First off I just want to say I marathon-read the majority of this manga quite a few months ago, so my memory's a bit fuzzy on certain aspects.

What initially drew me into 7Seeds was definitely the combination of genres; a long-running horror shoujo story sounds fantastic, but adventure, and a dystopian future thrown in as well? I was sold. If it’s the same for you, I’m sure you will love this manga.

The plot is fairly straightforward and unlike many storylines, it’s not clear how and when the story will end - no clear goal has yet been distinguished. The constant elements of mystery and suspense will keep you anticipating the next chapter, and are done well enough so that you don’t get confused by all the separate plots. Likewise, the time dedicated to each group of characters (there are five groups in total), and the characters themselves is used efficiently so that after a few volumes away from a certain group you’ll still remember who they are, what they’re aiming for and how they actually function as a group. But the horror and adventure elements are what really set 7Seeds apart from other manga. There are the shoujo-esqe type characters and emotional plot-twists mixed in with giant man-eating insects, pre-historic creatures and life-threatening diseases. Natural disasters, murder and a warped sense of time among school-life drama and subtle teen-romance.

The characters themselves, and the motives and attitudes of each group are varied, and all endearing in their own unique ways, so there’ll be no difficulty in having a favourite character, group or storyline. It’s easy to tell just by the characters’ appearances what type of person they are and I’ve found no two characters alike in personality. The only problem I found was with the sheer number of characters we’re introduced to, it’s doubtful that you’ll be able to remember the majority of character’s names, if any.

To bring the story to life, the art fits superbly. It’s shoujo-style, there are some sparkles, and there’s yet to be an unattractive character, but there’s no cuteness and no ridiculously out of proportion women. Simply put, the art is beautiful and consistent, the characters, the natural scenery and the ‘monsters’ all look as if they belong in the same story line. It can be beautiful and terrifying all in the same panel, which I believe is a great feat by Tamura Yumi.

Overall, I think 7Seeds is a manga that everyone should at least give a chance, it has so many different aspects to it that everyone would find something they love. Particularly people who want something different from ‘the norm’, horror/sci-fi fans in general will take great pleasure in reading this manga. I have immensely enjoyed this manga and I’m thrilled that it’s ongoing at 15 volumes.

(so far, only up till Volume 8 has been scanlated).