It’s the last full week in June, which means its time for another manga giveaway here at Experiments in Manga. Thanks to the good folks at Kodansha Comics, I actually have two volumes of manga to give away this month: the first volume in Hinoki Kino’s No. 6 and the fifth and most recent volume of Hajime Isayama’s Attack on Titan to be released in English! One lucky winner will receive both volumes of manga. And, as always, the contest is open worldwide.
I first started reading dystopian fiction when I was in high school. I’ve never grown out of dystopias and I continue enjoy reading about them. While at the moment the young adult market in particular is fairly inundated with dystopian literature, there are relatively few manga that have been licensed in English that deal with dystopian themes. But just this month, Kodansha Comics released the first volume in No. 6 which is a excellent example of a classic dystopia—a seemingly perfect, highly controlled society with a darker side and hidden costs. Attack on Titan is a dystopia of a different sort—a world in which humanity struggles to survive against forces beyond its control. It may not be a dystopia in the strictest sense and may actually share more in common with post-apocalyptic fiction (its difficult to tell from only the first five volumes), but I’d argue that there’s often significant overlap between the two subgenres.
So, you may be wondering, how can you win a copy of No. 6, Volume 1 and Attack on Titan, Volume 5?
1) In the comments below, tell me which of the two series—No. 6 and Attack on Titan—interests you the most and why. (If you win, you’ll still be getting both volumes regardless of your response.)
2) For a second entry, simply name a dystopian manga that hasn’t been mentioned yet by me or by someone else.
3) If you’re on Twitter, you can earn a bonus entry by tweeting about the contest. Make sure to include a link to this post and @PhoenixTerran (that’s me).
So there you have it! Each person can earn up to three entries for this giveaway and has one week to submit them. If you have trouble leaving comments, or if you would prefer, you can e-mail me your entry at phoenixterran(at)gmail(dot)com and I will post the comment in your name. The winner will be randomly selected and announced on July 3, 2013. Good luck to you all!
VERY IMPORTANT: Include some way that I can contact you. This can be an e-mail address, link to your website, Twitter username, or whatever. If I can’t figure out how to get a hold of you and you win, I’ll just draw another name.
Contest winner announced—Manga Giveaway: Dystopian Duo Winner
Attack on Titan interests me the most. When I read volume 1, it didn’t quite grab me, but after watching the anime recently, my interest was piqued.
Knights of Sidonia is one of the more recent dystopian manga I’ve read. Living on a massive spaceship in fear of alien attack and ruled over by a small group of “immortals”. I think that fits.
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https://twitter.com/MatthewCycyk/status/349874729844359168
Let’s see, I’m interested in No 6 more than Attack since, like you, I’ve seen the No 6 anime, was frustrated with the ending, looked up the summaries of the novels and, while those weren’t perfect either they fit thematically so much better with the series and, since it sounds like the manga-ka is trying to follow as closely as they can, I’m hoping that the manga gets the novel ending.
As for another dystopian series I’m going to choose a really weird entry and say Letter Bee/Tegami Bachi. It’s not immediately obvious but as the plot moves along it becomes clear the that government is much more sinister than first thought (and as controlling as it seems considering they force most of the country to live in perpetual darkness). And to mention another sorta kinda dystopia (since two of those makes one whole entry right?) Psyren is most definitely set in a dystopia in it’s future parts, even when the kids manage to change the past/their present to make the future a little better it’s still rather messed up.
For a tweet: https://twitter.com/WanderinDreamr/status/349878482177765377
I like Attack on Titan because you can’t hide from the daily devastation of your family getting eaten by Titans and the mass hysteria and mystery surrounding on who are the moles in the troops as ttitans pretending to be human.
Neon Genesis Evangeline definitely counts as stations right? Or Gargantia anime from this season.
My twitter entry:Kim (@kpossibles) tweeted at 10:10 AM on Wed, Jun 26, 2013:
Wanna swing free manga for Attack in Titan or No. 6? Giveaway here: http://t.co/ZP98OBtdvm @PhoenixTerran
(https://twitter.com/kpossibles/status/349907441951051777)
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Attack on Titan interests me more because it looks way crazier than No. 6. Is it based on those Goya paintings? (although technically Goya might not have painted them, but whatever)
Another dystopia possibly not mentioned yet: Eden: It’s an Endless World!
