Subete no Jinrui wo Hakai suru. Sorera wa Saisei Dekinai.
Destroy all humankind. They can't be regenerated.

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A manga that truly is a magical experience for me.

"Destroy all humankind. They can't be regenerated.", is a manga that takes place in the 1990s where the central theme behind the manga is a popular card game that took the 90s and 00s by storm, Magic: The Gathering. A game which I played a ton with my friends when I was a very young boy myself, and a game I cherished back in the day.

This manga is also created by Katsura Ise and Takuma Yokota, the combo that created one of my favorite manga of all time, Onanie Master Kurosawa. Hell, Takuma Yokota also created Chikan Otoko by himself, another one of my favorites, so clearly I have had experience and trust with their successful works from the past, so when I saw that they did a magic surrounding Magic, I immediately stopped what I was doing and read this till I caught up. And by the time I did, despite its few number of chapters released, I was amazed.

I won't review it like I did my other reviews in the past due to the lack of chapters, but I just want to talk a few things about why I absolutely love and cherish this manga.

1. The main characters

This manga focuses on the two main characters of the story, Hajime (a lovable but very shy geek) and Sawatari (a girl who's confident and smart, but also has a hidden side to her that she loves) and how their bond with each other develops over time with the power of Magic... the game.

I love their characters. Their individual personalities are incredibly likable and charming, but they truly shine whenever they are together. Whether they're playing against each other as rivals or supporting/helping each other improve not only as players but also as people in general, they both have amazing chemistry that just drew me into the manga.

The manga focuses a lot on them and whilst there are side characters who may not have been the best written, they still have likable personalities that contrast well with the main duo and overall, creates a great atmosphere to enjoy.

2. Takuma Yokota's artwork

I've always admired Takuma Yokota's artwork. From the incredibly rough, sketchy yet charismatic and unorthodox drawings for Chikan Otoko, to a gritty yet intense artstyle integrated in Onanie Master Kurosawa, his designs always have clicked for me. And this was no exception.

It's much cleaner and more refined than his previous works, with looking much less rough around the edges as his other works, but it still gives off so much charm and personality here too (especially for the character designs). He manages to keep the drawings simple yet refined, and complimented the 90s setting very well in my opinion (whilst modernizing and refreshing his style to fit the new age of manga).

3. The development and battles themselves

The Magic games here aren't just presented like its a full on battle manga, but it's presented in a way that it mixes the intensity and passion of Magic players with the fun and relaxing atmosphere of the general setting itself in the 90s. It makes it not only easier for people who aren't Magic fans to get into, but also gives the manga more layers to it that make it so much fun to read. If I just wanted to see Magic only, I would just play it myself. But by using it smartly and not forcing the battles down our throats and mixing it with light hearted romance, it creates such an engaging atmosphere. It has its intense moments, and its light hearted moments and both harmonize superbly. I recommended it to some of my friends in real life who weren't even into Magic since I couldn't stop talking about this manga to them, and even they managed to get into it due to the chemistry of the characters themselves, and were charmed by the battles too after.

Overall, this manga is excellent. One of my favorites I've come across that started in the past couple years, and it's definitely worth an attempt. Whether you love Magic or whether you want a nice, simple romance/slice of life with engaging characters. There's so much charm that the potential is high for it to be one of the best in my opinion.

For me as a Magic fan myself from when I was young, the mixture of amazing characters, an interesting setting and narrative, and pure hype from nostalgia just creates a wonderful experience.

I can't wait for more chapters to be released in due time but till then, hope this review convinced some of you to give it a chance.

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As someone who’s of the younger generation and didn’t even play Magic The Gathering back then, I didn’t expect to like this manga so much. I’m sure if I did experience similar events and played Magic as well, then I’d probably even consider this as a 10/10.

However. despite me not being able to directly relate to many of the events in the story. I still felt very nostalgic over every single chapter. It just seems to portray this one time in the past so well, with so much love and appreciation that I can't help but feel the same melancholy as the characters might've felt looking into the past. It's as if I was transported back into that time and put in the shoes as someone who lived in that time and treasured the moments they made during that time.

It feels like such a 90s nostalgia feelstrip for nerds and otaku at that time. I could even feel it even if I barely knew anything about 90s otaku culture in Japan or even nerd culture anywhere in the world, I didn't live through it after all. And I think it's insane that it's able to make me feel so strongly about a time and generation I didn't even get to experience or interact with much.

The sheer passion and love both the author and characters in these moments just infect you and make you feel the same as they do. It comes through in every page and chapter of this manga and it's absolutely wonderful. If you've ever been passionate about something niche then you can easily relate to this story.

It isn't just a story about Japanese kids in the 90s playing Magic the Gathering. It's a story about otaku, whether they hide it to stay popular or revel in it despite being treated as an outcast. It's a story about how these people come together because of their niche interest and make unforgettable memories with each other because of it. It's about how their love for this niche thing that everyone considers weird and different causes unbreakable bonds to form.

