Owari no Seraph

Started out fine with vampires but somewhere in the last 10+ chapters it went downhill fast. Yes, the anime is quite terrible despite the nicer art/animation quality it still suffers the same lack of plot and cliches. Also MC is just very ...strange going from one extreme to the other in each scene.

Art is fine but fights can be confusing as there's a lot of magical powers going off all at once.

this series is a great example of attack on titan rip off done wrong:
x race dominates humanity ,said humanity is almost crushed but survives
mc loses precious loved ones to x race, wants to kill all of them
simple formula difficult to fuck it up
well this is where this "thing" come in
immediately after mc's vow to kill of of the x race he meets up with super leader/ captain of the human army and when you are all hyped up thinking "oh yeah military training and vampire hunting starts now biches"
it throws you in a school
no a military one not a weapon academy not a super people school
a fucking normal school
why the fuck would u you put them in a normal school?
and yeah now a smart will pop up say "it is a military school"
no it isnt
the writing is sloppy
the pacing is bad
the story is bland
the art is standard shounen
the characters are shallow bad cliches
the villains are boring
it could have been something great
but its all too dark and edgy
dont even bother with this mistake

I realize that OnS is actually pretty generic and absurd on many layers however I can't help but be entertained. I can't put my finger on the reason why I find it better that the similar titles out there - there is action, snarky remarks from time to time, complete retardness of the characters almost the whole time, eye candy and just a little mystery. Usually that mix would equal the manga's doom, this time however I am in.
Must be a GAP -.- This is the only explanation: The audience expect a level of logic and realism in the story, but instead gets absurd exchanges that are strangely hilarious. It is dissapointing and not so at the same time thus resulting in a gap! Yep, that is! I am so smart LMAO!

PS: Don't take it seriously please XD

If you were to summarize this manga into a few words, it would be "RPG plot". It has all the hallmarks of being an RPG game, from the cruel origins to the breeding ground and even the unrevealed past. The plot is quite standard, the art is simply fantastic, but the characters more or less make or break this series.

[I do not use spoiler tags but I write lines before spoilers indicating it is one]

If you don't like bright I-can-do-it-all MC's to the point of doubting his sanity, you might hate this series immediately from the beginning because a lot of it will focus on him.

I look forward to what the writer does with some of these characters, and I don't write the manga off based of some moronic delusions of grandeur that I am a master of shounen manga and can judge a manga just by throwing out cheap insults. In a nod to some on here, I'm not dumb enough to think it's a good idea to leave a review when I just read 1 chapter and take my review from other people's reviews, and neither am I so self-important that I would spread a layer of mundane sophistry over the sentiment "I don't like it". So with that passive-aggressive remark out of the way, I'd like to address some things more closely.

Character development isn't spread out equally. Some characters will receive dozens of chapters that further the readers' impressions on them, and others will receive four or five and poof we (sometimes both the reader and the writer) don't really care anymore. The dynamic of the MC and his childhood friend on opposite sides brings an actual interest into the antagonistic vampire side, instead of putting all their eggs into the human story.

There is nothing extremely complicated or intriguing about this plot, aside from "what's going to happen next?" When you look at it solely from a story perspective, this story lines up very well to RPG standards, albeit not an exceptionally well done one. One of its more critical problems in this sense is the lack of build-up to certain events. Some events (such as Guren's big reveal recently) has been hinted somewhat sufficiently, but others such as what Owari no Seraph really was, was rather abruptly dumped on the readers. The following is a spoiler for chapter 38: Notably this prompts a jarring response when it's revealed what is happening to Kimizuki's sister.

Some stories are party-bonding time, and most of the time their endeavours lead to battles. This is a rather straightforward storyline when compared to writer's past works. In the interest of avoiding spoilers, this line is a spoiler (Ch14): When MC goes berserk, obviously Shinoa can calm him down by hugging him and appealing to his human side, derp.

