Book reviews

xMiki-chan3
Apr 04, 2021
Freezing review
Reviewing till chapter 29
[Atmosphere/mood: medium-heavy mostly]
[Notable pickings: Action:10 l Drama:10 l Tragedy:11/10 l Flow of story:10 l Thrilling:10 l Fanservice:0? l Ecchi:1 l Bloody scenes:4 ]

Short summary: This is the best no-nonsense manga/anime I've seen ever... tragedy and drama picked off from the first chapter. There seems to be no fanservice, and story is incredibly smooth. This manga may be way UNDERRATED. However, there might be some reasons why this manga is not accepted well. Read on.

Story:
This series is a explanation-event-explanation-event kind, with the explanation being heavy at times, but properly explaning the features presented in this manga, like pandoras, limiters novas etc. Finish the first 5 chapters and action/drama/tragedy should come more smoothly, before another explanation comes.

This series started off without a clear "right" protagonist, but as the story continues on, you can see who they are. This story is complex in that there seems to be no right or wrong, everyone is just protecting their values and beliefs, with rules broken often.

One setback is that the school doesn't seem to have much of a school system. Throughout the series I only see 1 scene in which a classroom is presented, and almost no teachers seem to be present, except for a few. The rule-enforcers seem to be students of the 3rd year, although there is little reason why, since there are 4th years at the academy too. Explanations for some other stuff not given, aftermath of some events were not touched on too.

This story seems to have some psychological parts, using people's parts to form the characters' belief systems, which caused so many events, but are usually linked to tragedy.

One more trait of this series is internal fighting.

Art:9
Given this is an action series, I was surprised I could see so many clear scenes. Plus the detail is amazing. I guess this series could be hard to turn into an anime, since the action scenes have many succinct moves.

One setback is that since there are so many characters, the art design fails to differentiate some of the smaller roles in this series, leading to a confusion of who is who.

But, one very commendable part is that expressions shown over panels were amazing, for example someone who is shocked realises something is on her left and turns her eyes slowly to look at her left, all with the state of fear and shock.

Overall, I loveeeee the art :D.

Character:8
Till the 29th chapter, there is still a distinct lack of character development in most of the main characters. However, Satellizer's character development in the 2x chapter is amazing, showing capable character development.

Moreover, there were quite some development in a few other characters that may never seem to be main characters (now at least). These add no value till now.

The main characters in this story are all special, although whether that is a good thing depends to be seen. Till now, the limits of the characters seem rather vague, which are easily expanded by their willpower. This exaggeration of limits may blur the difference between characters.

Enjoyment:9
I enjoy action and drama type mangas and animes. Magic too, and since this manga has so much of these it is natural I like it. However, tragedy is quite heavy, and scenes of blood may give some nightmares.

If you do not like tragedy genres much read with caution.

Overall:9
This manga seems to to be for some and not for some. I would suggest you pick it up to read, since this is quite a unique series, and for english readers, the scanlators should have had a hard time redrawing and translating this series so you can try appreciating their efforts by reading it.

This series may be quite underrated, pls dun be shocked by its rank in mal, it is definitely much more worth it.
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Cowyak13
Apr 04, 2021
Freezing review
Story 8: It is basically like Claymore in a semi-futuristic setting. It is Claymore in the sense that the ones that are fighting are mainly girls. They are being attacked by monsters from another dimension called Novas which in Claymore they are called Yomas (not that they are from another dimension but you get the gist). In order to fight them, Pandoras were created. Pandoras are like the Claymores in Freezing. They can not also go past their limit just like in Claymore. Where they Novalize but in Claymore it is called Awakening. And instead of putting the flesh of a yoma inside of you, you are implanted with stigmatas. I am not saying that Freezing is bad because of the similarities that I have pointed out.

Art: What can I say about it? The art in the manga is really better than the one in the anime.

