re:anima and that is where our story starts!

I really enjoyed the two main characters and loved the disability representation. Can’t want to see where the story goes!

Fifty years ago, the Earth’s ozone layer burned up in a solar flare that made life on the surface unfathomable. 80% of our planet’s species were eradicated in this time, so humans are forced to live underground. A loophole is found that allows humans to be on the surface to work and live their lives away, the Re: Anima. These are robotic suits that copy and recreate a human’s physical form that allows that to see, hear, and touch, but not taste and smell. With new technology, there are always those who want to find their own loopholes in the system, which is where Kara Kamikigi comes in. He works at a police division called the Enforcement Bureau, but he has a secret that allows to him to live on the surface…without a Re: Anima. I can’t wait for the next volume to come out so I can delve further into this storyline!

Summary:

The world above has fallen apart, making it unsafe for humans. Or rather, unsafe for humans who don’t have a body double. People can use artificial bodies to travel around the surface.

However, these people still need policing and protection. That’s where the Enforcement Bureau comes into place. People like Kara Kamikigi and Shinano Nagano have to deal with all sorts of menaces to keep people safe.

Review:

Re:Anima Vol. 1 is an interesting start to a new series. It has unique hazards, a decimated planet, and determined characters. While it isn’t my favorite story out there, I’ll be the first to say that it has a lot of potential.

First, I want to say that I wanted to like Re:Anima Vol. 1. The description made it sound right up my alley. However, it simply felt too raw or rough, if that makes sense. It was like the world (and characters) needed to be fleshed out more. Maybe this will be resolved in future volumes.

Part of the problem is the story kicks off before readers have a solid feeling for the world. I have so many questions about what is happening in the world, and I feel like I’ve only got a very basic understanding of it all. While I like finishing an intro volume with questions, what I got here wasn’t compelling enough to make me seek out more.

I see potential in the characters. However, I’d like to take a deeper dive into that. Again, I don’t think I’ll be following up with the second volume to see that happen, but it is really tempting.

Highlights:
Shonen
Artificial Bodies
Police Drama with a Twist

3 stars that was a very introductive volume and I kinda loss myself in the explanation but I may continue on with the series . It was a fun time

I thought this was a good first book in a series.
I liked the concept of the plot. It has a very sci-fi/dystopian feel to it with the sun being so hot above ground.
I find it interesting how the main character is immune and is able to go above ground.
I like the chemistry he has with his friend.
I also like the fact that they are investigating jobs together.
The characters are funny, quick-witted and colourful.
I look forwards to continuing this series.

Fun Blade Runner-y concept if Edward Elric was the protagonist. Actually there's more than a little Fullmetal Alchemist in here and Kara is absolutely at least inspired by Edward. This first volume establishes the world well (love the worldbuilding notes at the end) and gives us a good idea of what to expect with each chapter: the team goes after a new re:anima mod, they do some digging, and then Kara pulls off some truly Holmesian leaps of logic an deduction to catch the culprit. I do wonder how that formula will develop over the course of the series though and if a larger overarching narrative will emerge. Hopefully stemming from Kara's unique abilities and general disaffection with the world and its approach to solving its problems.

Thank you to NetGalley for a copy of this e-book, and to Kodansha for making this title accessible!

I enjoyed this book a lot, and I am looking forward to reading more about Kara and his adventures in enforcement. I liked the pacing and how the secret behind Kara's constitution is not revealed in the first book. It added to the sense of mystery when he confronted the researcher who lost his Re:Anima as punishment. The cliffhanger at the end of the book felt right and not out of place, and I expect the next book will not disappoint!

Ever wonder what would happen if the world got too hot for us to live in it? Well, this story is just about that, the world has become too hot to live above ground and everyone now lives underground and only comes above ground using an AI robot that morphs into your body so that humans can still work above ground even though everyone is underground. Well not everyone, our main character seems to be the only human that still lives normally without an AI suit. This was such an interesting story that I definitely want to know what happens next.

Also, the artist that did this manga did such a wonderful job, everything looks so amazing and brought the story to life.

Re:Anima is an amazing dystopian manga about humans using machines named Re:Anima to continue to live on earth when the sun is too hot. Shina and Kara are amazing protagonists that bounce off really well in their witty banter and in their abilities to work together to bring cases of modded Re:Anima to be neutralized and repaired to be normal Re:Anima. The comedy, serious tones and real questions of what humans would do when the sun would be too hot for humans to walk earth was really interesting and the reasons people modded their Re:Anima was equally intriguing. I hope to read the next volume once it comes out!

I really liked this manga and I think my middle school students would too! The premise of a society where everyone uses artificial bodies to experience life above surface is really interesting, and I am very intrigued how it will be explored even further in future volumes. I loved our main character Kara the train enthusiast too! Overall a great read, would recommend! Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC!