Origin

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You know what you’re getting into with Boichi every single time, and Origin is no different. You’re not here for a literary masterpiece; you’re here for the art. Boichi is, in my opinion, the best ARTIST working in the manga industry, right up there with legends like Kentaro Miura (and kinda hot take, he’s even better). His art is just… perfect. And yea he is a horny dude who came from drawing hentai so you’re gonna get a ton of ass shots, camel toes, and other fan service. At this point that’s just part of his charm. With his other work, Sun-Ken Rock, the story ... was actually hella enjoyable on its own. With Origin, I’m a bit more torn.

The concept is damn solid. We’re in a futuristic world where the main character, Origin, is a highly advanced robot secretly living among humans. The setup is cool as hell. He can switch faces to blend in and he has a mf katana hidden inside his own arm. The side characters are also really enjoyable, even if they exist primarily for fan service, which again, is classic Boichi.

The problem is, the story doesn’t really go where you (or I) expect it to. For a Boichi manga the pacing is surprisingly slow. I was kinda expecting a non-stop battle series but what I got was a lot of slow-burn setup and exposition. It’s NOT bad by any means but I just think Boichi’s storytelling shines brightest when it’s fast-paced and fight-focused. The story is just good but not great.

Where the manga truly excels, before it all falls apart, is in the relationship between the main character Jin and Mai. This whole plot line is an outstanding point of the manga. Watching this robot, slowly learn what it means to be human by protecting her is… sweet. The manga also explores some pretty nice topics like what it means to be human and what it truly means to exist.

Unfortunately, Boichi just can’t seem to stick the landing. Like with Sun-Ken Rock, the ending to Origin is pretty sucky. It feels incredibly rushed and kinda just stupid. It’s so abrupt that the only logical explanation is that the series was "axed" or hurried along so Boichi could focus on Dr. Stone, which is a damn shame. The story suddenly goes into escalation where some robots after achieving a certain point become godlike beings. The final boss fight is suddenly about to happen. Many plot points disappear quicker than they were introduced. It’s accompanied by all this "smart" philosophical talk that just feels like Boichi trying to sound way deeper and more profound than he’s capable of writing. It’s a mess.

So, was it bad? No. But the story absolutely shits the bed at the end. The real question though is… does it matter? This is Boichi we’re talking about. I’ll say it again; he’s the best manga artist of all time and every single one of his works is worth reading for the art alone. Origin is no exception. In fact the art here might even surpass Sun-Ken Rock at times. I’m not exaggerating when I say that one of the panels in this manga is the most beautiful, breathtaking panel I have ever seen in my life. So yeah, I’m giving it a 7/10. The story is flawed and the ending is a rushed disappointment, but the visual experience is so transcendent that it makes the whole journey worthwhile. And I just fucking love the women in his art style. Boichi my goat.

°English Version°

After reading Boichi's Origin I am very satisfied knowing that it is the first thing I read by this author and I loved it. Although its 87 chapters feel short and it is true that it loses strength towards the end, it does not mean that it entertained me for a while and I enjoyed it very much.

It has an immediately engaging story, and to this is added Boichi's ability to vary or switch between serious/comic situations without feeling forced. Something that the author also achieves perfectly is the development of his protagonist, Tanaka (Origin).

Many of the secondary characters have very little or no ... development (except for Mai Hirose), but that's fine because they serve the function that Origin learns from them, learns from humans. Tanaka evolves knowing about them and seeks to become the last dream of his father.

The manga always moves in a constant search for "proper living". Tanaka's learning is precious in that sense because he not only gains experience with each step, but he learns from those around him and forms that "ideal" that he knew how to desire.

It is beautiful how he manages to realize what he has, what he gains, and also what he loses. Circumstances that are repeated and help him to form and also become the dreams of the people who love him, fulfilling not only the satisfaction of himself, but also of the rest.

Not to mention the drawing. Total madness Boichi's attention to detail when it comes to getting serious. The fights, the moral debates, the feelings, everything helps to transmit much more and better when the mangaka leaves his life in the details. Rarely have I seen something so beautiful.

Finally, I close this opinion by saying that you give this manga a chance.
He is very good at what he sets out to do and fulfills what he wants to look for. Now it will be time to read something more from Boichi to find some "jewel".
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°Versión en español°

Terminado de leer Origin de Boichi me voy muy satisfecho sabiendo que es lo primero que leo de este autor y me encanto. Aunque se sienten cortos sus 87 capítulos y es cierto que pierde fuerza llegando al final, no quita que me entretuvo un rato y lo disfruté muchísimo.

