Luna's Alpha

One of the best stories I've read. An interesting & unconventional werewolf/vampire plot that keeps you hooked. Most impotantly, gets updated daily

I discovered this intriguing series earlier today while exploring someone's profile. They mentioned that it brought them to tears, so I decided to give it a try. Surprisingly, I ended up reading the entire series in one sitting, which is quite rare for me since I usually lose interest and jump to something else. To me, the story wasn't particularly original—it felt like a mix of Deadman Wonderland, Elfen Lied, Tokyo Gore Police, and V for Vendetta. There was plenty of blood, gore, traumatic backstories, and crying female protagonists.

However, I really admired Aiko's character. She seemed like an ordinary sixteen-year-old girl striving to make everyone she loves happy, only to be devastated when she returns home to find her parents murdered. It's implied that she was killed too, but she resurrects with a genetically mutated left arm. Her reaction felt genuine and relatable to me, giving her character a realistic touch. But Soudo was absolutely fantastic. He was the first male lead I've encountered who wasn't drowning in angst or refusing to express emotions. Although I'm not sure of his exact age (I'd guess around twenty-four), he was a police detective who genuinely cared about the people he protected. He had a soft spot for Aiko because she reminded him of another girl he tried to save who also underwent experiments. Overall, he was incredible. The plot took an unexpected turn towards the end, adding depth to the story. To say the least, I nearly teared up, which is unusual for me. It takes a lot for a fictional series to make me cry (Fruits Basket doesn't count! lol).

If you enjoy blood and female-driven emotional stories, this series is perfect for you. It does get quite graphic at times, so if you're easily queasy, it might not be suitable. Nevertheless, it's a great read for an afternoon.

9/10

I had this series on my "to read" list for years because it seemed intriguing, but I was sadly disappointed. Variante's plot is rather complicated, and while the explanation of how everything unfolded was passable, the reasoning behind it all made no sense. It felt like the plot was hastily constructed in the last three chapters and left much confusion. Most characters were quite unremarkable, with only the main female and male leads standing out. The primary reason for my low rating is the ending—it was simply awful, offering no resolution or closure, just a void. I can't recommend this at all.<p>

From the first page to the gripping, compelling conclusion, Variante offers a disturbing yet satisfying narrative tailored for those with a taste for the twisted.  

A straightforward tale that commences with what appears to be an unremarkable murder scene involving detectives gradually transforms into something far greater. The presence of extraterrestrial entities—or so it initially seems—provides justification for the Atheos "police squad" to capture these monstrous beings, known as "Chimeira," delivering them to the scientific community for study and extermination.  

These creatures display inhuman physical traits but possess distinctly human emotions, thoughts, and feelings, as vividly portrayed through the female protagonist, Aika.  

Throughout the story, the author contrasts the inhuman world with the inhuman nature of Aika, as she uncovers her own humanity amidst the horror of her own form. This transformation alone is filled with intriguing and unsettling ideas that linger long after finishing the read, yet every moment proves worthwhile.  

Nevertheless, the action occasionally feels repetitive. While each instance contributes to character growth, the progression can feel sluggish compared to the manga's overall pace.  

The author ultimately wraps up the series with a deceptively intricate ending, where paradoxes unravel into comprehension and resolution.  

In a cruel twist of fate, the protector and savior become the one in need of rescue, only for the roles to switch once more, culminating in a powerful, dramatic finale.  

In summary, Variante is an essential read for all enthusiasts of science fiction and gore.  

4.5 out of 5 stars for the well-crafted, intricately written, and beautifully illustrated Variante. <p>

Let me begin by stating that I appreciated the concept of this manga. The story has merit. However, there were certain aspects that detracted from my enjoyment:

1) The story could have been significantly better. It reminded me of Elfen Lied, where a secret organization aims to create a superior human being through research. In Elfen Lied, everything is executed well: we are presented with a 113-chapter story filled with intricate details. In contrast, Variante offers only 19 chapters. This is insufficient for the story to be fully developed. It ends up as an action manga that attempts to emulate Elfen Lied.

2) With merely 19 chapters, the characters fail to develop adequately. The author provides brief glimpses into Aiko and Hiromi's pasts, but their stories are too concise. In Elfen Lied, we experience an extensive flashback that establishes the drama and the characters' motivations. In Variante, we receive fleeting flashbacks that hint at development and motivations but do not allow us to form a deep connection with the characters. There simply isn't enough time to empathize with them.

To summarize, this manga is not poor, but due to the lack of a detailed plot, it falls short of its potential. I rate this manga 6/10 because I had higher expectations for the story.

Thank you for taking the time to read this.

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Alright, I think I will write a review for this since no one has written one yet, so here goes.

