Today, we invite you to dive into a burning shonen: Ex-Humans! New for 2017, Ex-Humans will transport you to a futuristic world where Humans could well be threatened!
Ex-Humans
Original title: Hiniiru / ヒニイル
VF Year: 2017
Author: Katou Yuuichi
VO Editor: Kadokawa Shoten
VF Editor: Pika
Pre-published in: Comic Walker
Nb volumes VO : 5 (Completed)
Nb volumes VF : 2 (In progress)
Synopsis :
Ten years ago, Kagerô and Momiji, two childhood friends, experienced the appearance of L'Encre du Néant that ravaged their city. Since then, hovering in the sky, this menacing structure of unknown origin seems harmless. One day, while the two friends are in high school, "dross", humanoid and spherical projections of The Ink of Nothingness, attack the world again, exterminating their classmates. Caught up in one of these dross, Kagerô and Momiji survive: he, by becoming an "ember", a human with superhuman abilities, and she, by becoming a "different Momiji", a dross of a new kind. To save the one he loves, Kagerô will have to ally with the anti-dross prevention agency that studies L'Encre du Néant and welcomes embers. Together, they will fight this threat. Kagerô will not hesitate to put his life in danger to protect Momiji from the dangers that lie in wait for her… and make it human again!
Pika
We are immersed in a futuristic world, where the Earth is invaded by monsters called "Dross". With the exception of this invasion, the reality is not so different from ours. On the contrary, they are rather similar. Indeed, with the exception of "The Ink of Nothingness", the daily life of our heroes is similar to the world we know.The life of Kagerô, an ordinary high school student, as well as that of his childhood friend, Momiji, will be turned upside down when Kagero will become an "Ember" and Momiji a "Dross"! So we go on an adventure, following Kagero, Momiji, and many other characters.
The scenario itself is not very original. A hero must save his friends following a disaster, he acquires new powers, … . But this does not mean that the series is not pleasant to read! For my part, this first volume caught my attention. Appreciating the futuristic side of Ex-Humans, this series has, I think, a lot of potential! The only point that "bothers" me in this first volume is the fact that some of Kagero's friends were killed before his eyes and that he does not keep any trauma. Indeed, he very quickly moved on. In itself, this is not disturbing for the story, but seeing his friends die in front of his eyes could have shocked him a little more than it does.
Graphically, Ex-Humans reminds me quite of the Deadman Wonderland series, by Kataoka Jinsei and Kondo Kazuma! First of all, the main character, Kagero, reminds me of Ganta, both physically and in the way she acts. I'm thinking in particular of being protected by your childhood friend, which looks like Ganta being protected by Shiro! The latter also physically resembles Momiji, Kagero's friend, for whom he is willing to sacrifice his life.
This is also the case at the level of the scenario, there are some similarities, even if, in itself, the story differs. No "Dross" or "Ember" in Deadman Wonderland prison. But the fact that an evil affects Japan, then that the events take place 10 years after their appearance allows us to remember the adventures of these Deadmen. These are just a few similarities, since we quickly discover that the atmosphere and setting of Ex-Humans do not have much to do with Deadman Wonderland. The evil that befalls our heroes is quite different. These similarities gradually disappear over the pages, giving way to the curiosity to discover more about this new world and the new creatures trying to dominate it!
Despite this resemblance, Ex-Humans is a series that is sure to entertain you! Relatively short, we can hope that this series keeps us in suspense throughout the story, with many twists and turns! What will happen to Kageru and his childhood friend?
