Pregnant with the Enemy Alpha's Baby

please update

Picked this one up at the start of the week, looks pretty good.

Story: (9)
"Until death do us part" revolves around a blind assassin who can only perceive the shapes of objects thanks to supersonic technology. He's an absolute badass with his walking cane and katana. Accompanied by a tech support guy and a small girl who can "predict the near future," they form an unconventional team. With the help of the tech and the girl, the blind assassin patrols the streets, saving people and handling odd jobs that the police can't manage.
To put it simply, it's about a blind GAR kicking serious butt with a sword. Unfortunately, such a storyline isn't very original.

Art: (8)
Given the high level of action in the manga, the artist did a decent job depicting the action scenes. The drawing style is quite serious, lacking humorous faces and clumsy situations (think Shounen series like Angel Heart or City Hunter). The main criticism is that the faces are drawn somewhat too simply (think Naruto).

Characters: (10)
Cold, insensitive GAR: 10
Damsel in distress: 10
Tech support with a lazy attitude and smart-ass comments: 10

These characters are essential to the plotline of "GAR protecting the streets in his own way." It might be a bit repetitive, but that's exactly what we love.

Enjoyment: (10)
Personally, I enjoy GAR mangas filled with fight scenes.
"Until Death Do Us Part" satisfies all my needs.

Overall: (9)
With such a classic storyline, cast, and pretty good battle scenes, I really wanted to give this a 10. However, its lack of facial detail and originality hit a weak spot.

This is a manga that features exceptionally good action sequences that are incredibly cool most of the time. Mamoru, as a swordsman, is truly amazing, and watching him handle conventional weapons far beyond what can typically be managed with a blade is awe-inspiring. As this starts to become repetitive, a series of unique enemies are introduced, each wielding strange weapons that require special tactics to defeat, which keeps the story engaging. This effectively supports the core of the manga quite well.

The overall plot, however, was somewhat peculiar. It begins quite promisingly, with a well-paced narrative and a scale that fits the story nicely. However, at some point, the pacing becomes inconsistent. The story escalates dramatically in terms of organizations and characters involved, as well as in scale, to the extent that it feels like significant elements are being omitted. I suspect this might have been due to the other mangas connected to this one, so perhaps it was a deliberate decision that makes sense. While this approach works for comics, I feel it doesn't align as well with stories like this. Nonetheless, the plot remains fast-moving and intense for the most part, though there are moments where it seems to wander aimlessly, along with a few cheap moments, such as deaths that feel forced, especially towards the end, which felt somewhat rushed.

On that note, I must mention that while romance is apparently a crucial aspect of the manga according to its self-description, and it certainly seemed that way from the ending, it was not developed at all. By that, I mean absolutely not at all. There was nothing. Zero. Nada. It occasionally surfaced but never in a way that was actually developed, so even though I'm fine with it and think it's the right direction for the story, how it concluded felt weak.

Beyond that, Mamoru is a really cool character who was developed very well, particularly regarding his backstory. Haruka seemed to grow as a commander too quickly, but the growth was still solid, making it enjoyable to witness. Other than that, the characters were developed decently. I felt many had more depth to them, but it seemed like this wasn't fully explored here in favor of focusing on them in the other manga, which is somewhat disappointing. I did find it odd how Mamoru could become comrades with former villains so effortlessly. Collaborating towards a common goal makes sense, but he appeared to genuinely become their comrade and vice versa, with them no longer seeming as menacing as initially portrayed, which felt somewhat inconsistent.

The art and designs, aside from the superbly drawn action, were just average.  

<p>tl;dr: A manga that consistently delivers strong action and battles, despite having a plot with scaling issues and main characters who, while individually well-developed, don't seem to develop together at all.</p>

Spoilers.  

I liked the idea and the first 30-50 or so chapters, but it soon became repetitive and ultimately concluded quite poorly. I also believe this manga is mislabeled. It’s not a Seinen; it's a Shounen with blood and a slight nod to basic realities. The main character has a childish "no killing" rule, as if he's a blind Batman with the morality of a five-year-old and no logical justification for his philosophy. The manga does eventually have some minor character deaths, but they're hardly significant after 170 chapters of "You can't kill bad guys because killing is wrong."  

