Zennou no Noa

Don't let my score fool you, there's a very good reason this thing didn't get the 9 overall that it should have. The mangaka rushed the damned story. Overall though I think it deserves a read if you can't find anything else.

Its a great manga, but story arcs that should have taken place over 2-3 chapters, ended up taking place over 1-2 pages. cleverly thought out plot twists that should have been high points in the story, felt like cruel jokes by the author because of how rushed they were. They give no backstory to the tricks at all, they just all of a sudden reveal that the character had planted a bunch of bombs when the character had absolutely no time to do that whatsoever.

Anyone who researched story writing will tell you that good stories have foreshadowing. Meaning the author leaves subtle hints about things which you pick up on later in the manga. This story doesn't have foreshadowing, a fact which leaves the whole story feeling rather hollow.

You can however get a very real appreciation for how this manga was meant to be, and like any double A manga you can see its a high quality story line, just really REALLY terribly executed.

Same with characters. There is no backstory given to anyone. Except for a couple of tidbits about the protagonist.

The manga as a whole felt like it was made by a great mangaka who planned out what could have been a successful series with 100 issues, but then at the last minute the publishers said, "No, 16 chapters is good enough for you."

NOW DON'T MIND THAT 5. ITS THERE FOR A REASON AND THATS DUE TO IT BEING A VERY BLATANT COPY OF CODE GEASS.
This manga was a very quick manga that was very enjoyable as a read. it had a lot of details about everything and even little timelines and as the other review guy said, the ending was basically like as if the editor said...nope stop production.

Story- i would give it a 9/10 if not for the sudden OMG all in 2 chapter ending that this had. They developed it slow and well in the inital chapters until he escaped from the sanitorium with his "family" then it started getting faster.. not super duper but fast enough for me to notice.

Art- It uses what i call current generation manga art. you know what i mean of course. it dosen't look like Ranama 1/2 and it showed that the author and many artist helpers that drew this had a knack for tallent (just like 90% of manga out there) ...basicaklly most art will get a 9/10 from me if it's modern

Character- The characters seemed to be just dropped in and "half baked" including the main and his fiance. There isn't much if at all any development in any of them in terms of letting u feel deep within the man. this may also be due to it ending in 16 chapters. But they still are decent and u can just feel the man's masterpiece and kind of what he's been through..
any manga pulls this off these days however and u may be asking what's with the high scores for Art and Character if any manga could pull it off. well let me ask you this. if i rate it a 5 cuz every manga could do this then would you want to read it and think my review was bad??? yeah, manga's become manga's because they were able to come out on top of others.

Enjoyment- I'm giving it a good enjoyment score probably cuz i just finished reading it but yeah, it had a lot of what i expect from a good manga, all from action to the little bit of romance/ecchi ...and by little bit a couple pages. So yeah, even with the quick ending and the very bad endign itself i still got some enjoyment from it.

Overal-5/10 you may be looking at everything and think......fffffffffff what's going on. isn't there like a ....8 point something avg for the other 4!!??? well yeah. i would give it an 8/10 if this manga wasn't so shamelessly ripped off of code geass. now i have seen both seasons of code geass over 10 times, i'm a fan at heart. i went into reading this manga through Akumetsu(check it out) so i knew nothing of any similarites or were expecting any.... but i still saw them. the way the main character is such as genius at it all and his expression and deep past basically screams lelouch. his first two plans up to the sanitorium(that's not a spoiler) that might make u think..... uhhh ohh he's definnatley caugfht.....ooo wait..what???!! he planned it out :D yay.... then we bring his nemesis his sense of justice is the same as suzaku's and his last chapter dialogue with the main screams code geass. the last chapter WAS basically a remake of code geass. i can't write any spoilers here. so when u read the last chapter u will see. plus the "thing" in the background on page 25 in the last chapter... is that "thing" from code geass
Shamless too. i even went back to this page while reading to make sure what year this was published in...and of course...after code geass

If you are looking for a new manga to read, try this out. You won't regret it.

The plot line was unique: A bomb had caused 1 million people to forget their memories. Thus, they were demeaned. Add in the brilliant main character, Noa, who is a genius and at the center of all this, and his fight to gain the rights of the Kid'z (ones with memories wiped) against the Adults (the ones with memories still). And there are so many plot twists, I couldn't stop. I finished the entire manga in a matter of 2-3 hours.

The art was done well, but overall the story was good, but a little too fast-paced. It's definitely better than some stories just dragging on and on, but the story could have been stretched out more. And, the characters could be developed more. We learn about Noa and his past, but that's about the only character that we really get to know well. However, none of this should turn you away. This manga is smartly written, and you will enjoy it.

What starts out as an ordinary day in Japan turns into a complete contastrophe when, all of a sudden, the sky fills up with a blinding light that wipes away the memory of all those who see it. Over one million people are affected – children, teenagers, adults, evern the eldery are missing memories of their life (yet somehow still can speak Japanese). In response to this, the Japanese government starts shoving all the “Kidz” (the term used to describe the people who lost their memories, given to them to reflect their child-like thinking) into an underground society, under the assumption that they were dangerous to the normal populace. Now, two years after the incident, Kidz are treated like some sort of scum by the “Adults” and must live with the prejudice that comes with it. This situation can only last so long until someone is fed up with the Adults and aims to free the Kidz.