Hmm, I’m going to go for No. 6, because a) I’ve only seen snippets of the anime but it looks intriguing – I’m not much of an anime person, so I’ve been waiting for the manga to come out rather than watching more of it; and b) I read V1&2 of Attack on Titan courtesy of the library and while I’m interested enough to keep following it for at least a few more volumes I don’t think this is something I need to own.
I’m not much of a fan of dystopias, so I’ll mention a borderline example: Shiho Sugiura’s Silver Diamond, which is really more of a fantasy quest manga but the main setting is a sunless desert full of sand-monster things, inhabited by desperate, hardened people, and ruled over by an evil *spoiler*. And then the main character travels through said desert spreading sweetness and light (and plants), so it’s really not all that dystopian a story. :)
I’m JRbBrown on Twitter, in the event I win.
You’re asking me to pick between No. 6 and Attack on Titan? That’s like asking me to pick between delicious types of breads. While they’re both bread and both taste delicious they are different and hold their merits on different levels.
I will shoot for Attack on Titan. Attack on Titian has probably the most unique premise for a manga in a long while. There are plenty of manga that rehash the same types of plots when you wear them away to their bare bones; sons of Satan, kids being forced to pilot large mecha, kids being sent to other worlds where they’re the chosen ones, protagonists with demons sealed in their bodies, reincarnations, etc. This is the first time I’ve seen a manga where humans have been hunted by larger humanoid creatures and brutally eaten. In Attack on Titian the titans hunting other humans is the main catalyst that thrusts the characters into their long struggles. I personally haven’t seen many manga take this spin on humans being hunted by a greater force than themselves and having that force be something akin to themselves. Almost like “humans eating humans” is a metaphor for “humans fighting/killing other humans.” As in wars or other forms of disputes. Even throughout (what little I’ve read of) the manga it shows humans fighting, killing, or exemplifying some form of a food chain against other humans showing their struggles in society. Who’s on top and who’s on bottom almost.
Another interesting point about Attack on Titan is the sheer lack of cliché emotions you find in a lot of manga. It’s great how it doesn’t glorify or skew the potential and profound fear humans might feel in such situations; no matter how fictitious those situations may be. It shows the darker side of a person’s emotions without restraint just as it shows the gore of an almost one sided power struggle without restraint. I’m interested to see where Attack on Titan goes from here and how the characters develop under the conditions forced upon them.
A dystopian manga that hasn’t been mention yet is a very underrated one. Psyren from Shonen Jump by Toshiaki Iwashiro. This also has a rather unique setting. Since the main characters are transported back and forth between their present time, where things are as we know them to be fairly safe, to a potential future, where those with extraterrestrial powers oppress and have destroyed the peaceful world, you get to see the contrast between the two worlds and the main characters have to adapt and cope with those changes. They struggle in the present and the future to fight against that dystopian future. Events that happen in the past alter the future and despite their best efforts in the past that dismal future still remains. I not only enjoy this story as a whole, but also how detailed it gets with the events affecting the future and how everything is all connected. Of course I’m also the type to sit down and watch all the Back to the Future movies back-to-back, so…
Dang, I wrote a a lot. I know the longer the answers/entry won’t increase my odds, but once I started writing I just couldn’t stop.
Thanks for reading my stupidly biased account on these manga and I hope you found them interesting.
I am ShadowOtakuGal on twitter and MultimediaOtakuGal on tumblr. It’s a pleasure to meet you.
I’m interested in Attack on Titan, as I absolutely loved the anime and would love to read the manga.
Some dystopian manga I can think of that have not been mentioned are:
– Basara by Yumi Tamura (really enjoyed this one)
– Akira by Katsuhiro Otomo (I’m curious to try this one, everyone seems to love it and it’s highly prasied)
– Clover by Clamp (Love Clamps art!)
– Blame! by Tsutomu Nihei (This one has an interesting art style and premise)
– GUNNM by Yukito Kishiro (doesn’t really seem like something I’d personally read but it’s a dystopian)
Tweeted about the giveaway:
https://twitter.com/Fantasysink/status/350160066898427905
tirachii(at)yahoo(dot)com
Boy, it sure is great having people say more than one extra dystopia, taking up all the choices :P
Of the two No. 6 is the most immediately appealing, as the post-apocalyptic dystopia has too much in common with a sizeable handful of other titles, and No.6 is gunning for that sort of dystopian controlled-society schtick that doesn’t really crop up in manga enough anymore.
For another example I’ll go for a classic and bring up Fist of the North Star, old-school dystopian wasteland fiction (which, sure, is basically bruce lee x mad max, but we forgive it its blatant influences, yeah?)