Character: I have to say the main character is like Raki in Claymore and his partner Satellizer is like Claire who is a girl who started out as a cold character but becomes cheerful when the right person comes. Yeah Kazuya is a sissy good thing that there are other things that make him great. His desire to protect and his badass FREEZING. The people who you should look out for are Chiffon Fairchild and the other strongest Pandoras. Chiffon will leave you in awe whenever she displays her power. And the mysteries behind that power. Overall because of Chiffon I give it an 8.

Enjoyment: 10: I enjoyed it regardless of the ecchi scenes. The struggles of the peoples against such creatures (Novas) will really make you empathize them. I liked it because of its similarities with Claymore. It is no poor imitation. It stands alone. I ENJOYED IT!

Overall: 9: It has been one of my awaited mangas and I have been looking forward to what's gonna happen next. So, guys, don't drop this manga just because you watched the anime series first. And also because of its uncanny similarities with Claymore.
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MangoPamda5
Apr 04, 2021
Freezing review
Nova's the main threat from a dimension have started a war with mankind. To counter this threat, an military like academy called "Genetics" that trains female warriors into becoming a nova like human called "Pandora," who can wield special weaponry and armor. Kazuya Aoi a boy, who decides to enroll in this school because of a promise with his sister, an outstanding Pandora who died in battle. There he meets a second year Satellizer L. Bridgette, better known as "The Untouchable Queen" due to her solitary manner and delinquent behavior, but also top of her class whose battle simulation streak is undefeated, until Aoi came...and caused the end of that streak.
Satellizer L. Bridgette is mercilessly when fighting, causing many commotions to upperclassmen who see her a arrogant and self-centered; who want to teach her where a underclassman's place is. She goes berserk when people touch her, and doesn't have the need for a limiter. (A limiter is a male counter partner who aids Pandora's when in battle, neutralizing the enemies movements. )
Kazuya Aoi persistently wants to become her limiter because he doesnt see her as " The Untouchable Queen" allowing him to be the first person to come in contact with her.
As the story goes on you'll see breathe taking battles, with a thriller sensation. And as far as i can tell because of fillers here and there this manga may be in for the long run. But the short fillers are so action pact you wont even mind them or consider them annoying, as they serve for answers to question in beginning of it all.
The characters are " to-each's-own " no character is the same. Looks can be deceiving, don't judge a book by its cover.
The "tag" Ecchi is laughable...just because of a little titty view..is ecchi. And its not ecchi like the manga "queens blade" i guess you could say its ecchi like "Immortal Regis"
I enjoy this manga so much...its in my top 5..the battles are lose, win situation so yes, the many main characters are allowed to die. Which i like because of the mature atmosphere...tragedy should replace the ecchi tag..sad events occur, but the show most go on.
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Jinjun11
Apr 04, 2021
Freezing review
I figured that I would give my $0.02 on Freezing after catching up to the latest chapter, especially since the plot has thickened in the last 10-20 chapters. The initial setting that the reader is introduced to is our male lead Kazuya Aoi, who enrolls at West Genetics (think of it as a fancy synonym for high school) where he meets our female lead,Satellizer el Bridget. Anyway, the story originates from other worldly beings called 'Novas' that appear on Earth every 3 or so years and go on a rampage of destruction. Female warriors termed 'Pandoras' are the weapons to defend mankind.

Story - 7
It's not original, but it's not something that's been done enough to assume how it will unfold. My main gripe with the story is how much Pandora - Pandora conflict there is (although I understand that some of this conflict is necessary, I find some of it isn't). It seems that this type of conflict has a larger emphasis than the Nova - Pandora/human conflict that should be the greater concern. I find it silly that so much of the story line had to do with Pandoras fighting Pandoras. Other than that, I did say the plot is thickening so hopefully Dal Young surprises readers with some plot twists.