This is Otaku. This is why the culture has survived and flourished for so long despite being so strange and bizarre to outsiders. It's because of the sheer love and passion people had and still have for all things niche. Whether it be Anime, Card Games, Fighting Games, Comics, or even Imageboards. They bring people together and these people eventually grow together with stories of their own to tell, stories of Love, Passion, Redemption, and Friendship. Stories like 'Destroy All of Humanity, It Can't be Regenerated.'

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Original Review (06-28-20) [New review below]:

Always wanted a Magic The Gathering manga but never imagined that would come to fruition, but it did, and it's better than anything I could have come up with.

Writing is excellent with it's set piece allowing for more creative freedom rather than many similar manga advertising the latest set for the card game, its 1998 setting allows for exploring original magic.

Definitely a great read for anyone who plays or played MTG, and for even people who haven't, it is a well done story. Art wise, the manga is beautiful, characters all look visually interesting and different from one another.

Deserves to be printed in English officially, and should really get an anime adaptation.

Addendum:

It's been one and a half years since I wrote this review and upon reviewing my words I feel I can better evaluate this manga with less bias. I'm not erasing the earlier segment cause I don't want to get rid of what I previously believed.

The writing is well done for the most part, moment to moment the words are well strung but the overarching plot is rather cliché. The dynamic of two leads being "secretly" in love with each other has been done and done better. However, I believe that it firstly, still writes the trope well, with the typical required suspension of some reality to enjoy and secondly that it's not the primary driving force of the series.

Which leads to the point of the fight scenes, which I have no idea why I did not cover originally. The fight scenes are gorgeous, the traced art gets a pass due to the context and anything original is inked immaculately. I think I double back on what I spoke of earlier upon the point that people who don't know the game can enjoy the manga, I think I find it a lot more difficult to make that assessment in hindsight.

I conclude that the series is still really enjoyable, I don't think it's a masterpiece of writing but I'm not changing my scores (besides upping art from 8 to 10) because I enjoy the cheesiness all the same. I would say however that it offers very little to those who aren't familiar with the game, the romcom moments will be all that's left for those foreign to the game. I'd say there is no harm reading through the first few half dozen chapters to see what it's like, for those in that camp.

Overall wholesome and no amount of being critical will remove all of my biases. This is just as much as I can.

P.S. If you don't like manga but are into Magic and find this. I doubt you'd enjoy it.

P.P.S. Would still like an official translation, here's to hoping.

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TL;DR - It's a good romcom in its own right.

I was quite surprised to find that the same guy who wrote Onani Master Kurosawa wrote this, just because of how different these two genres are. While his latest work does not live up to his previous title in terms of boldness, it is not any less entertaining.

STORY (8)
Subete no Jinrui wo Hakai suru. Sorera wa Saisei Dekinai. is about Magic: The Gathering, and is set in the late 20th century. Although younger readers (like me, lol) may not really understand what the hype is all about, there's no need to worry as the mechanics of the game usually take backstage in the face of cute moments and interactions. Sometimes, cardfights are lengthy psychological battles; other times, entire matches are skipped over entirely. Knowing how the game works makes the matches easier to understand, but it is written such that you can usually figure out the gist of what is happening, and why.

Compared to his classmate Sawatari, Hajime has always been second in grades. His narcissistic attitude and geeky hobbies clash with Sawatari's uptight and proper attitude, until one day he discovers her at a cafe, playing a card game he loves (and she beats him at that, too.) After losing to her, he begins to frequent the cafe with her as his punishment, and they grow close.

This manga is a good combination of light comedy, intense card battles and a sprinkle of romance in every chapter. Cliffhangers keep you invested but don't purposefully cut into the middle of the story in order to torture you. There aren't any overdramatic misunderstandings, and the cliches are kept to a minimum.

ART (9)
It does look a little rough but is good at drawing distinct side characters, higlighting certain emotions or people, and displaying the emotion it wants to show.

CHARACTER (8)
It's hard to judge this section due to the lack of chapters, but so far, the manga has focused mostly on the relationship between the two main characters, Hajime and Sawatari. It's been progressing at a steady pace, and constantly keeps me invested to see what happens next without rushing ahead too much.

My issue is usually the side characters, who have mostly one-dimensional personalities and often exist solely to fill a role or position. But the creators clearly have a very good idea of how to deal with this. Side characters in manga fill the role of a backdrop in a set. They serve to bring out the main focus, and should not divert attention in any way. Despite a few irks, I would say that this is accomplished well.

ENJOYMENT (9)
I blitzed through all ten chapters available for the reading of this manga fairly quickly. It is a rather casual manga so far and I am glad to say that another romcom has been added to the list. However, if you're not a fan of the genre, there isn't really a reason (besides the card game matches) to read it.

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