Variante is a horror sci-fi manga that all horror manga lovers will want to read (though I personally just read it because it involved a cute girl, lol). It involves a normal 16-year-old girl whose life is thrown into chaos as one day her family is attacked by a mysterious monster. Her parents are killed, but she somehow manages to survive the attack... even though she had apparently died from it.

Story: 9/10  
Despite the gore and bloody content in this manga, it still manages to deliver a great story alongside the horror elements. The majority of the manga revolves around a horrific creature called chimera. A chimera is a being with many different cells from various creatures living in its body at once, which can involve a human possessing mutated parts of creatures or even other humans. The manga explores the morality of chimeras and killing them through the main characters' feelings as the story progresses, eventually revealing their origin. As public suspicion grows and an internal struggle for control over chimeras ensues within the government, the manga reaches an explosive (literally, read the manga and you'll know) conclusion. Everything involving chimera research is destroyed, and the main character manages to find happiness in the end, despite what she went through.

Art: 9/10  
This manga is one of the better-drawn ones I've seen. Facial features on characters, such as ears, noses, and mouths, are drawn in more detail. And the artist did not omit any details at all... in all of the gore scenes, you can clearly see body parts and internal body structures (like the spine if someone gets beheaded) when they are shown. Thus, I think the art is very well done for a horror manga.

Character: 8/10  
Character development in this manga is decent. The main character starts out as just a normal 16-year-old girl who is suddenly thrown into a mess resulting in her foster parents' death, her own death, and then her returning to life with a strange left arm. It turns out that her left arm is actually part of a chimera, and the government agency that captured her forces her to use it to kill and capture other chimeras or face being sentenced to death as a test subject. Throughout the rest of the manga, she deals with psychological issues such as her reason to keep on living, the chimera she kills actually being humans, and that she is a monster (literally, in the case of her left arm) who only serves to kill. All this is a bit too much for a normal 16-year-old girl to handle, but she eventually manages to deal with it and find happiness in the end.

Enjoyment: 8/10  
You'll find the most enjoyment out of this if you enjoy gore and very disgusting mutant-style monsters. But I'd say that most people will be able to enjoy this anyway. This manga has an interesting story, mystery, drama, and will keep most people wanting to read it to the end to find out everything about the situation in the manga. I also think this manga is enjoyable because it is only 19 chapters, and you won't get bored before you finish it.

Overall: 9/10  
I'm not a fan of horror manga usually, but this manga had a great story. It had drama, was concise, and kept me excited until the very end. I also liked how everything worked out in the end for Aiko, even though she was basically forced to become a murderer and everyone she cared about died.

Great manga overall, read it if you have time, it's not long.

Horror and tragedy genre fans should give this manga a try. It's not one of the best out there, but it was decent.

1- Story (7):
Despite being a short manga, the pacing felt alright to me, though some events did escalate suddenly, particularly in the final chapters. I enjoyed the story, but the last volume left me somewhat disappointed.

2- Art (6):
The art style suits a tragedy well, with excellent depictions of terrified facial expressions. However, some panels were unclear, especially during battle scenes, making it hard to follow what was happening until reading the next panel or page.

3- Characters (7):
There isn't much to elaborate on here, but the main characters' personalities were well-developed, Aiko standing out in particular.

4- Enjoyment (5):
To be honest, I was more focused on finishing the series quickly, so I didn't enjoy it as much as I could have, but I didn't dislike it either.

I picked up "Variante" on a whim and found it to be an enjoyable read. It's not groundbreaking or particularly original, but it was certainly entertaining, and I recommend it to anyone who likes a bloody horror manga with strong character focus.

The artwork is solid, featuring a distinctive style that has aged well. Sugimoto does an excellent job making each central character visually distinct and unique, especially when drawing Aiko's arm, the Chimera, and all the accompanying gore. The art truly shines in depicting the monstrous enemies and capturing the characters' expressions, which are fitting for both the situations and the personalities of the characters.

As for the characters, Aiko is very well-written, reacting to events precisely as one would expect from a traumatized teenage girl. The rest of the main cast occasionally suffer from inconsistency but are otherwise well-crafted. Minor characters don't appear enough to develop real personalities beyond their roles. The villains lack depth, being merely unpleasant, while allies are often sidelined to focus on Sudou, Aiko, and Kochigawa, or they appear too late to receive adequate screen time. Generally, when attention is given to character development, it's satisfying and believable.

The story, as mentioned earlier, is nothing exceptional or unique. It follows a standard formula with very few twists; if you're familiar with stories of this premise, you'll predict most developments from afar, which can diminish enjoyment. A few more original plot threads feel forced in for drama or because explanations were needed.

Overall, it's a decent manga. I recommend it if you enjoy series with similar premises and don't have a weak stomach.

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