Ranked #1077

BioMeat: Nectar (Manga)

How can I describe BioMeat: Nectar? In one word: Awesome. Like the basic synopsis describes, the manga takes place in Japan where a man by the surname of Toujo develops creatures known as B-M as a solution to food shortages. Somehow, one of these 'B-M' manage to escape from where it was developed resulting in mass mayhem throughout the manga.

Story: "In Soviet Russia, you don't eat hamburgers...hamburgers eat you!"
This quote could be what best describes the story for BioMeat: Nectar. For a horror fanatic such as I, the story of food eating humanity was a treat. This manga contained all that I ever wanted in a horror manga: blood, guts, gore, people fleeing for their lives, and an overabundance of artillery. Simply put, I enjoyed the story...a lot.

Art: "I'm lovin' it."
The artwork was sublime. The characters, the scenery, the background...the lines were clean and everything was such a sight for my eyes. I have no arguments about the artwork.

Character: “No matter what age you are, or what your circumstances might be, you are special, and you still have something unique to offer. Your life, because of who you are, has meaning.”
Each character was unique in their own individual way and contributed to the plot. No one character was the same. I particularly liked Shingo; maybe it's because he developed several plans and learned from the faults of his past rather than dwelling too deeply on them.

Enjoyment: "Every minute should be enjoyed and savored."
I loved this manga until the very end. In short, I read this manga in about three days time give or take a few breaks in between. I sped through this manga, my eyes deliciously taking in the story and the drawings. Although, I wish I had gone a bit slower. Oh well, I'll just read it again.

Overall: "Just do it."
Seriously, just read this manga and see for yourselves how good it is. If you're a horror fanatic who enjoys some gore, then this manga is for you. However, if you can't stand the sight of blood I'm not sure if you can stand reading it. That's not to say that there's gore left and right. There are a few breaks in between where there's no blood at all. But still, for anyone reading this review I recommend taking a look at BioMeat: Nectar. You won't be disappointed. read more

Wow, this manga is a fine balance between corny and masterful. It uses all the usual clichés in the genre yet presents them in ways that are highly entertaining without becoming too far fetched or lame most of the time.

If you happen to have seen any B-grade movies about monsters invading a city, you know the drill. The military is making a super weapon in secret, it gets out of control, it kills many people, and when it is finally defeated by the heroes, the army makes sure to cover it up in the media, while it foreshadows a sequel by showing the monster not being completely killed. This is what this manga does too and yes it does sound corny. But the presentation is done almost perfectly and even a seasoned reader/watcher like myself can’t hold a grudge against it.



Story: 8

For starters, the “bad super weapon” of the story is not even a weapon. It’s an organism that eats anything (besides metal or glass) and multiplies within minutes. It was developed as means to solve the world’s huge food shortages and NOT to be used as a killing machine. And this is what makes it so damn great. In the typical stories, the ones who gain profit from the secret plans are only the military and the government. You have no reason to feel that the organism they made is nothing else but a terrible weapon that kills people so they get richer or rule the world. But here you are actually offered a niche dilemma. The organism is made to be like cows; they grow it and then turn it to delicious meat which can be sold at very low prices to any civilian. It even is useful as a recycling method, as it eats garbage and keeps the environment clean. You see it how it can benefit humanity if used properly and not like a doomsday device, as they usually present it. There are many dialogues in the story where people actually admit that Bio-Meats are not evil and don’t want to eat humanity for the heck of it. They are just what they were made to be; a fast and cheap source of food and method of recycling. It is not their fault that humans make mistakes and abuse their capabilities for personal greedy needs. And it’s not like they can just trash the project as overpopulation has left them with no other option.

Thus, the story is NOT about an evil monster that must be killed. Neither is about a few individuals we can point with our fingers and say it’s their fault. It is a situation that involves everyone, the heroes, the simple civilians, even the readers like you and me. The focus of the story becomes the human struggle for survival NOT from a faceless monster but from our own overgrowth and overestimation of our capabilities.
But besides the above heavy on the mind dilemma, the story is also more direct things. It plays along as a very well made survival/horror story. Most of the scenes and situations are pretty much overused in similar scenarios, like Resident Evil or Alien. Yet as I said, the enemy is never the monster itself but the folly of Man. Plus, the pacing of the plot is actually very fast and it hardly feels like it drags pointlessly.

Thus it is done almost flawlessly, with the exception of the “immortal protagonists” trope which can get to your nerves after the 10th time it happens. As it usually happens, the monster is fast and cunning and it takes a few seconds to devour any mook. But when the heroes fight it, well, it mysteriously becomes slow, stupid, and even stings instead of chopping off heads in an instant. Too convenient and it happens too many times.



Characters: 8

Said characters, are the typical bunch you expect in such stories. The overhyped teenagers, the sinister politicians, the treacherous militarists… It even goes as far as introducing fanatic zealots and spoiled rich kids who make a lot of trouble just for the heck of it. For a story of this kind, the multitude and variety of stereotypes is played along so nicely, it no longer feels bad. Also, most main characters get a fair share of development and immersion, making them far more that the typical bunch they appear to be in the first 10 chapters. There is a fair share of mooks as well but they appear and get eaten so fast, you don’t feel they damage the story in any way.

The only flaw I see in them is the typical dues ex machina the main characters get and survive or win all the time. Plus the lead boy is pretty much a fighting shounen lead and does feel out of place most of the time in such a time of story.



Art: 9

Although not overrun with details or masterful use of cinematics, the artwork is superb. Characters and scenery may feel typical to the most part but the various huge panels of military facilities, urban areas and a billion man eating critters running toward you, show that the mangaka knows what he is doing.

Another thing I liked is the total absence of fan service. Most females are drawn cute and run around in mini skirts but you won’t get a single shot of underwear or boobs. It takes a lot of guts to be able to do that in modern titles which are overrun by goddamn soft porn that distracts you from the story and the character drama itself.

Being horror as well, it has a rather high amount of gore and splatter, although most of the times the gruesome scenes are done off-screen, with terrifying lettering of sounds making you imagine the gross scenes. Very smart… And the few times it actually shows you directly the disgusting scene you only say “Wow, they actually showed it! Didn’t see it coming!” Incredible use of shock effect I must say; showing most to be off-screen and still managing to feel terrifying by not making you predict if they show it directly the next time.

Do I have any qualms about the art? Well, yes, there is a thing. There is a huge amount of gore in it and the characters seem to get over it too fast or not being scared enough about it. I mean, I am an adult who has watched a million horror films but if (God forbid) I ever see my parents, brother, pet kitty and most of my city being eaten alive by grotesque monsters, I would definitely scream like a girl and go insane. Having 10 year old kids not minding much all the above and even laughing a few minutes after most of their loved ones have been eaten alive feels… bad.



Enjoyment & Overall: 8

Although I have read far more gruesome, terrifying, and better executed horror manga, this title ranks pretty high too. If you are a fan of B-grade type of horror (like zombie flicks or psychological thriller) you will definitely like it. But if you are part of those who prefer nightmarish settings, characters going insane and the story being of blur of madness and hallucination, chances are you will find it rather superficial. I mean, the lead is really annoying and those kids regard someone’s brains blowing up on their faces being as bad as stepping on poop. So be warned beforehand what this story is all about. read more