World-building though, is pretty great. The art does wonders to this since you can see the detail they put into the design. If you've been to or live in Japan (i.e. Shinjuku, Nagoya), it's actually easier to relate and believe in such a world. The uniforms are sharp and, well, uniform, and the manga puts some effort into showing us what life is like in different factions. EDIT: Actually, it would have been nice to see other human factions and encampments or normal squad missions in play, but considering the pacing of this series, that would probably push the main plot back by 20 chapters. This is why I felt this was more of an RPG story as the settings begs for exploration much like in RPG's.

People say the tone is dark or unstable, but I can't fathom how this is "dark". If this was dark Itou Junji might as well retire. If anything it's extremely optimistic (前向き) how the main party goes about reconciling its issues when confronted with big revelations.

In 40 chapters (each containing 40 pages or more), Owari no Seraph has yet to fall into the realm of ridiculous drawn-out manga. New characters are rarely introduced and prominently featured unless for very specific plot reasons (i.e. one of the Hiiragi, Makoto to create a more realistic and relatable sense of the squads, etc), although it has numerous unimportant supporting cast members. A big problem though is that it suffers from a very abstract sense of powerlevels. For a battle shounen, the readers don't actually have a good idea how strong MC is as compared to this or that vampire.

And to be completely honest, one of the big reasons I've enjoyed this is the action and the 'vanilla' party, which is not to say I find the party bland, but that sometimes I'd like to eat Meiji vanilla ice cream over Movenpick. Some character interactions and relationships are interesting, but the main focus of the series comes back to Mika and Yuu (MC). There is almost no spotlight on the politics that goes into this, as very well it shouldn't, as the story focuses mainly on the perspective of the children. The art helps tonnes and the attention to detail keeps my imagination. The design of the separate factions were well thought-out and actually fleshes the world out in more ways than an infodump ever could. Let me just say that the first thing that prompted to read this manga was Shinoa's smug face so THANK MS. SHINOA.

That's all I can think of really. This is in no way a full review as I'm just shooting out thoughts from the top of my head.

This review was just a gag reflex on the sad and disparaging mightier-than-thou review before mine. I always thought the quality of reviews on this site weren't the best, but that was a new low. Throwing insults and stroking your ego, before finally ejaculating all over light novel authors for no reason. That was a new low, and I hope my review could enlighten you to whether or not this manga is worth your time.

Thanks!

P.S. If you want to make a half-decent review, leaving it short is fine, but you must provide evidence or moments in the manga which will back up your claim. Is the series unimaginative? Bring up other series you think are creative with their interpretation of Shounen cliches. Do you think a blindly-optimistic MC is bad? Tell us the reason why, even if it ends up being "My opinion is that I dislike MC's like this".

Edit 2: Please don't try to delegitimize my review because you don't like what I have to say. That is so juvenile. The only "new low" here is the crude and dismissive way you've attempted to discredit me. That is sickening. You're perfectly entitled to your own opinion, and so am I. Neither one of us is right or wrong. They are called opinions for a reason, and stories can and do resonate differently from person to person. There will never be a universally accepted opinion. So next time, kindly offer your own opinion without trying to tear down a contrary one. That's not what “good reviewers” do; it’s what inarticulate children do when they’re frustrated that someone criticized Something They Like (TM).

As to the content of my review, I feel it's sufficient in getting my point across. It was never meant to serve as an in-depth analysis, nor as the be-all and end-all authority on this particular work. Its primary purpose was to act as warning to like-minded (notice the emphasis there) readers so that they don’t have to waste their time wading through something they likely won’t enjoy. I have no need or desire to waste my time writing any more on this manga because frankly, I'm tired of this kind of schlock. Writers need to try harder and have more respect for their stories and their audience. I have absolutely no reason to excuse, celebrate, or otherwise promote what strikes me as lazy and uninspired writing. None. Now, if anyone would like recommendations for shounen series that I think are done well, feel free to PM me. But really, that's neither here nor there, is it?