Anyway, the concept of the manga isn't bad. Precog loli—because, hey, everyone loves a blonde loli, and it'd be weird if it were a shota. The abilities and technology are often poorly explained. Like, how can he see anything with those glasses when he's blind? The echolocation creating an image is somewhat believable, but those glasses producing an image a blind man can perceive is pushing it. There's no way those glasses could push an image he can see through his eyes. It'd have to be directly transmitted to his brain, which seems highly unlikely, especially since it's poorly, if at all, explained.  

Setting aside that gripe and ignoring all the others, because we'd be here all day if I didn’t, the story frequently pushes that typical Shounen attitude: *The MC is super strong*, *Badass x3 Stronger than Protagonist Appears*, *MC gets his ass handed to him*, *Momentary power-up, beats the bad guy*, *Return to status quo*, etc., etc. Many characters appear, disappear, and reappear haphazardly and have little value. The finale, though "happy," was pathetic, as leaving alive this literal superman by human standards is completely illogical and more "no killing" nonsense trying to impart some idiotic moral lesson anyone with half a brain would immediately discard.  

I think throughout the entire story, ZERO major characters died, and one named side character met their end. Though this could be incorrect as it's off memory. Then Mamoru, at the end of the story, when the main villain is defeated, leaves the FMC alone for seven years where she lives unhindered, which is complete bullshit for a laundry list of reasons. She's an extremely valuable asset and has been involved in multiple high-profile incidents that would make clear to any intelligence agency or country worth its salt her value. This was just a poor excuse to insert a timeskip.  

To summarize the story: nice concept, poor execution, poor explanation of technology and abilities, myriads of plot conveniences, childish attitude, and constant Shounen clichés.  

The art starts off not great but improves over time, but otherwise isn't particularly noteworthy. Art is rarely perfect, and this one is no exception, with plenty of "what the fuck is that?" moments, but it's otherwise passable.  

The characters are piss-poor. The precog loli is exactly what you'd expect from a child: childish and messed up due to the effects of her ability on her life. Beyond that, she doesn't change significantly throughout the series, the same being true for Mamoru. He experiences little growth and, while interesting in his dedication to his craft, is otherwise completely boring and often contradictory in character, whether regarding his past, present attitude, or situational responses. The author also tries too hard to portray him as a badass, especially since in each new arc he often gets beaten to hell by some new big bad and consistently fails. Igawa undergoes zero change and is pretty dull, the only character in him being the contrast between his abilities and appearance. Side characters are extremely uninteresting and, as previously mentioned, appear, disappear, and reappear randomly. Most leave little impact on the story as a whole.  

I couldn't enjoy the entirety of this series. It started poorly and slowly got worse over time, never regaining any footing it lost. Most of the time, I was either facepalming at how this is labeled a Seinen when it screams Shounen or wondering how the hell this technology works or why we get these random ability contradictions.  

Overall, this series was pretty fucking bad. It might be tolerable for a child or someone with the morality of a child. It was pretty much blind Batman protecting a loli for the entirety of the series.

You know the saying "bringing a knife to a gunfight"? That's precisely what Mamoru Hijikata does. And wow, does he pull it off impressively! He's a swordsman striving for justice in contemporary Tokyo, alongside his team of uniquely powerful allies.

STORY: This is a tale about a girl capable of foreseeing the near future, who forms a friendship with a solitary swordsman. Despite being blind, the main character employs specialized glasses that function somewhat like a bat's echolocation—using vibrations to navigate. I found this narrative refreshingly original, likely because it diverges significantly from anything I've encountered before. There are some sci-fi elements that might confuse a few readers; at times, grasping the concepts in the manga was challenging, but it never discouraged me from continuing. Moreover, Mamoru's sheer awesomeness and unpredictability kept me eagerly anticipating his next moves.

CHARACTERS: The characters are meticulously crafted, and their designs exhibit remarkable diversity, which I greatly appreciated. Character development is somewhat limited, possibly for two reasons:
a) Most characters are already at the pinnacle of their abilities, and those requiring further training do so off-screen (outside the primary storyline).
b) This approach enhances readability. You don't have characters disappearing for 4 or 5 chapters solely to learn new techniques or refine existing skills.

With such a varied cast and individual backstories, you genuinely grow attached to most of them. Of course, the bond between the two main protagonists deepens, initially seeming peculiar, but as the story progresses, it evolves into more than just mutual understanding—they genuinely desire to support each other's growth.

ART: The artwork is stunning, particularly the color pages. The artist clearly invested time to accurately depict and perfect the scenery. The diverse settings contribute to the visual appeal and likely explain the extended duration required to complete the series, as the artist aimed to encapsulate the essence of each scene. The action sequences are equally impressive, with the artist infusing intensity and energy into what is essentially black on white.

