Three words describe this manga: Utter-Fucking-Disappointment. If I could, I'd just leave this sentence as is for the review because I don't see why I must put in more effort in my writing than what the author did to the final half of his manga. As always, there will be little spoilers (except for the some parts which have major spoilers due to it being so bad I had to vent but I'll give a warning) in case you won't to read this for yourself.

This was one of the biggest let-downs since Fairy Tail as it offers a promising start with the lazy scribbles of a person that couldn't be arsed continue his story. It legit feels like he gave up midway thinking his fans are idiots and will accept whatever he puts on a page. Popularity really seemed to get to his head because my god what we as fans got at the end was all bark no bite.

Nanatsu no Taizai or Seven Deadly Sins by it's popular name is a story about 7 outcasts who find companionship amongst each other, each with their weird quirks and personality. The lore and mystique around each character was certainly interesting with each new introduction felt like finding a legendary Pokémon and you couldn't wait to find out more about this character and why they were held in such grand esteem. This was the highlight of the series but after they were found, the author just forgot to do anything with them. I thought because the manga is called "The Seven Deadly Sins", it would revolve around the 7 characters working as a unit except we just get focused on two characters - Meliodas and Elizabeth.

God almighty the MC is a stale piece of shit with no redeeming qualities other than being a perverted super hobbit. Doesn't also help the fact that the character designs makes the characters look super young so it mainly looks like a child running around with a sword, grabbing tits but I digress. Usually I'm not a fan of the MC in stories because they're often the self-insert tropes and having the least interesting character of the bunch but he gets the most shine and shine he does, brighter than anyone and even than that of the other character's power which is the actual fucking sun. All other characters have crutches that limit themselves to being absolutely broken but not Meliodas. Only thing hindering him is emotions....pfff. His love interest is no better with her just being a sexualized puppet with the MC groping her at every turn with little to no reaction to it...she's just dull and boring. These are the 2 characters that lead your manga? No wonder it went downhill.

[Heavy spoilers begin]

The story peaked in the first half, it was intriguing and finding out the lore of each character, creature and place was really interesting. Then second half tho and my god that final arc...honestly just rage inducing. The author hyped the final villain up so much but when push came to shove, he did nothing. He was dominated and defeat almost 10 times back to back. Every time he would power up, they would smack him down and remind him he's trash. The final boss turned into a training dummy that everyone just tested their moves on...this was your big bad threat that was hyped up for 70% of your story? Are you shitting me right now? You would also think he was overpowered due to the SDS working as a team and you would be right but it wasn't like it was needed. By the end, the MC could solo the boss alone. Teamwork was an illusion created by the author because just a chapter after the big bad's defeat, the MC revealed a form said to be much more powerful that the final villain alone so why? Why would you not use this form while the your teammates are literally sacrificing themselves and you're running around holding back? To make them feel important? It just comes off as condescending tbh.

This is why I could never really get into this series. The MC is just so uninteresting but he is inserted into almost every situation because that's who he is. From the beginning he is so powerful, it takes away from the suspense of every fight. When he pops up, I always have the feeling of "Ugh" because I know how it will end. The only way he ever lost was because of plot sealing his power and someone literally having to become invincible to beat him. The majority of this is mainly a rant about the MC but tbh, he's one of the major issues in this story because of how he's portrayed. It gets stale when you can predict what happens.

Another annoying part of this is near the end where the author keeps teasing us with the ending of the series. I dunno how many times we read the epilogue of this story just to be hit with "surprise muthafucka" around every corner. Most people would be grateful when a series continues but bleh, the longer this went on, the more bitter it tasted and you're left at the end reading it just because you came so far. Also when you think the story can't get worse, they kill off the best character. Now, I'm glad someone important died but his death had no meaning...absolutely nothing. It reminded me of Vegeta's final atonement where he sacrificed his life for his family and friends to destroy the villain but the villain came back anyway so it was for naught. He just died for the sake of dying because as I said before, the MC was more than powerful enough to solo the villain. It just pisses you off.

[Heavy spoilers end]

Now with all that epilogue trolling out of the way, we move onto the true final arc. This was probably done to tie everything that the author forgot about and then decided to shove that into about 10 chapters, and even then he didn't cover anything because surprise surprise, he decided this abomination needs a sequel and we might get the rest of the answers in that. Now tell me...who the hell is masochist enough to sit through phase two of the mess seeing how the author treats his own story? Hard pass.

I hated reading this manga for about 100+ chapters but really hated reading this the last 50. Now people will often say "iF yOu dOn'T lIkE, dOn'T rEaD iT"...fair point. It won't change the quality of the story tho. Whether I keep reading it or drop it, it will still be garbage.

