The Wasteland’s Spring Breeze

No reviews for this yet? Interesting. Alright, I'll do my best. For those of you who don't know, Zero (or Zero: The Beginning of the Coffin) is a manhwa that's apparently based on a video game series. It's done by the talented folks at Infinity Studios, who also brought you Blood Alone. A pre-review rundown is basically: there are psychic people in this universe, called ESPers, and there are two companies, something of rivals, called the ECS and LEED, and when Espers fight, their powers are measured in something called G's. Anyway, on with the review!

STORY: For the most part, the story is standard Seinen fare. Once Shuu gets to high school, you're almost overwhelmed with clichéd characters. Thankfully, the main characters hold the spotlight. When things revolve around Shuu, his sisters, the ECS, and the 'bad guys,' it really is top-quality stuff. Shuu fights, isn't strong enough, some dialogue leads to another fight — yeah, it's typical, but for Seinen, it's pretty well done. There are some interesting elements too. There are heavy hints, right from the beginning, of an incestuous relationship between Shuu and Sumire, a forbidden love, which really intrigues me. For some people, that's an instant turn-off, but you might like it. It's not all just fight-fight-fight. 7/10

ART: The character designs are decent, the scenery is cool, but the fighting scenes are where it shines. These are psychic powers, and you can see how it's not just colored energy blasts or physical weapons; it's more distortions in the air and internal effects, and the artist does a great job portraying it. You always know who is who, and the environments are pretty good, what you'd expect from a manga, but they're not amazing. Though sometimes it might be hard to see what's going on, the art is pretty good overall. 8/10

CHARACTER: You've got Shuuichi, Sumire and Katsumi, the kids at the school, and the people working at either organization. The main bad guys, for one, are pretty deep and have personalities — I know, surprising, right? The school kids fail the most, as they're stereotypical, but as I said before, we don't see enough of them that it matters. Sumire and Katsumi, the latter of whom almost never says anything, are great supporting characters. They're realistic people and they just want a good life for Shuu, and it shows in the choices they're always making. And then there's Shuuichi, he's the best. He's the definition of an anti-hero. He has flaws: he's spoiled, brash, arrogant, aggressive. But he has a flip side: he's kind, intense, and passionate when he needs to be, though he's mostly shy and naive, which allows for some comedy. He'll do things to people you may or may not like, and he'll kill whoever he has to if it means getting what he wants. He's really dynamic and, by himself, drags the Character rating up. 9/10

ENJOYMENT: Now when you're looking at a Seinen title, you're not looking at much, most of the time. This has good character development, a nicely flowing and decent story, an interesting premise with Espers. The "G" measuring system makes it feel a little trite, yeah, but the best part about this manhwa is that it's easy to overlook its flaws. Give it a try and you won't be disappointed... or you might, in which case that's understandable. 8/10

Overall: AKA tl;dr
Story: 7. Decently written, easy enough to follow, intriguing and gripping, it does its job for action titles.
Art: 8. Well-detailed characters, excellent environments, convincing and inspiring battle sequences and effects, and a realistic sense of pace and action.
Character: 9. Shuu is just awesome, his sisters are great, the people at the ECS are mired in mystery and unclear motives, while LEED is more brusque but at the same time even MORE mysterious, and, like the cogs of the clock, the character and story weave a good title.
Enjoyment: 8. You might not like the premise of psychic people fighting, or the insinuations of an incestuous relationship between the main characters, but if you don't hate those, you will like this title.

Zero: The Beginning of the Coffin. 8/10

If you did not find this review helpful, feel free to let me know. I'm more than happy to discuss the titles I review. Cheers.

The plot is fairly engaging, although it might initially strike some readers as overly familiar. ESPers? 'Chosen' individuals with superhuman abilities, including telekinesis and clairvoyance, could seem like a run-of-the-mill premise. Despite this, the manga truly is worth checking out. That said, the author does rely on Deus Ex Machina a bit too often, which occasionally diminishes the tension in critical moments. For the most part, though, the author handles these situations skillfully enough to compensate. Additionally, the author engages in some morally questionable actions that might be considered cruel. It's tricky to elaborate without revealing spoilers, so I'll stop there. What I can say is that Yooshin is absolutely fantastic.  