Tweeted about the giveaway:
https://twitter.com/Maxy_Barnard/status/350302816897744896
e-mail is maxy.barnard(at)gmail(dot)com
Gosh, I’m interested in both series. I have to pick? In that case, I guess I will go for No. 6 simply because I understand their are little mice running around doing Rat’s bidding and sounds adorable. Gotta have some cute in the middle of a dystopia.
Since my first two thoughts for dystopian manga have already been mentioned, I’m going to throw down Fullmetal Alchemist as dystopian. I don’t think a lot of people consider it a part of the genre, but I sure wouldn’t want to live in Ametris… at least, not until Team Mustang cleans the government up.
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I’ve been engulfed by the Attack on Titan craze as well…
I don’t usually get into shounen manga all that often, really. The typical hero who has this power and can magically control it perfectly in the first try kinda annoyed me. That and the female main usually ends up being weak and helpless for some reason, waiting for the male hero to save her. Everyone loves the shounen hero in the end.
Attack on Titan is not one of these manga. The main character, Eren Yaeger starts off as this kid who’s all talk. He doesn’t do his work because its “the right thing to do”, but because of his complete hatred of the titans. This makes him a darker, edgier hero to me, which is refreshing. He also struggles with his training for not being a natural. Mikasa on the other hand, becomes this genius soldier who doesn’t need anyone’s help. She is strong willed even in times of defeat. 5 volumes can tell you that she’s not going follow the helpless girl path. We can tell from these two that this is not some typical shounen manga.
Not only do the characters challenge the shounen tropes, but each one also goes through some major character development. Armin learns to be more confident in his intellect, Sasha tries to overcome her fear of titans and Jean finds his role in the war against titans. Those are only a handful of examples I can think of. Needless to say, if you’re into the character themselves, you won’t be disappointed.
I’m surprised no one has mentioned Shin Sekai Yori (From the New World). The anime was great. The manga goes more in depth with the characters relationships, if you like that. I hope the original novel gets translated one day.
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I’m more interested in No. 6, primarily because it seems to take a more technological bent to it. Gimme some old school cyberpunk action!
As for a yet-to-be-mentioned dystopia, how about Death Note? At least the portions of the book when Light is running things. :)
No 6 is my favorite manga lately. The storyline got me hooked up ever since minute one and the characters I just find them amazing. For instance, based on the way I am I can identify myself more with Shion because he is righteous, has a strong sense of what’s good and wrong and I certainly loved the”third option” theory because thats totally my way of thinking.
However, at least in the anime, Shion starts to abandon these thoughts calling them “too idealistic” when things get bad whereas Nezumi remains firmly on them. Therefore, even though Shion suits me best, Nezumi is my favorite character. (I havent had the chance to check out the manga ending though -.- only the anime one.)
And thats why just love these series *-*
Another dystopian manga is Shinsekai yori, although I dont know if it can be labelled as “dystopian” but it sure is about a new world full of lies where the leaders of the civilization control their habitants to the extent of killing children who are potentially able to bring troublefor the sake of everyones safety. Yeah, I thinks its pretty much dystopian…
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I’m more interested in no. 6 because I’ve watched some of the anime but have not read the manga, so I think it’ll be interesting.
A dystopian manga I’ve read is called basara, it takes place in the future, but while the world around them progresses, Japan has regressed back to kings and queens, with no technology.
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1) No. 6, Volume 1 really want to read since read a review somewhere that sounded great, I think it was on Anime News Network.
So added to my wishlist this summer. Actually watching the Attack on Titan anime right now and so much more of a fan of it:)
2) A Dystopian manga that love is Utopia’s Avenger. Really loved the artwork and story by Oh Se-Kwon.
3) Tweeted here-https://twitter.com/BookLoverC/status/351829852145463297
As @BookLoverC
Thank you, Ash for the manga giveaway.
1) No.6 vol.1 because I hope manga is better then same anime. Ending of anime wasn’t good and maybe manga will be more like novels( I wish some publishing company translate them).
2)Ikigami: The Ultimate Limit by Motoro Mase
3)Retweeted as @kokcej
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1. I prefer Attack on Titan, anime is awesome and I can’t wait until Sunday to watch another episode. I heard live action movie will come out in 2018.
2.Phoenix by Osamu Tezuka.
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1) I prefer Attack on Titan since it’s the most original series I’ve seen in a while.
2) I’m surprised Battle Royale hasn’t been mentioned yet.
3) Retweeted as @KenshinGirl