Art - 9
Kwang Hyun Kim actually does the art for the Freezing manga and it is quite good. Many characters get introduced rather quickly in the beginning to deepen the plot, but the detailed artwork helps you keep track of who's who. Also, the fights are quite 'busy' with lots of detail that could make it hard to follow, but the drawing and detail really clear up most of the confusing parts. Facial expressions are easy to read and when Pandoras/Limiters approach their limits it is definitive by looking at the detail on their bodies.

Character - 9
As I previously stated, many characters are introduced throughout the manga. Accompanying this is the amount of development made to all these supporting characters and it really keeps things interesting with the amount of politics and Pandora relationships being made. Strong development is made with both male and female leads as well early in the manga so that their relationship doesn't feel rushed/forced overall.

Enjoyment - 8
I have to say that watching the way the characters interact is interesting and fun, but the plot is steady for the most part with little deviancy. The stage is set for some interesting plot twists so I hope that comes through. The fight scenes are quite nice, but at times I feel that there is too much dialogue (mostly about personal beliefs, ideals, etc). Still, I found myself enjoying the different aspects of Freezing because it's not one dimensional, there's many sides to the characters and there's still questions to be answered.

Overall - 8
If you enjoy sci-fi/action mangas then Freezing should be something to consider. I can say that there's a pinch of Mecha, a good serving of Romance, and a generous dash of psychological drama. I believe there's quite a bit of potential in Freezing and since it is Dal Young's best work, I'm looking forward to the conclusion whenever that may be. If you're even somewhat interested, I suggest you check it out! Let me know how you like Freezing :)
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coop5212
Apr 04, 2021
Freezing review
What have here, is something else folks. It might not be to some, those who've been reading manga and watching anime since it's inception of sorts, but trust me when I say 'The potential of this manga is vast'. Now some of you may have watched the anime first and have the thought "If the anime was shit, why would I bother with the manga?". Let me tell you why. The anime was undoubtedly shit, no one try to change my mind here please. And I read the manga first so it was even worse. Don't go with the anime whatsoever. The levels on which these two units can be placed are, Anime: 1 (and that's feeling generous) and Manga:10.

Lets start with the story. Initially, it seems like the plot follows the life of a new student, Kazuya, who wields impressive power and that of a beautiful, hot, cute, independent, strong, and later on kind Queen, Satellizer, and their love stricken story, along with other minor stories of other beautiful women. Mind the word 'Initially'. After a short while, things start to pick up on a larger scale, gradually that scale increases, and is even currently increasing. I won't go into detail bout that, but a small part. The invasion of dimensional beings know as 'Nova' forces the hand of humans to create weapons in the form of 'Pandora', who are only female, and their counterparts in the form of 'Limiters', and it is left in the hands of these selective, gifted few to prevent the world from being consumed/destroyed or whatever by the Nova's.......well shit......

Artwork, man.......it's not just the covers like some manga, it's the real deal. Kim Kwang-Hyun, brilliantly illustrates the spectacular moments envisioned. What's e also amazing is that, this art is x10's better than that of the anime, so a complete 'HELL YES!' there.

But a part that I neglected to mention is that I did stop reading Freezing at one point. I was up-to date and all that, and I just.....quit. Maybe I got tired of it. And this was after being completely mesmerized mind you. And this went on for what seems like a year and a half now. But when I came back.......have you read one of those manga or even books for that matter that you just can't seem to put down? This falls into that very category. Be it on the computer, tablet, mobile, I can't seem to stop reading it, and it's only at extremely few points that you can take a break and not be left at a cliffhanger. Ohh and just to ascertain for some of you, the erotic nature is a factor, without a doubt. Yet that's only ONE of the factors. Trust me people, just give it a shot. You might end up getting addicted like me or you might not, personal opinion will always exist, but you won't know till you try. Hope this was a helpful......or at least entertaining.....or interesting or.......SOMETHING along those lines kind of read.

Freezing is awesome. Period.
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Moon_Light12
Apr 04, 2021
Freezing review
Freezing is one of Im Dal Young works or should i say one of his special one‘s .