Art was fine. Some panels early story were really something and a lot of the landscapes were drawn beautifully. Story is generic trash, characters are garbage except for one of them and this manga just went on far too long considering the state it was in. Whole manga gets a rating of 1 simply because it wasted my time.

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"The Seven Deadly Sins" is a shounen action/fantasy manga that seems like it would be about as generic of a story as you could imagine something in this genre being. But only at first. It certainly clears that up quickly by introducing a world and a complex cast of characters that are anything but generic.

Beginning with a meeting between a princess and a man with a childlike stature acting as a barkeeper, the manga begins with the duo deciding to find a powerful group of warriors known as "The Seven Deadly Sins" in order to defeat the evil that has overcome the kingdom's monarchy. What is soon revealed is that the barkeeper is no ordinary person, but actually the leader of the Seven Deadly Sins, Meliodas, the Sin of Wrath. He is a legendary (and might I add, incredibly overpowered) warrior who the Holy Knights of the kingdom of Britannia (yes, it's not a creative name) has claimed was responsible for the death of the Great Holy Knight. Holy Knights are basically the strongest protectors of a nation, and the Great Holy Knight is the strongest out of all of them. The Seven Deadly Sins were originally allied with the Holy Knights, but ten years ago, everything changed and the members split up as they fled from the Holy Knights. Now Meliodas and the princess named Elizabeth begin their search for the other Seven Deadly Sins.

Still sounds like a fairly generic setup, but trust me, that doesn't last long. So what makes it unique? Aside from the characters, the complexity of the world is slowly showed to the reader in a way that will keep you focused and wanting to know more. This story hides an incredible amount of detail from reader, dangling it just out of reach, but not too much to the point of being annoying. It makes you wonder many things:

(1) What are the sins that each of the Seven Deadly Sins have committed? This is a huge part of the story and one of the most interesting features of the main characters. Even the other main characters do not know what sin each of them has committed, and they don't ask. So far (as of 82 chapters into the story) only two have been revealed so far, which is done in lengthy side chapters. The reason I'm mentioning this in so much detail is because the first one to be shown in chapter 25.5 is one of my absolute favorite backstories ever (and I'm a huge sucker for a good, emotional backstory). It also creates one of my favorite couples in a long time.
(2) Who are the real villains in this story? Most of the people of Britannia and the Holy Knights initially believe that the Seven Deadly Sins are the villains and that the Holy Knights are the heroes because of what happened ten years ago. However, that's not how the Seven Deadly Sins and Princess Elizabeth see it. But just because they are the protagonists does not necessarily mean they are really good. If you think the main characters are going to be similar to something like how the Straw Hat Pirates in One Piece really are good and are just seen as being bad because they're pirates, keep reading and you'll see how conflicts in that belief will arise.
(3) What the hell is up with Meliodas' power? It's obvious he's incredibly strong, but... Well you'll know what I mean when you get to the end of the Byzel arc.

And those are just a few of the questions that I wonder the most. Given that each of the Seven Deadly Sins is incredibly strong beyond belief, and most of the Holy Knights are as well, it creates some of the most intense battles I've ever seen in a shounen battle story. Every fight in this manga is exciting and the outcome is unpredictable. Despite being very overpowered, the main characters do lose and do underestimate their opponents because of their power.

While the Seven Deadly Sins as well as many of the Holy Knights are very interesting and unique characters, Elizabeth is about as boring of a female protagonist as you can get in a shounen manga. She's your typical damsel-in-distress and only has a couple useful moments. There are mysteries surrounding her, but aside from being the catalyst to start the story and a motivation for Meliodas and the others to spring into action, she hasn't done very much so far and has less fighting skill than the talking mascot pig character, Hawk.

As for the art, it starts off a little rough but eventually settles into an excellent groove. This manga has some of the most detailed battles I've ever seen in a shounen manga. The character designs are also interesting and good. Despite being ecchi, it never pushes it too far and only has it as a backdrop occasionally with Meliodas' perverted side and the occasional ripped clothes in a battle. The scenery of the fantasy world of Britannia is also beautiful. The world has a Middle Ages' European style as many fantasy stories do.Each town is unique and shown from a distance before the characters enter it (and sometimes destroy it).

What I originally thought would just be another typical "find some allies and beat the bad guys" story turned out to be a much more complex tale then I could have imagined from the cover. The characters, the world, the art, the mysteries. It's all excellently executed. Despite the beginning being a little slow, Elizabeth's uselessness, and some other issues here and there, this is one of the best shounen action stories I've seen in a while. Plus it's still got a long ways to go. With an anime announced sometime in the future, hopefully this manga will continue on for a long time and be able to fully show what the world of "The Seven Deadly Sins" really has to offer.

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