Orient

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OK. When I founded that Magi´s author realased a new manga i didn´t expected too much. Maybe because it reminds me of Edens Zero or Samurai 8, which taught me that the fact that a person makes a good manga doesn´t means that everythinh it does is good. But I had a big surprise reading Orient.

The story is about the Edo Japanese period dominated by Onis and Kishins (basucally, demons, samurais, swords, magic, that kind of stuff) and a guy called Musashi and his friend Kojiro (I still loving that references to characters of the context that Ohtaka works)

STORY: 6
This is the weakest point of ... Orient. The problem isn´t that is cliche, but is very simple. Is just, the kind of stuf you´ll find in every manga, and its SO SIMILLAR to Magi in factors like the use of magic and the adventures. In fact, the magic system is pretty similar to all the shonens. But, for the other side, Orient is a light and simple reading of a shonen manga, and is starting to getting better from chapter 40. The battles aren´t a masterpiece, but they´re not bad. They have a good balance between power and strategy for a shonen, and they are long and enjoyable (the battle from chapter one, which is supposed to have a duration of a few pages like in every shonen has a duration of 5 CHAPTERS OF 30 OR MORE PAGES). The battles are not easy to win, and, in the most of causes, Musashi and his friends lost important battles only for learn, earning experience and try again. This. added to a comedy that doesn´t feels forced and a NULL fanservice (seriously, in manga industries is hard, VERY HARD, to find a series without nude woman everywhere), makes Orient stands out in rhythm between the new shonen manga series.

ART: 8
I don´t mind some characters have the same design that others from Magi, because it only shows in the faces of some characters. But the facial expressions are so similar between them. In the other side, the weapons are pretty well drawed: you can see the light effects on the metal, and the extremely ornate and collored clothing and hair. The battles can be well done when the situation warrants. But another negative point is the simplicity of the design in Onis and Kishins, looking just like deformed joint masses.

CHARACTERS: 8
Simple but not annoying. Between the MCs is a relation it´s a fluid relationship that doesn´t consist in only repeating things like "the magic of friendship". I´d like to add the learning and evolution is having Musashi in the manga, learning about his mistakes and trying to correct them, thing you don´t often see in a shonen. For now, we have a pretty little cast for a modern manga, but I hope it gets bigger

ENJOYMENT: 8
If you´re searching an SHONEN GENERIC MANGA (generic doesn´t means bad, it means normal), you´ll enjoy it

Story is mediocore and predictable. TBH, I don't like the start of the manga. I feel that it started to improve in the latest chapters.

If you like Shinobu's art, then there's that. I love her art, although sometimes I feel her art is excessively 'detailed'. Unnecessary drawings are being drawn that makes the panels 'full' and pakced.

EXTRA; character designs are great, I really like Shinobu's design as always. BUT, there are many similar faces with Magi, so be prepared xD

The characters are alright, they're not amazing, but they're not bad. Like I said, generic.

I enjoy reading it til' the latest chapter, ... so if you have time go on read it.

This is a review of only the first 3 chapters of the story, and now that you're informed, let us talk about this interesting situation we've got here.


Orient is the new manga of Ohtaka Shinobu, Magi's author. And though a lot of people say that you should separate the author's works, it should be acknowledged that you'd expect something good from an author whom you've read\watched their works before.

Just to make it clear, I've dropped this manga, Twice.

The biggest problem that it has is not managing to be interesting enough for me to read it. You can predict whatever's going to happen ... just by reading the first few chapters.
Of course, I hope that I'm mistaken and that the story is more interesting than how it seems, but I doubt it.

The story is this generic "Boy who wants to become something so he starts his journey chasing his dreams" formula.

Does this instantly make a story bad? No it does not.
In fact, it's one of the most succeeding formula of all time.

But when you're story seems to be following every little thing in this formula, that's when the problem arises.

Not to mention the second big problem that this show faces which made me drop the story for the first time: The world of the story.

It seems like something from a much older time, but then again there is this huge motorbike that is absolutely from our modern world, which makes you wonder why do they need human miners when there's such technology.

And then when you think that's all, you're going to have people wearing robot suits like they're from The Power Rangers.

No seriously, what is this world?

And talking about the characters, you have the red haired dude who is your generic shounen guy, and you have the blonde friend who's a little more interesting considering his character is different than what shounen usually offers but alas, hope they're not gonna turn him into shounen guy 2.

Now let's talk a little about the art because oh boy it's not helping.
It reminds me of One piece's art, that feeling you have when you feel everything's being thrown at you.

In summery, this is a story that I really want to give a chance to, but the story itself is not helping me with it's unappealing everything.

I heard it's going to have an anime so let's give it a chance when it's aired.