This is the concept I got from first reading up on Zennou no Noa. Quite frankly, the concept thrilled me. Possible rebellion? Possible civil war? A lower social class trying to overthrow those above them? All the makings of a great classic from that premise! What I got, however, was something different than I expected. Zennou no Noa is an thrill ride filled with intricate plans, massive amounts of action, explosions and plenty of comedy (though, I think the comedy was not actually intended).

The first thing you're presented with in this manga, as with just about every manga, is the art. I couldn't help but feel that the art is top notch and completely respectable. Maybe nothing too original or one-of-a-kind out of it, but it's still done perfectly. However, the same can't really be said about the characters. Too be honest, the characters seem like they were just copy pasted out of other series. The main character, Noa Ikurumi, seems like exactly like Light Yagami from Death Note. In almost every fashion, too. There's just about no difference in their personality, and even their appearance has major similarities. You can also find the same character of Tokiwa Shunsuke, the police-based opposition, in just about any series. The honorable person who sticks to the law as closely as possible and once the law fails he lets his own morals take over. Perfect at everything he does, from sword work to critical thinking, he tries his best to bring down his good intentioned terrorist opponet. Great art, but fairly poor characters. Despite the complaints of the characters, they all still flowed and complimented each other well with the plot.

Going back to the initial concept, I was expecting a civil war of sorts. But, instead, I was given a terrorist bombing. I was then thinking “alright, a terrorist group aiming to bring down the opressive government,” but that was wrong also. In the end, the entire rebellion is commenced by one guy. Just ONE guy. I'm all for the idea that one guy can change the world, but to have him aim for freedom of an entire people, that quite frankly didn't seem they wanted freedom, alone seems sort of ridiculous. However, he does inquire help from friends in order for him to complete his final mission. He, also, finally convinces all the Kidz to rebel and fight the Adultz once the Adultz finally show their true colors and start to kill them all. A problem with this I have is that you'ren ot shown much of the corruption. All they show you is a lecherous teacher and a man being beaten for wainting to leave the city. I really wish they would have shown more examples of actual opression. They eventually present the fact that the military was going to kill off Kidz and morph some of them into monsters, but this only comes out in the last volume, so it seems kind of late to show. Also, all the Kidz seem a-ok in life without their old memories, in a life below the surface, they don't show anyone feeling annoyed about their lives underground other than Noa. Despite these issues, I found the plot to be quite entertaining and well done. The introduction of Noa's love, Kisaragi Himiko, from before he lost his memories was well done. Her existence gives a small bit of background information on Noa's old self (the fact the he developed the weapon that caused everyone to lose their memories), which creates a mental unrest for Noa. Not to mention that it shows the awkward atmosphere when Noa clearly doesn't remember, nor holds feelings for his old lover. The final showdown between Noa and the final political bad guy is completely well done. A great fight scene from a manga I feel. And, the tragic conclusion of the series gives a huge gloomy atmosphere as Noa realizes his mistakes.

Too conclude, this series was great. Wonderful art and an interesting plot to follow. I'd recommend Zennou no Noa to anyone with time to waste.

Zennou no Noa seemed liked a 'lets-give-it-a-try' sort of manga. Felt sort of dull at first, but by the end of the first chapter, it seemed to have potential. And it sure DID.
[NO SPOILERS HERE] [This is a not-too-long, not-too-short review]

OVERALL: 8/10
ZnN-TWoLM :P is very smart. The author has very nicely fused the story in 16 chapters. If your finding for a good thriller you can complete fast, you WILL like this. Whether you like it or not, you won't regret reading it.
[It would great if turned into an anime]

STORY : 10/10
This is the story of Escape.
2 years ago, a light bomb exploded in the skies in a certain part of Tokyo. Around 2 million people exposed to that light lost all their memories. All these people were shifted to an underground city and been living together ever since. They have been dubbed as 'KIDz' (i think its kinda dumb name, but it makes sense). Since they don't remember absolutely nothing but their names(of course), they had to be re-taught everything. The police and teachers and few other members who are living with these KIDz and have all their memories are called 'adults'.
It caused military dictatorship to rise in Japan. KIDz have been isolated from the rest of the world and are discriminated against.
They all seem quite happy on their own, but Noa, a teenager, feels like he has to get out. And when he encounters a 'spy' adult who may be related to his former life, he begins to execute his plot.

CHARACTERS:
Noa Ikurumi is one hell of a guy. 18 years and has a brilliant mind. Even smarter than the 'adults', he always make sure everything goes the way he wants.He would definately remind you of Light Yagami from the start till the end [which is why many recommend ZnN with Deathnote]. His attitude, the things he desire and the limits he'll go to get everything his way are very similar (I know, why am i recommending in reviews? Well, I find it hard to explain unlike other reviewers with their oh-so-great vocabulary. Then why am i reviewing? Oh bite me!)
The rest of the characters are all in the side with little role.