Original Review

...and that's something I could tell from chapter one. I've read far too many trite shounen series, and from just one chapter of this mess, I could already tell it was on the fast track down to Overused Shounen Clichés hell. Before I even reached the end of that first chapter, I’d already uttered the Eight Deadly Words and had my mouse hovering over the little X on its tab. I don’t entirely know how to describe it outside of a visceral gut feeling, but I could just tell with that opening that this series would be insipid, uninspired, and a complete waste of my life. Actually, it wasn’t visceral at all – I was working off my carefully and lovingly honed Hack Detection Interface, and the readings were simply off the charts!

But far be it from me to deny a work a second chance. So I nosed around on the Internet and read reviews for both the manga and the anime. And, exactly as I’d surmised, this manga doesn’t pull a miraculous recovery and prove itself to be deeper than it initially appears. No, it stays exactly the same – boring, cliché-ridden, hackneyed, and pandering to the lowest common denominator. So as far as I’m concerned, this thing was DOA.

But you might like it if you enjoy (I’ll repeat) uninspired, follow-the-leader trend-chasers whose only aim is to be The Next Big Thing (TM) so that their creators can pull in the cash. And I, personally, have very little respect for such endeavors.

Edit: Just realized the author is actually primarily a light novelist. I am exactly 0% surprised.

Also I am actually rooting for the vampires since the majority of the human characters are pure douchebags. At least the vamps haven't been shown yet to be experimenting on their own kind or torturing sick little girls and forcing her to become a living weapon. Seriously, fuck the humans.

Owari no seraph is definitely not a unique story. It has a shounen appeal though, and that's the major draw to the story. The art is nice as well, so that adds to it I guess.

The two main characters are likable. The plot is unlike most of those typical vampire manga (No romance here).

I like the fact that when Yuu found Mica to be on the vampire's side he didn't go all "You betrayed me!" But rather still treated him as a friend. (Which is so rare...)The art is so pretty however the majority of the female population looks loli.

If you're looking for a masterpiece plot, this probably isn't for for you. Seraph of the End is filled with cliches such as "I'll protect everyone" and "Let's be friends" and is inconsistent in its pacing and tone at times, and definitely has many plot holes, but despite all that it's carried through because its shounen themes have widespread appeal. Don't think too hard about this one and you'll enjoy the ride. Did I also mention that the art is very pretty?

i'm surprised there's many varied opinions about this manga.
i honestly think the story is not that bad. actually it's good. well, because the theme is about vampire, it doesn't mean it's boring or what. and because the protagonist is a bit self-centered, it doesn't mean he's bad or anything. hell, not many protagonists are like him, who can really overcome his dark side and his enemies. actually, he's pretty cute and strong.
yeah, gotta agree the initial chapters are a bit cliche. but towards chapter 10 and so on, it gets very interesting. i even check the raws because i cannot stand waiting. lolz

and there will be many destruction there and there. well, it's good rather than being aimlessly gory. and just check the writer who is responsible for the story. there will be many plot twists. i'm quite sure about it judging from his previous works.

and the art..... do you still need to ask? it's flawless. in color or monochrome. i like the mangaka from when he wrote Kure-nai.

seriously, as people say, just prove its worth on your own.

PS: don't forget check the anime in 2015~

At first I was like "meh, dark fantasy revenge and sh*ts?" But I thought it might turns interesting in the future, so I held back from giving a score.
But then, the plot thicken starting from chapter 10++., so I guess I'll give it 8-9 of 10 for now, since I'm still waiting for the plot to be fully developed.

And for some dipsh*t who were badly judging a manga just from reading less than 10 chapters; do you think every single manga in this world is a 'one-shot'?
Get a grip, dolt. It's like judging a whole novel after reading only 10 pages of it.

This manga has a really odd habit of doing things in a creepy manner. The first chapter basically set the tone for me with one of the characters essentially being a male (and child) prostitute to a vampire.

After that, it still keeps the tone in this dissonant state. It even toys a lot with a peaceful school setting, but it never leaves the mentality that every character in the cast could be killed off on the next page. It's mysterious without having much mystery, and it feels like much of it is just going through the motions without any real idea of why.

I'm kind of in the opinion that it will live or die by it's tone, because that is about all it has going for it.