That Is All.

This is going to be short and to the point. I absolutely loved it! The concept is beautiful, and although there are moments where you're left assuming things, that's one of the most compelling aspects of this manga. It keeps you guessing and on edge the entire time!  

I highly recommend giving this a read! I don't think genres matter much if you appreciate a great story and have an open mind. Just be prepared to keep an open mind while reading (can't elaborate due to spoilers).  

The characters were well-developed, and the story came together seamlessly. I adored every single character, and the best part was that even the "bad guys" were so well-written that you couldn't help but sympathize with them!  

There is some gore, and of course, action and blood, but if you've read manga like Tokyo Ghoul, it's really not a big deal.  

READ THIS!! I guarantee you'll enjoy it! :)<p>

<p>tl;dr: A manhwa with promising concepts but poor execution.<br /><br />The world, complete with its diverse factions and systems, was intriguing. The battle system, featuring various types of esper abilities, was also impressive. However, as a prequel to a game, it feels like much of this content was borrowed from the game itself. While these elements are well-designed, they remain underutilized. For instance, EMC and LEAD are depicted in considerable detail, with characters from both sides portrayed sympathetically, yet the exact differences between them and the reasons for their conflict remain unclear. The battle system, though great, had issues: the protagonist, meant to be overpowered, is frequently defeated, and the battles themselves lack depth. In terms of plot, it moves quickly and is initially engaging, but by the end, it feels directionless. The setup involving the characters and their relationships is interesting but ultimately goes nowhere, leaving behind unresolved hints. Meanwhile, the plot focuses on random issues tied to the zero sample and the conflict between EMC and LEAD, which only adds confusion. The ending is chaotic, seemingly designed to set up another work but instead derails completely. Character relationships shift randomly, and there are sudden deaths, resulting in an ending that was likely intended to be bittersweet but comes off as simply bitter and unsatisfying. The art, however, is solid.</p>

Wow, second review... Anyways, moving on to the review. To start off, if you're into the shounen/lighter seinen genres, this will likely appeal to you. Don't be put off by the art initially, as it improves over time and the fights are incredibly detailed. The story goes something like this: on the planet, there are people who can control mental energy, measured in G's (?). The main character is a special case called a zero sample, and his entire body was designed to handle tremendous amounts of G's, to the extent that if he becomes unstable, he could destroy an entire city. Because of this, he and his sisters are on the run, evading Korean ESPER forces, which is where the story begins...

Since this is a Korean manhwa, I was expecting more depth in the storyline, but sometimes it feels like I've already figured out what happens next... and being correct in my assumptions is oh so annoying. Even so, there are times when I'm reading this and need to slow down and revisit a few chapters because the manhwa seems to introduce elements out of nowhere without proper explanation within the story itself. Guess that means I should go play the game.

Overall, this manhwa is great, even though the characters were somewhat shallow in their development. I will read this again after playing the game, just for the fights and overall story value, hoping to gain a better understanding. Lol, my grammar sucks. XD  

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Kind of a random chapter to wait for. Mind me asking why ch470 in particular?

What's the author other novel?

I agree but if you don't like someone who has been actively pursuing u for like 5-6 years you shouldtell them. Oh and this isn't a secretive pursuit like he didn't know and she isn't making it obvious. I think it becomes a moral dilemma at that point. Oh and them being normal friends and no feelings can I think happen only in normal situations. Its different when a person becomes a shining light in your life. He was the only person to talk and teach her and they are similar in age. It is nearly improbable that one wouldn't have any feelings to explore about the other. Please just read this book then give me ur thoughts. Because My arguments only pertain to the situations story and not anything else.