Tiene una historia que engancha enseguida, y a esto se le suma la capacidad que tiene Boichi de variar o cambiar entre situaciones serias/cómicas sin sentirse forzado. Algo que también logra el autor de forma perfecta es el desarrollo de su protagonista, Tanaka (Origin).

Muchos de los personajes secundarios tienen muy poco o nada de desarrollo (menos Mai Hirose), pero eso está bien porque cumplen la función de que Origin aprenda de ellos, aprenda de los humanos. Tanaka evoluciona sabiendo de ellos y busca convertirse en el último sueño de su padre.

El manga se mueve siempre en una búsqueda constante de el “vivir apropiadamente”. El aprendizaje de Tanaka es precioso en ese sentido porque no solo gana experiencia, sino que aprende de los que lo rodean y forma ese “ideal” que supo desear.

Es hermoso como logra darse cuenta de lo que tiene, de lo que gana, y también de lo que pierde. Circunstancias que se repiten y lo ayudan a formarse y convertirse también en los sueños de las personas que lo aman, cumpliendo no solo la satisfacción de el mismo, también del resto.

Ni hablar del dibujo. Una locura total el detallismo que tiene Boichi a la hora de ponerse serio. Las peleas, los debates morales, los sentimientos, todo ayuda a transmite mucho más y mejor cuando el mangaka se deja la vida en los detalles. Pocas veces vi algo tan lindo.

Por último, cierro esta opinión diciendo que le den una oportunidad a este manga.
Es muy bueno en lo que se propone y cumple en lo que quiere buscar. Ahora tocará leer algo mas de Boichi para encontrar alguna "joyita".

I am really sad to rate this title as "(4) Bad" because I was insanely excited to read more and more at the beginning.
The formula of Origin being a socially awkward broke android that has brain capacity beyond human understanding really worked for me. I found the jokes really funny and the characters worked well for me in the first arc. I laughed quite a bit watching how the protagonist is avoiding socialization at all cost not because he is some weeb degen, but because he simply doesn't want to get discovered, and yet still attracting attention because he has not idea how to communicate. ...
Now let's get back to bad rating.
<Fights>
I don't really understand why other people are giving praise to fights because the fights are actually abysmal dogsh*t. Yes, the art is there - we have cool poses and brutal action. But there is no motion, no actual choreography. You often can't track the fighters' movements as they turn into a complete mash of white lines and post-image that aren't even shaded in according to movement order.
<Fanservice>
It is ubiquitous. It will chase you to the bottoms of hell.
Panels with the behind-woman's-ass camera framing will be present throughout the whole journey, up until the last chapters. I believe there are more asses drawn then girls' faces. I was hoping to get a solid battle in the end wit pure fighting and nothing else. I was immediately reality checked by a page wide panel with just a female pelvis flashing a thong under a floating skirt, showing thick thighs in strapped stockings. Yes, we get it Boichi, you can draw very sexy stuff, now can we pleeeeeaaaase get a normal hand-to-hand combat?

The manga also always returns to the trope of the poor android with no money "ha-ha even robots have to work in this capitalism" - and I liked those bits. But the author just keeps going back to this idea all the way to the last arc, Boichi doesn't even change wording, it's just the same phrase over and over "Even a robot has money problems, what a mess" or something like that.
This problem persists into other parts of story as well, characters keep repeating the same phrases and trying to make it look like character development. Our hero is constantly wondering what his father tried to tell him, which is theoretically fine, but he just keeps saying the same thing over and over until some stupid ass pull happens and he "changes" as a human. This "character development" feels so abrupt and disconnected that it feels like I am reading about some bipolar dude spitting nonsense to people around him for no reason.
I mean, imagine if your best friend suddenly started talking like Warren Buffet about some insane finance investment formulas and ideas, then talking like a hobbo who only wants to drink moonshine whole week, and then like Donald Trump blabbering about his greatness. Now stretch this psychotic episode for 90 chapters and you get Origin character experience.

All that said, I beg you to try reading Origin for at least twenty chapters. During these twenty chapters the world of Origin is very grounded and organic, it is fine, it works.