Story:

Aliens from another dimension called the Nova invaded earth , human resit with training female fighters called Pandoras and their male partners, called Limiters, who use a special power called "freezing" to limit their opponent's mobility.

Satellizer el Bridget who appears to be the most powerful Pandora in her class, but has not yet chosen a male partner to be her Limiter, and in spite of the warnings of all his friends a Japanese boy named Kazuya Aoi decides to be her Limiter.

The story is absolutely not unique, but focusing on earth invasion is not the main thing here ! freezing is not dealing with just aliens that came to destroy and how to stop them. it is dealing with relationship between Pandoras and their issues most of the time ،some would say : " then what is the meaning of the main story that has been neglected to some point ?" and i say up till now chapter 126 Im, Dal Young is planing a big plot that must be explained step by step . and here what i think , first he wants his readers to understand how those strong or weak relationship became like that , and then he will move to other parts that contain fighting against the Nova and the other stuffs.
So it a 7/10 for the story .

Art:

Actually I'm not an expert who can accurately assess and identify shortcomings in the artwork but let me tell you something form my point of view freezing Manga is well drawn, and the drawings are obvious not like some drawings that give you a hard time to tell what is going on ! and for the backgrounds you can easily realize the place where characters stand , i mean in some mangas i have read i was not able to know if the Mangka meant to draw a room or a barber shop i just could not get it but here every thing is smooth pure and clear.
So it is a 9/10for the art .

Characters:

Satellizer el Bridget the main female character. she represents the lonely aggressive character that will do anything to protect her principles.
Kazuya Aoi the main male character . he represents the anti-socialism breaker.
in fact the characters are interesting and they do attract the reader as the story progresses.
Also they are evolving very smoothly and in dynamic way according to the situation , and the rate is 8/10.

Enjoyment:

It is my favorite part in any Manga , and the most important thing for me !.
Im, Dal Young always trying to put a pressure on his readers until they say please stop , and i noticed that from many works he has done before , and this style will make you say "feed me more " maybe you won't understand this feeling unless you read his works .
Enjoyment rate is 10/10.

Overall:

Freezing is one of a few works Im Dal Young is serious about , and it is obvious the amount of effort he put in it . hopefully he will put a satisfying ending to this thing .
At last there is a few shortcomings in this story but i think it is closer to masterpiece nonetheless .

9/10.overall
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DesolatePsyche14
Apr 04, 2021
Freezing review
reading the manga online saves me a lot of time plus the anime, so i started from where the last released episode ended. im not a manga fan, but because the anime is going to stop without going as far as it could, reading the manga gave me a lot to offer.

Story- 8: The e-pandora plot is really juicy with betrayal written everywhere, then the valkryie plot is even more of a page turner(page clicker), i just wish the manga was done so i didnt have to wait for more volumes to be released. The ecchi isnt the big part, half the time it wasnt even there, so i didnt really notice, the romance between kazuya and satella is becoming deeper, she ****** him then ******* him in the same chapter which was awesome. i have high hopes for the next volume to get translated, cant wait. Also, i think satella after this shit fest of a battle will really, no joke, nothing to interrupt them, will ask kazuya to become her limiter, and it will really happen, then everyone will be happy.

Art- 7.5: the detail put into each scene is impressive, sometimes i cant tell what happenes in a few scenes, wish it was in color, easier to distinguish, but manga is black and white, so i cant really complain.

