Serene and The Six Realms

""""Hahahahahahahahahahaha!!!!""""

I can’t believe I paid all this money for this never ending book. It is almost 200 chapters with no end in sight. Good luck to you. In my opinion this book could have been completed I Lee’s than 100 chapters.

Story: There are a few plot holes, but it's important to note that the creators' previous work was primarily in BL doushinji. Given that this is their first manga (and one of such length), I believe the plot holes are forgivable. The storyline is incredibly multi-layered, exploring themes like military versus religion versus society, and more. Essentially, there's a lot going on. I particularly appreciate how the manga developed its own religion and world-building without overwhelming the reader. It allowed for a gradual understanding as these elements became relevant to the plot.  

Art: The art style is distinctly identifiable to the artist, with no 'same face syndrome,' and remains consistent throughout.  

Character: Significant character and relationship development occurred among the main characters, while also allowing room for side characters and past figures. The platonic bonds between them were exceptional, and even the villains were well-developed with intriguing personalities.  

Overall: 10 - This rating is biased because this manga has been my all-time favorite for the past eight years!  

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<p>This is an incredible manga that offers enough action to attract shounen fans, as well as those (like me!) who adore anything supernatural with a complex storyline and stunningly handsome men. It's not explicitly shounen ai, but there's plenty for boys-love enthusiasts to interpret. I get extremely thrilled whenever there's a cool, beautiful villain, and we encounter one almost immediately — then the plot deepens with a sometimes perplexing array of characters, each with their own motivations and alliances. I truly appreciated the fantasy world the mangaka crafted — it's highly detailed and intricate, and yes, you might need to take notes to keep track of everything ☺. Truly fantastic, and I was sad to reach the end.</p>

Alt Names: 7 Ghosts | Siete Fantasmas | 07-Fantasmas | セブンゴースト | 神幻拍挡07  
Genres: Action | Adventure | Comedy | Drama | Fantasy | Josei | Manga | Supernatural  
Author: Amemiya Yuki | Ichihara Yukino  
Status: Completed  
Rating: 4/5  

<p>Set in a fantastical world, the story follows Teito Klein, an orphaned slave boy who rises to become one of the top students at the military academy of a rival empire. However, circumstances take a dramatic turn, and Teito finds himself as a fugitive, relentlessly pursued by the military forces of the Barsburg Empire. Seeking refuge, he escapes to a church located in District 7, which, according to legend, is safeguarded by seven enigmatic spirits known as the 7 Ghosts. Under District 7’s law of sanctuary, the Barsburg military is unable to capture Teito as long as he remains within the church.  

<p>As the narrative unfolds, it reveals the existence of two powerful artifacts: the Eyes of Raphael and the Eyes of Mikhail. The royal family of the Kingdom of Raggs once possessed the Eyes of Mikhail, while the Eyes of Raphael were held by the Barsburg Empire. Years ago, the Barsburg Empire betrayed a pact, leading to the devastating annihilation of the Kingdom of Raggs in order to seize the Eyes of Mikhail. Unbeknownst to Teito, he is the last surviving descendant of the royal family of Raggs and carries the Eyes of Mikhail within him. With his best friend Mikage now deceased, the military hunting for his life, and a mysterious entity named Kor after his soul, Teito must unravel the mysteries of his past with the aid of the 7 Ghosts.  

<p>The plot is intricate, weaving together elements of magic, religion, military strategy, church politics, friendship, and revenge. A multitude of characters contribute to the complexity of the storyline. Readers are encouraged to proceed at a measured pace to fully appreciate the depth of the narrative. Due to its sophisticated nature, I recommend this manga to readers aged 18 and above.

A poorly executed Code Geass!  
I start my review with this sentence because it perfectly encapsulates the feeling I had while reading this work. I specifically read Volume 4, Chapters 18 to 22 of a physical manga that I received as a gift. Although it begins midway through the story, it is still early in the series, so I won't delve deeply into the abilities and powers. That said, this work is extremely crude, with characters forcing a "yaoi" relationship where none exists (it bothered me so much that I thought the work was purely yaoi). There's no depth in any aspect of the story, some characters are sidelined and lack relevance, and everything feels depressing.  

The battles are incredibly mediocre, even for 2005 standards. It's not worth the time spent reading this manga or watching the anime. I came across a review of this work that perfectly summarized my thoughts: "this is a piece that only appeals to fujoshi because the work itself is weak and sloppy."  

In general, I do not recommend reading or watching this work.  

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Wow. It feels like just yesterday I was back in high school, completely obsessed with this obscure anime/manga that hardly anyone seemed to know about. In 2009, I discovered an anime called 07-Ghost, and let me tell you, I was absolutely OBSESSED with it—almost as much as I was with Shounen Onmyouji. I even made AMVs for it, something I had never attempted before. One of my best friends once gifted me volume 3 of the manga, back when Go! Comi still held the license. Of course, those three volumes were all we got in the US at the time, and unless you read it online, there was no way to continue the story, since Go! Comi had shut down, leaving their licenses in limbo. I did read it online up until volume 7 but stopped due to other commitments. Then, years later, Viz Media came to the rescue, and in 2015, they released every single volume. As of this writing, I now own the entire series and have read it from volume 1 to volume 17. After years of not touching this manga and finally picking it up again, what do I think of it now?

Well...I won't lie, the manga does have good qualities, but it's also held back by a significant number of problems.

