I actually don't have much to say about this one. it's an instance where i don’t actively dislike it, but it doesn’t stick with me either.
I did enjoy the graphics they were very detailed and I did enjoy the little plot twist although I could sense something was wrong but this isn't a series a will be continuing. I will however, recommend if it fits with some of the readers in my community.

Interesting graphic with Yoruba Mythology influences. I didn’t enjoy this as much as I hoped - it’s a little too young and full of plot holes for me.

Summary:

Aboki has always been the village outcast - his unique looks put him on the outside looking in. Despite this, Aboki has always loved his friends and enjoyed spending time with them - even if some of them aren’t always so kind.

One day, everything changed. When a threat came for the village, something within Aboki woke up. While this power will let Aboki protect those he cares for, it’s also the very thing many are hunting.

Review:

The second I saw Orisha Volume 1: With Great Power, I knew I had to read it! The cover is simply striking (seriously, look at it!), and the description sounded compelling. I was not disappointed.

I will say that I usually find the first volume in any manga to be the roughest as creatives find their footing. Orisha Volume 1 is a solid read on that front, but I do feel like the world and characters need more time to settle in. I’m hopeful that that will happen in future volumes.

Orisha is a delightful blend of new (to me) and familiar. It has chosen one trope merged with godlike powers and inherent goodness. Aboki’s character is beautifully designed, and while we don’t know much about him (yet), you can tell that he’s caring and compassionate.

Highlights:
West African-Influenced Manga
Chosen One
Outcast Becomes More

A West African influenced manga. A boy gets the power of an Orisha buried in his chest and is pursued by the rest of the Orisha because of some vague prophecy. It's not bad. Bit underdeveloped maybe.

Thank you net gallery for the advanced copy of this book. Interesting premise. I liked the story line, a good amount of action. I look forward to reading more. I would definitely recommend

It is a curious mix of Afro-Cuban mythology with superhero comics that works very well for children 10 years old and up. It has some moral teachings , although not so obvious that they’re annoying -its struggle between good and evil, appearances that deceive, friendship and the intrinsic kindness that makes it difficult for some children to believe in their abilities. In this case, Aboki and his new powers born nothing more and nothing less than from the heavenly seed that gave rise to all the orishas and makes him one of them, although without their knowledge of the knowledge how to use them.

And, as it should be in a comic for these ages, it has its fights between the monsters that want to keep the Earth and Aboki and his friends and a surprise that is more than anything at all because the ambivalence of what it shows is very real and not set, although it is a little naive.

Thank you NetGalley and Rockport Publishing for providing this Advanced Reader Copy in exchange for an honest review!

Orisha follows a young boy by the name of Aboki. Aboki is not like the other kids in his tribe. He has unique markings on his face and body that make him different. During a game, Aboki is left by the other children and he stumbles upon a celestial seed. This seed gives him the power of an Orisha. But with great power, comes great danger. Aboki must fight to keep hold of his new found power along with protecting those he cares for.

This was a solid manga! I enjoyed the art and the story. It was a quick read and I breezed through it once I sat down with it long enough. If you love a good chosen one trope this would be right up your alley! Overall I give it 5/5 stars!

I am really excited about this run. The illustration, world building and ploy are immediately interesting and leaves you hoping an animation deal is in the works.

This is a really exciting story with excellent artwork. I really enjoyed the mythology and the different characters. I look forward to reading more installments in this world.

A birthmark on his face leads the people of his village to believe is Aboki is cursed. {Made me think of the Lion King II song: One of Us} He still tries to make friends and play with the other village children, but they end up ditching him. As he wanders the outskirts of the village, Aboki stumbles upon a strange object: a seed. He is unaware that this is no ordinary seed. It holds the power of creation, the infamous Celestial Seed. Humans that contain these seeds can perform miracles so that may protect their realms. These humans are known as Orishas. Unbeknownst to Aboki, trouble is afoot among the other Orishas since Olorun’s untimely demise.
I thoroughly enjoyed this volume and am waiting in anticipation for the next! It is worth the read!

#ThxNetGalley #HuzayfaUmar

Thank you to Netgalley and Rockport Publishing for the opportunity to read and review this manga. I see this being a great African themed story for middle schoolers/teens an equivalent for Akata Witch but a tad more violent and a male main character. The art is beautiful but too gritty for my personal taste. The end also felt really fast. Because of these points, I have to give this a 4 out of 5 stars

Definitely personal preference here but I wasn't a fan of this. This was battle/fight scene heavy with little text so I found it confusing. The orisha seed idea was intriguing but because a lot of the panels were fights I just kept getting confused.