Character- 8: the last few chapters, the main characters have to over come their inner darkness, or whatever you want to call it, become stronger for it. Everyone has come a long way from where they started.

enjoyment- 7.5: seeing all the battles, reading them at the moment, its just pictures to me, then after the fact when i really think about them, i put it together into an awesome sequence, sometimes theres not enough to complete it but i fill in the holes. I take off 2 whole points for chapter 134, the last 2-3 pages or so, even for an ecchi lover like me, just too much man, if was the boob, id be like all right, but going for the other area, come on.

overall 8: seeing what i wont be able to see in the anime, even in black and white is really something, you have to imagine the voices, if you have seen the anime. i do really hope that this series get fully animated from start to finish, seeing the fights on tv or DL which most of us do, is something else compared to seeing it in books.
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Ekhein10
Apr 04, 2021
Freezing review
Judging by the cover art for each volume, one might assume that Freezing is a series comprised of martial arts, romance, and a touch of ecchi. Even the first few chapters might mislead you into thinking that this manga is apart of the all too common genre starring a plucky hero who somehow manages to be surrounded by nothing but beautiful girls willing to fight to the ends of the world, all in the name of love. A genre where no matter how bad or one-sided a fight seems, the heroes always come out unscathed. However, Freezing is far from being a fighter-harem and at the same time is much more than that.

The truth is, plot-wise, Freezing is much darker than it appears to be. The premise of this story is that alien beings, known as Nova, have invaded Earth with the intent to annihilate mankind. In order to combat this threat humanity created a force of super powered individuals through human experimentation. But even though these select individuals are gifted with super powers, they aren’t invincible or exempt from anguish. On the contrary, most battles with the Nova end in heavy casualties for the good guys and no one is spared as even close friends and lovers become the victims of dismemberment and mangling. Novas aren’t the only bad guys showcased in Freezing either. Even humans prey on other humans as rape and sexual abuse are explored.

As far as art goes, the quality of art you find on the cover is exactly what you can expect inside the manga. The level of detail that goes into character design and texturing is very high. There isn’t really any panel where a body part looks disproportionate or the body looks oddly posed either. The background art is also really good in that the same amount of detail that goes into drawing the characters goes into designing the backgrounds. And the combat is really easy to follow too. Each fight scene can span multiple panels and even pages, just to illustrate one character dodging another character only to land one punch.

All in all, as of chapter thirty, Freezing leaves you with the impression of a very well drawn, mature seinen. The only downside so far has been that every now and then there is the unnecessarily intricate explanation of how each ability works. But this is common in almost all manga where martial arts are concerned. Other than that, the authors sort of seemed to pull a fast one with the gore and abuse as they will catch you off guard. The transition from the characters enjoying themselves into being brutalized can happen almost instantly, which further helps depict the fact that humanity is in a war for its survival. If this sounds like the kind of manga you’re looking for then I definitely recommend that you pick up a copy of Freezing and give it a shot.
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Ginorin9
Apr 04, 2021
Freezing review
Freezing is deeply rooted in cliche, and it's mix of genres is not a very enjoyable one.

In a nutshell, it's about a guy and a girl who are in love almost at first sight, then it relies on "will they or won't they" soap opera insanity. Anything and everything gets between them getting together, and there's no logic to it.

Here author, I'll do it for you. Take one of those scenes where there's no fight going on and they're just hanging around. Have them go into a room together and just hang out uninterrupted for a minute. Maybe they'll even cuddle, who knows!

As for the overarching plot framing of an invasion of giant monsters, it's not particularly well done. Plus the mix of harem comedy and wanting us to take constant tragedy very seriously feels a bit schizophrenic in tone. And this review isn't even touching on the creepy weirdness included at various points. Serious topics not handled very well.

The reason the score isn't even lower is because I do actually like the two main characters. I'd like them to exist together in a scene without constant trolling from the author. Plus, early on when it was more of a school fight story with harem comedy it was mildly successful at times.

Overall, this relies on the most base soap opera "shock" drama, and cliche relationship cyphers. Even if it stuck to the comedy school fighting romance thing without the ambitions of dark sci-fi, it would still be a failure. The story and world won't end if two characters are actually together. The lack of logic is very annoying. You can have an actual relationship in a story, really. Somebody call the author and ask him stop the cliche unentertaining madness.
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Freezing
Freezing
Author Im, Dal Young
Artist --