Story - 10
In the "future" of 2013, after a huge war, most of the people around the world live in what they call city states.
Our main character, Shion, is an elite in the city of no.6, and after saving a stranger (Nezumi), he is stripped of his position as an elite, because the boy that he saved was actually pursued by the authorities of the city.
Several years latter, he gets again in trouble and he is sent to the correctional facility of the city, but Nezumi rescues Shion before he is sent there. Now Shion will discover that no.6 is not actually utopia as well as the true reality of the world.
The main story focuses on that, the life of Shion outside the city and his findings about no.6.
There is a sub-plot, which is the relationship between the two MCs, Nezumi and Shion (their friendship and romance). Since it's not the main focus, it would be not fair to label this as shounen ai, due to the fact that the rest of the mangas are not labeled as romance just because there's a relationship. (And I actually think shounen and shojo ai should be just romance, but then again, different mindsets exist) So, if you don't like this issue, you know what to do.
So this gets a 10 because I find that the world the author has created is really amazing, and because the relationship between Nezumi and Shion it's a really special one. It's one of my favorite pairings ever.
Characters -10
Each character is complete and unique, and you get to know some background story about most of them. Did I already say that the two protagonists are amazing? No, right? Well, they are.
The character development of Shion and Nezumi, individually and as a pairing, is also another of the best aspects about the books.
Enjoyment - 10
I enjoyed these books a lot. Proof: I finished all the books in a bit more than one week. The books are short, 150-200 pages each, well written. Some of them are slow-paced while others are intense, but every one of them is truly enjoyable.
Still, I warn you, they are not completely flawless, since they include some unexpected fantasy. (Deus ex machina?)I didn't find it too bad though.
(You'll understand if you read the books)
Summary (TL; DR)
- Story: 10 (It is a fantastic dystopia)
- Characters: 10 (All of them are complete and unique; lovable MCs)
- Enjoyment:10
- Overall: 10
- Shion and Nezumi are more than friends, but unless you are an homophobe, you won't mind this/will find this really adorable.
I would recommend this to anyone in general, but specifically to the people who enjoy dystopian-type sci fi.
The last thing I want to say is that this is a hundred times better than the anime (and it was not a bad anime), you don't really need to watch it, go for the books instead. If you liked the anime, you will enjoy the books. There's also a manga, but it's not finished, sadly.
Thanks for reading! ^^