ART:
Art was the turn-down to me. The characters looked all sappy. Not that great.
[But never judge a manga by it's art......Never] Not this one either.

ENJOYMENT:
Now, this part would differ from person to person i.e. if they finish the whole manga.
There are some unnecessary comedy and ecchi scenes(nothing like That), very rare, but really doesn't add any meaning to that genre.
The author has put the story together very well in just 16 chapters. I kept wondering how would so much end in that much. The beginning, are all introductions to the story and all. Since Noa doesnt remember anything and the spy girl doesn't reveal much. But when Noa introduce the spy to His World, things set to motion from there. By the end, it is all very thrilling to whether his plan works out.
[Tip: don't keep any expectations for the end]

What you might or might not enjoy is The Twist...... (evil smile)

This manga reminded me a lot of Code Geass. It has a guy in high school that's seemingly normal using wits to try to overthrow the government essentially, with someone who is portrayed as being on the side of justice opposing him. Part of this worked, but parts of this did not. The basic premise of him using wits to begin a rebellion was interesting, and the individual situations that he came out ahead on also worked pretty well, and the suspense and action there worked well. The background themes relating to discrimination, what defines who someone is, and freedom also worked reasonably well. However, there wasn't really a hook with the protagonist, so there weren't really any moments that were truly amazing. Rather, beyond losing his memories, he seemed like a pretty standard character for such a part. Furthermore, the plans worked out way too well without explanation a lot of the time, and hence those weren't as amazing as they were properly fleshed out. Hence, a lot of the plot, once things got going, felt kind of random and really rushed. All of this comes to an ending that I think was almost good, but then got screwed up completely at the last minute. The situation right before the ending was perfect. Just extending that situation a bit further would have been perfect. But then it goes and tries to give it one more twist that tries to convey one more message about humanity, without any subtlety at all I should add, and it just kind of makes everything seem kind of dumb and pointless. The art was decent.

tl;dr: A manga with some good concepts that weren't implemented too well and an unforced error of an ending.

I, personally, have never read anything quite like this. It’s very creative on the author’s part.

The story begins with a flash of light. In the year 2038, downtown Tokyo experienced a large blast of light that plunged its civilization into complete chaos. Those under the range of the blast suffered complete memory loss apart from speech. Anyone carrying some form of identification was left with a name, but others like small children, were left with nothing. No memories of family, friends, home, nothing. The solution produced by the Japanese government was to create an underground facility for the victims while researching developments toward a cure on the surface. The identified victims could live with other affected family members underground or form a “family” within a group of affected people. Those who lived in the underground community became known as Kid’z and those unaffected by the blast on the surface were known as Adults.

Pretty awesome start right?!

So enters Noa. He lives with two small children which he considers to be his family in the underground facility. Not much is ever certain about his character, personality or background wise. As a Kid’z he is intelligent, quick witted, makes friends easily, and has a profound desire to rebel against authority. There is a whole nother side to his character that you know is there but never really get to see firsthand. You get a small snippet of what he was like before his memory loss but not enough that you can truly understand his characteristics. The characters involved in his life underground shape him to be very compassionate towards the other victims. He loves his brother and sister that he takes care of and enjoys the company of his friends from school. As a reader you don’t get to know much about his friends or even the children his lives with. You see how Noa interacts with them but you aren’t left with much incite on their own personality’s. Shunsuke is the leader among cops in the chase to catch the terrorist that has broken into the underground facility. Another character without much explanation. What drives his passion against Kid’z is his sister who was affected by the blast two years ago in some way. His role within the story that takes place underground is basically to function as Noa’s opposite and rival. [if you’ve ever read Death Note, L and Light relationship]

The transition between the how the government appears to function to the corrupted version is well played out. Lacking some details like the rest of the story and of course could have been done better but I liked the general concept.

The story was fast-pasted, not so much that I was annoyed with it, but enough so that you noticed how much better it could have been if there had been more detail. It is only three volumes and although it produces an interesting story, a lot of uncertainty is left.

Now I don’t really know anything on the subject but I was probably most intrigued about the theory of memory loss. I'll spare you details but I'll just say I'm a college student studying biology. I remember going over memory in Psychology and how it is stored in the brain. From what I understood, the location in the brain where our memories are stored isn’t known for sure and some people believe memory is stored in more than one place in the brain [on that note I was willing to over look that speech was not forgotten in Kid’z]. But how everyone’s memory was lost was never clearly explained. Since they are searching for a cure, I assumed the memories have not been completely erased from the brain but are being suppressed. Why/how? And then if memories could be restored, how do they get “put back” so to speak. It’s one of the main focuses of the story yet it’s left very vague.

I will give the author points for creating a whole underground civilization, explaining details like where they get their water, sun, air, ect.

If this was an anime it probably would have been pulled off better. Since its written, it relies more heavily on material and dialogue to create suspense/interest.

It’s a really good story that just fell short of what it could have been. Still most definitely worth the read though, I’d recommend it.

Story: 9 [story is awesome, how its told is where there are problems]
Art: 9 [great]
Character: 4 [lacks detail plus just not original]
Enjoyment: 8 [very good]
Overall: 8 [very good]