Overall, I rate it 9/10. For me, it's an excellent story where the characters, visuals, and setting harmonize beautifully.

What an incredible concept.  
As a review, this is my highest praise for this manga. The overall idea is truly remarkable, and showcasing diverse characters with unique strengths evokes comparisons to other great works. The inner shonen enthusiast in me thoroughly enjoyed all the action-packed fight scenes and the rapid progression of the plot, particularly as the story builds toward its climactic final act.  

However, there was one issue that I encountered: certain elements felt slightly off. Although I can't pinpoint exactly what I mean, some chapters seemed like they could have been stretched over three or four installments, while certain battles appeared as though they deserved more time to unfold. The final fight left me particularly puzzled—after all that meticulous planning and building up this character as the ultimate adversary, the payoff felt somewhat underwhelming. Similarly, the wedding scene disappointed me. While it makes sense conceptually, given the empty atmosphere and the timeskip, it still jars against the tone established throughout the rest of the series.  

There were moments when I genuinely loved the story, and others when I didn't connect as much. Jesus stands out as one of the coolest characters, with fascinating dualities, but Haruka also impresses in her own right. There are numerous instances of brilliant character writing, which elevate the manga significantly. Yet, despite these strengths, the narrative consistently feels unbalanced.  

I would rate this manga a 6/10. If the various elements had come together more cohesively, it could have easily reached a 9/10. Unfortunately, the disjointed transitions between arcs, coupled with awkward panel designs and inconsistent pacing during fights (later retconned), detract from the story's flow. Still, I found enjoyment in the experience, though objectively, I cannot justify giving it a higher score.

When I was browsing on manga.com one chilly evening, when I really should have been sleeping, I noticed that "Until Death Do Us Part" had been updated. I'd been searching for something to read, but nothing seemed to catch my interest—except for that one.

But I told myself, look at the title, it's probably a cheesy shoujo, and you know it. You've avoided reading it for that very reason. Still, I reasoned with myself, it might be true, but what harm could there be in checking out just the first chapter? If I don't like it, I can simply stop.

So I clicked on the link, and boom! There I was, diving into a story about a girl with precognitive abilities. Not that supernatural elements are unheard of in shoujo manga, but by the time I realized it, I was already ten or eleven chapters in, desperate for more.

A blind swordsman? That was definitely unexpected.

Yet, the action, art, and storyline left me utterly speechless. I couldn't get enough of it and quickly became obsessed. It felt as though the main character, Mamoru, had cast a spell over me and never let go.

Read it—you won't regret it.

I typically read shoujo manga, so it was the title of this one that caught my attention. I expected a sweet story, you know, with all the usual "everlasting love" and such... Boy, was I mistaken. And I'm glad I was. I don't have much experience with action-packed manga like this, but I consumed this manga like nothing else.  

PLOT: I gave it a 7/10 only because I might just be too dense or read too quickly to fully grasp the plot. I'm used to character-driven stories, so reading this one with an actual external plot was different for me. But I understood enough of the main story without overthinking, and it was captivating and left me wanting more. I just wish it had been made clearer at times, like who was working for whom and why.  

ART: Stunning artwork, and the action scenes are some of the most intense, breathtaking moments I've ever seen. I was also very impressed by the character designs. They were unique and consistent (not to mention stunning), and the diverse nationalities of the characters added an interesting overall feel to the art. The only reason I don't give it a 10/10 is because there were a few chapters where it seemed like a different artist took over; the art was subpar in a couple of chapters, which was distracting. There were also occasional colored pages, which were nice but, given the nature of the manga, not very "colorful" anyway.  

CHARACTER: Outstanding, 10/10. I adore the characters. For being a plot-driven manga, what makes Until Death Do Us Part stand out from other action mangas is the characters. Mamoru - so badass you can't help but love him. Not only that, but he also has a fascinating psyche, and he's hard to figure out. Not to mention a really twisted, unique past. Haruka - at first, she seems pathetic and scared (well, she is twelve), but she's adorable all the same. And her growth throughout the series is incredible to witness. She gets almost as badass as Mamoru in some parts. Not to mention the relationship between the two develops deeply and smoothly, realistically; it's not a weird romantic lolicon at all but a deeper story about what truly connects people. All the supporting characters are also rich and diverse. You'll become deeply invested in them all.  

Overall, definitely worth reading, but only start if you've got plenty of time on your hands!