It's been a while since I read a manga and this art style was definitely a bit different for me. I did end up liking it though I need to get a tablet or e-reader that can do apps so I can read NetGalley directly instead of needing to use my phone. It's hard to see all the detail when I need to zoom in just to read the words. NetGalley's format of making two pages into one page doesn't help.

The fight scenes were a little visually confusing sometimes with a lot of lines all over the place but I was still able to follow blow by blow reasonably well. The plot is pretty well set already for a first book of a series, thought I actually think it could have been extended and split into two with the last couple chapters of this book being a climax of Vol. 2 and a longer journey to the location be the rest of Vol. 1. It felt a little rushed and the character development of Oya was lost because of it. 100+ years old and she trusts this new young kid without second thoughts? Whether she should or not was beside the point, it just seemed unrealistic the way it happened.

I found the character's faces to be wonderfully expressive and thankfully wildly different enough to be able to tell them all apart. I'm hoping, later in the series some of their facial markings, etc are explained. I'm guessing they are relevant to the Orisha mythology of Nigeria so maybe other people don't need them explained but I'd love to learn more.

Overall, I think it was a solid first book from a debut author and I'm excited for more!

Love the non-stop action in this graphic novel inspired by West African mythology. I've heard of some of these gods so it felt familiar but it also piqued my interest to learn way more about it.

I enjoyed the idea of the celestial seed, and that grief can lead us down some unexpected paths but community over individual does us all the most good, gives us all the best chance at survival, and more importantly, thriving!

Aboki, outcast by the children in his village for the unusual markings on his face, despite the unkind treatment is still curious, kind and warmhearted. Naturally, he doubts his worth but as soon as he understands that all are worthy, he is resolute in his quest to accept the responsibilities of an Orisha and do his best to save as many people as he can. As he flees those seeking to remove his powers while he's still learning about and growing into them, he learns stark lessons about friendship and betrayal.

This was a fun graphic novel to read. I couldn't put it down and can't wait to read Vol 2! Excited to learn more about this world and the other Orishas and to see where Aboki's resolve and big heart take him!

My thanks to Rockport Publishing and Netgalley for this ARC. All opinions are my own.

It's fun. One note about a copy available in NetGalley shelf - it's not easy to read. other than that, the story is quite fun, relentlessly paced and full of action / fight sequences.

I don't read a lot of manga (I'm trying to remedy this!) but this was an enjoyable superhero-esque story of a boy coming into his powers as an orisha. The fight sequences were great and it was engaging. A fun time, but it didn't leave enough of an impact for me to seek out the second volume.

I enjoyed "Orisha, Volume 1". I am intrigued which is the main goal of a manga's volume 1.

The pace is blistering. I hope it slows down a little in upcoming volumes. I was a little worried that it would have the obvious BLEACH influence that made me bail on SATURDAY AM's "Apple Black." Granted it does come up in the character of Shango that almost made me stop reading, but I wanted to give it a chance so I continued reading.

It was well worth it as the 'orisha' is based on a real folk beings in Yoruba folk tales and I love that. I like Aboki. He's the typical shounen protagonist who is on the bubble of loserdom. He has weird markings so the villagers treat him with disdain. But, of course, the very thing that causes him to be looked down on is the thing that makes him special.

I truly enjoyed the twist. I didn't see it coming at all but it made sense looking back at the previous chapters. The ending's twist was fantastic and what really won me over.

Thank you Quarto Publishing Group and Rockport Publishing for letting me review this Manga ARC before the publishing date via NetGalley. Please note that my review is honest and without bias.

I liked it, I generally prefer darker mangas but I enjoyed this story.

The main character Aboki is a village outcast, who unexpectedly receives the superhuman power of the Orisha. You follow his story as he goes on a journey of self-discovery and learns how to use his gifts while going on a quest to prove he is not a threat to the other Orishas

I thought it was a cool story to put in comic form. I loved the use of African mythology with universal anime character expressions. This is suitable for teens and up and a great read. I'm interested in seeing what happens in Volume 2.

Thank you, NetGalley for an advanced ARC of this manga

This was a fun read. It was engaging and also I enjoyed the fighting as well as feeling for the main character and his new journey into what now has become his new way of life ... I am intrigued to continue ok with the rest of tje series as ot releases

In the vein of Percy Jackson but with Orishas, 'Orisha, Volume 1' tells the story of Aboki, the village outcast who suddenly becomes something more than the black sheep inherits the powers of an Orisha from a celestial seed that fell from the sky. Now, he's on the run from the other Orishas---not to mention scary voodoo monsters---seeking his power. He meets people who help him out understand his new powers and find his purpose.

Despite knowing nothing about West African mythology, this was such a fun comic to read, I basically flew through the whole thing in one sitting. I only wish the comic explained a bit more about the pantheon and basic world building. But I think I'll have to do research on my own lol.

I can't wait for the next volume!