Zettai naru Isolator
The Isolator

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I have finished reading the fifth volume of this series, the last volume to be released as of Writing this. The Isolator is an excellent series that is easy to pick up with an engaging storyline and interesting characters.

It's about a young boy named Minoru, who is one day possessed by an orb from outer space that grants him a very specific super power. The power to create an impenetrable barrier around himself. Minoru soon discovers that he is not the only one who has been possessed by these orbs, although some are driven into becoming dangerous killers by their orbs.

One of the ... series strengths is its world building. Although it is set in contemporary Tokyo, there is a lot of mystique to how the various organizations that the plot centers around and how the super powers actually work. The Isolator makes a concerted effort to try and explain the various superpowers that all of the characters possess with various scientific concepts, making the fantasy somewhat grounded in reality. The powers all have rules and limitations that we discover with the characters as they progress through the story and try to defeat their enemies. Although, the story seems to go for a "villain of the volume" sort of approach it first, it quickly develops into becoming a much bigger and interesting story with various surprises.

The writing style of The Isolator is one of my favorites. It's clean and effective. It doesn't weigh itself down with overly flowery descriptions or impenetrable language. It's concise but without losing any of the flair that makes the writing come to life. It's easy to follow and engage with the story with a clear sense of how any given scene is unfolding in its exactness. It feels like you are reading an anime.

Another quality of this series is that all core concepts and characters are routinely reexplained on a per volume basis in a way that is organic and doesn't feel disruptive. This means that in theory, you could pick up any volume in the series and still feel like you can engage with the story and the characters and understand what is going. That is an amazing quality for a long-running series. Although I do recommend you start with volume 1 of course ;).

I highly recommend this series if you have never read a LN before for it's ease of access and efficient and clean writing style. <3

Note: Physical copies are usually in hardback, though I believe you can get paperback as well. It can be harder to get legal digital copies, as sites like Amazon don't have the rights to sell every volume in the series. I found it easiest to simply order physical copies.

(I have just finished the fourth volume of the series, which at the time of this review, is also the latest one published in both Japan and abroad.)

Reki Kawahara, the writer of the (in)famous “Sword Art Online” light novel series, has been a polarizing figure in the minds of many anime and light novel fans alike. While he undoubtedly has very good premises, they are often marred by poor execution and writing, which has made Kawahara notorious.

But nowadays, more and more people are beginning to see that Kawahara has begun to show great improvement in his more recent works. For instance, his reboot of ... the original “Sword Art Online” series, under the name “Sword Art Online Progressive” has been lauded as not only redeeming the flawed SAO series, but also acclaimed for being a well-written light novel in general. The new Alicization arc of the mainline “Sword Art Online” light novel series has received similar acclaim, with a heavily anticipated anime adaptation on the way.

But of course, it would not be proper to judge the quality of his latest series, “The Isolator,” by just taking a look at his other series. I only spend so much time talking about Kawahara’s improvements in his writing because I firmly believe that “The Isolator” is potentially the most cohesive and well-written stories he has created.

Plot-wise, “The Isolator” focuses on the struggles of troubled and angsty teen Minoru Utsugi, who has been left emotionally and mentally scarred by the traumatic loss of his family at a young age. As a result, Minoru spends his time closing himself off from the outside world. But this all changes when he is given powers from a mysterious orb that falls from the sky, known as the Third Eye. And thus begins the action-packed adventures of Minoru Utsugi, who finds himself involved in a conflict between superpowered heroes and villains.

It’s admittedly a fairly generic plot. But while “The Isolator” lacks the creative premises that Kawahara’s other works possess, it makes up for it in its execution.

In all of the volumes so far, Kawahara writes from the perspectives of both the protagonists and antagonists equally. Readers are given the opportunity to experience the story from two different points of view, which is effective in not only revealing more context to character actions and motivations, but also heightens the stakes. Kawahara writes villains with the complexity and depth afforded to the heroes.

When it comes to fights, Kawahara excels with his vivid but concise descriptions of combat. Many light novels fail to make combat exciting to read, but the author manages to make it as exciting as seeing it on a shounen anime series.

The novels’ good writing is also complimented by illustrations which show up every few dozen pages. Light novel enthusiasts like me will undoubtedly appreciate the high-quality pictures of key moments in “The Isolator.”

But of course, this series is far from perfect.

Oftentimes, Kawahara’s in-novel explanations can also feel stilted and drawn out. Sometimes I can't help but skim over his page long explanations of scientific concepts present in the novel. There are times when it feels like I’m not reading a light novel, but rather a science textbook.

The villains, while engaging, can also feel cartoonish at times, which can feel at odds with the darker tone of the novel. Sometimes villain backstories seem rather strange, although this is less of a quality issue as much as it is an oddity that may or may not affect your opinion of the novel as a whole.

In addition, some characters get shoved to the sidelines and don’t feel like they serve any purpose thematically. Some of Minoru’s new colleagues are introduced, then quickly forgotten about. Thankfully, the characters that do receive attention are written well and are generally engaging and likeable.

The novels also feel highly formulaic. There is a “monster-of-the-week” style with each novel, which may or may not appeal to readers. “The Isolator” has its own fair share of tropes and cliches that it employs, many of which should be familiar to avid light novel readers.

But nonetheless it still trumps Kawahara’s other works. Minoru Utsugi is a well-written character with genuine character development. In fact, the entire cast has undeniable chemistry, which makes them feel real and relatable. No relationship or dialogue feels tacked on.

If you’re looking for a well-written superhero(?) light novel series, you can’t go wrong with Kawahara’s latest work. It may not be his most unique, but it might be his most engaging one yet.

As someone who likes to read novels, this was a big let down, one that may have put me off of light novels.

Story - 5
The story was pretty... Meh. It didn't interest me at all, and in all honesty, it had bored me till the very end. It was filled with anime clichés and things like that. I didn't enjoy the characters very much either.

Art - 8
The artwork is probably one of the only things I liked about this novel. It was pretty good for light novel art, and it kept to a style that I personally enjoy. Not much is to be said ... about the artwork, because there are only around 5 pages of artwork throughout the entire novel.

Character - 5
I found each and every one of the characters to be uninteresting and stereotypical as they could be. The main character is unique? No. I have seen to many similar characters to him that the only thing I found interesting about anything in the story is the power that he had. Perhaps it was a mistake to read the english translation. The other characters were boring as well, and it may have been the translator's fault for not expressing them completely.

Enjoyment - 3
As I said before, I wasn't very interested throughout the entire book. And unlike any other books I have read, I almost wanted to just flip to the end and finish it without reading what happens in the middle. However, I went through everything, and I was very disappointed.

As I have said before, my experience may have been affected by the translator. However, I just want to point out that I read the official translation (Doesn't mean that it could be any better than a fan translation though). I may come back to this review if I change my mind after reading the Japanese version.