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| Mushikago no Cagaster volume 6 source : Alice Books |
Title: 虫籠のカガステル
Author: 橋本チキン
Website: チキンの魂
Chapters: 19 (complete)
Keywords: action, pre apocalyptic, slums, orphans, monsters, infection, science-fiction
Related media: 9 volumes published as dôjinshi and distributed by Alice Books and Tora no Ana (however most of the stocks are sold out and Tora no Ana doesn't do international shipping).
The story takes place in Turkey in the year 2125. A mysterious disease change people into insects who then attack other people to turn them into insects as well. Seventeen-year-old Kidô is an "exterminator" from humanity's Easternmost frontier, the block E, right in front of the "Insect Cage". Exterminators are mercenaries paid to protect their employers from insects which earned them the reputation of being murderers. One day as Kidô accompagnies his merchant friend, they stumble unto a car with on board a man and his daughter. They were attacked by insects and right before he dies, the man makes Kidô promise to take his daughter Ilie to her mother's side.
Mushikago no Cagaster is an action manga set in a pre apocalyptic , almost biopunk world. The scenario isn't that original (some parts are very similar to『Cristo - 橙瞳のメシア - 』) but it's well done and pleasant to read. The plot is rich and there's plenty of suspens: it makes you want to know what's going to happen next (the "final" chapters, around 100-200 pages each, killed one of my nights). There is psychological as well as physical violence so I wouldn't recommend it to anyone under 12.
Leaving aside the scientific talk (I admit I sometimes skimmed through these parts), the language level is intermediate. The text is typewritten but many bubbles are just big blocks of kanjis and the size of the pages isn't that big so it's a bit difficult to read.
For once, there aren't much spoilers below.
The story's compact: even if some of them are a few hundreds pages long, there're only 19 chapters. Kidô's character is well developed, the flashback on his childhood was my favourite part. And that's what's good about Mushikago no Cagaster: all the (main) characters have a past, an intellectual life and an emotional life. Still I was a bit disappointed with Ilie toward the end. I like her 180° change in attitude, she kicks ass but it isn't coherent with the beginning of the story. I'd have liked less action and more pages about what was going on in her head.
It's an action manga so of course there's plenty of action. I'm not spoiling anyone if I say there's a big final battle, that much is pretty obvious. But it's way toooo long. It's like the three or four last chapters and if you add them up, you get around 500 pages of final battle...It got me bored, I didn't know what was happening anymore and who was with who...All in all, too much fighting kills the fighting. It's a shame because it left me with a bad taste in the mouth even though the rest of the series was pretty good. The ending is open but it's still satisfactory.
Apart from the excess of fighting, what really bothered me was the supposed age of the main characters: 14 for Ilie and 17 for Kidô. But they don't look like it. Honestly, Ilie looks 17 and as for Kidô, he could be in his 30s. Uselessly young characters aren't anything new but it annoys me. It doesn't add anything to the story. I think being a few years older would have made some characters' psyche deeper. Adult characters are great!
For once, there aren't much spoilers below.
The story's compact: even if some of them are a few hundreds pages long, there're only 19 chapters. Kidô's character is well developed, the flashback on his childhood was my favourite part. And that's what's good about Mushikago no Cagaster: all the (main) characters have a past, an intellectual life and an emotional life. Still I was a bit disappointed with Ilie toward the end. I like her 180° change in attitude, she kicks ass but it isn't coherent with the beginning of the story. I'd have liked less action and more pages about what was going on in her head.
It's an action manga so of course there's plenty of action. I'm not spoiling anyone if I say there's a big final battle, that much is pretty obvious. But it's way toooo long. It's like the three or four last chapters and if you add them up, you get around 500 pages of final battle...It got me bored, I didn't know what was happening anymore and who was with who...All in all, too much fighting kills the fighting. It's a shame because it left me with a bad taste in the mouth even though the rest of the series was pretty good. The ending is open but it's still satisfactory.
Apart from the excess of fighting, what really bothered me was the supposed age of the main characters: 14 for Ilie and 17 for Kidô. But they don't look like it. Honestly, Ilie looks 17 and as for Kidô, he could be in his 30s. Uselessly young characters aren't anything new but it annoys me. It doesn't add anything to the story. I think being a few years older would have made some characters' psyche deeper. Adult characters are great!
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