At first glance, the story seems basic. A young boy, Teito Klein, is sent to a special military school because of his rare ability to use a type of attack energy called Zaiphon. Every day, he has strange, frightening dreams, but he doesn't understand why. One day, he overhears someone named Ayanami talking and realizes the truth: these dreams are actually memories from long ago, and Ayanami killed someone he loved and took everything from him. With the help of his friend Mikage, he escapes the Barsburg Empire and finds allies in three bishops of the Barsburg Church: Frau, Castor, and Labrador. Over time, he uncovers great secrets about himself, which continually put him and his friends in danger. He's now determined to uncover the truth behind both his fractured memories and the history of his homeland, the Raggs Kingdom, even if doing so might destroy the world.

I was introduced to 07-Ghost through the anime first and didn't start reading the manga until later. I adored the anime's art style: clean, clear, full of bright colors, creative shots, and camera angles, with none of the distorted faces often seen in other anime. On the other hand, the manga's artwork is much more chaotic. That's not to say the art is bad—it's far from it. Perhaps "busy" is a better word. The lines aren't always clean and straight; there are lots of jagged edges and sharp angles, and sometimes it feels like the artwork could use more polishing. This was Yuki Amemiya and Yukino Ichihara's first manga, so many of the artwork's issues can be attributed to them still refining and finding their artistic style. Thankfully, the drawings improve over time, though they remain somewhat busy and scattered at times.

I also believe the jagged, messy artwork contributes to another issue with the manga: its pacing. Everything moves incredibly, almost overwhelmingly fast in this manga. First, Teito is at the military academy, then suddenly he's at the church, followed by an epic fight scene, then he leaves the church, then another plot twist changes everything, and so on. There don't seem to be any chapters where the characters can simply sit down, breathe, and take a moment. If you're a fan of fast-paced action manga, this is definitely for you. On one hand, there's no filler, so the story is always advancing, always having something happen, and I've heard some people criticize the anime for being too slow and filled with unnecessary scenes. In the manga, there's always something occurring, rarely leaving room for boredom, which is always a positive! On the other hand, 07-Ghost seems to believe it must keep moving at full speed without pauses, which can make the story difficult to follow at times, given the numerous shocking, plot-twisting revelations that pop up every few chapters. It can really disorient the reader because something is ALWAYS happening, leaving little breathing room.

For what it's worth, the fast pacing does keep the characters dynamic and evolving. Initially, they appear to be archetypal anime tropes: the impulsive, reckless main character, the good-hearted skirt-chaser, the intelligent one who wears glasses, the girly man who loves plants, etc. But with the constant forward momentum of the story, it forces the characters to confront their demons, face their pasts, and truly change to progress from point A to point B. As you read further into the manga, the characters become more than one-dimensional archetypes with singular personality traits. Even the villains receive reasonably good character development, showing that they aren't just typical Saturday morning cartoon villains bent on world domination. Many of their motives are deep and even sympathetic, although the manga makes it clear that their actions shouldn't be easily excused. Despite occasional blandness, the characters shine brilliantly throughout the series.

Of course, even the characters aren't immune to some significant setbacks, the most notable being Teito. Don't get me wrong, he's a decent main character, albeit somewhat cliché in certain ways. However, sometimes it feels like the narrative tries too hard to make him the center of everything. At one point, he's shown to have the Eye of Mikhail, then it's revealed he's the long-lost prince of the Raggs Kingdom, and the list goes on! Seriously, he's revealed to be at least FIVE different things simultaneously, all crucial to the storyline. Two or three of these revelations would be fine, but more than five? I think this, along with the rapid pace and multitude of plot twists, bogs the story down by making it feel bloated with excessive elements. If the mangakas had trimmed some of the excess and focused on developing the ideas they already had, I believe 07-Ghost would be much more refined and polished than it currently is.

I initially planned to rate this lower, but then I read the ending, which was thrilling and satisfying in the best possible ways, compensating for most of the series' flaws. I won't deny that 07-Ghost isn't perfect, and I don't enjoy it as much now as I did when I first encountered it in high school. But honestly, rereading it and experiencing the entire story felt like reuniting with an old friend and catching up on lost time. Sure, that old friend is still a bit awkward, but they're still a fantastic friend nonetheless. At least, that's how I view the series. If you're a fan of fast-paced action, this manga is definitely for you. For their debut work, Amemiya and Ichihara did an excellent job, albeit with a few hiccups along the way, and I've heard they're still creating manga. Here's hoping they continue to succeed! While not flawless, 07-Ghost is a moving, ambitious, action-packed epic that will undoubtedly give you an adrenaline rush.

If only someone would come to the rescue and license Cantarella, releasing its final two volumes!  

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3 years after its completion, I still find myself inexplicably captivated by the epic narrative that is 07 Ghost.  

It's a story of the rise and fall of empires—of power struggles and political conflicts. Yet, despite the intricately woven military backdrop and historical depth, 07 Ghost is not a war story. At its heart, it is a tale about embracing everything life has to offer. It’s about having the capacity to cherish another person's kindness. It’s about finding the strength to move forward when faced with adversity.  

The combat system in the story reflects this theme. Characters utilize an energy known as "zaiphon," which channels the emotions of the user. While there are various types of zaiphon loosely tied to each character's personality, fundamentally, everyone's zaiphon is inherently the same—it is the mental fortitude of the user that dictates its power.  

The protagonist, Teito Klein, is masterfully crafted. He begins as unremarkable—an amnesiac with childlike tendencies who constantly laments his situation—but he evolves significantly through the bonds and connections he forms throughout the series. He develops a profound appreciation for the world, his friends, and even his adversaries, eventually transforming into a charismatic leader who commands attention. Watching his journey come full circle over the course of the series is truly remarkable.  

Yes, it features a cast of attractive male characters. Yes, it’s clichéd to the extreme. Yes, the action sequences leave much to be desired. But by the end, I hope you'll agree that 07 Ghost transcends these elements, offering so much more than meets the eye.