The next manga addition to the Free Manga service is here with The Island of Giant Insects, written by Yasutaka Fujimi and illustrated by RED ICE. It has an OVA that was released in Japan in June 2019, which Crunchyroll licensed and premiered at Crunchyroll Expo 2019, and a full-length movie that premieres in Japan and on Crunchyroll in January 2020.
According to the Smithsonian, there is an estimated 10 quintillion (that's 10 followed by 18 zeros) individual insects alive at any given time, at a ratio of 200 million bugs per person. Despite that insanely huge number, you will never find any insect in real life like the kind featured in The Island of Giant Insects. If you appreciate bugs, you'll be impressed by the care and attention to detail that the author gives the ones in this series. He is very thorough in how he depicts them, from their anatomy to possible real-world reasons they could massively increase in size. If you don't, you'll be pleased to see humans triumphing over them and the many ways you can take down different types and why certain methods work better than others.
No matter how you feel about bugs, The Island of Giant Insects is a thrilling story about human survival and the extremes we can go to, both good and bad, to make sure we all make it out alive. Mutsumi Oribe, the protagonist, is excited to be going on a high school trip with her fellow second-year students when their plane crashes over the ocean. Luckily, the plane was close to an island, so she washes up on the shore of a seemingly normal island... except there is no one in the town around. Mutsumi runs into other students from her school and together they estimate they have to survive for about 3 days before a rescue team finds them, so they set out to explore the island. They quickly realize why there are no townspeople around to help when one of the students is attacked by giant butterflies and quickly becomes bug food. Suddenly, it is a desperate fight for their lives as those accustomed to considering bugs not to be a threat have the tables turned on them as they become the new prey of the land. With a divisive cast of characters that you either love-to-hate or cheer on, amazing art, an exciting plot that is well-paced, and an impressive amount of attention to the insects' details, The Island of Giant Insects is a story you won't want to miss out!
