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7 Billion Needles #2
7 Billion Needles, Vol. 2
Modern day Japan is the stage for a new form of hard science-fiction, as author Nobuaki Tadano revisits one of the genre's Grand Masters, Hal Clement, in his debut work 7 Billion Needles. Loosely inspired by Clement's golden age title Needle, 7 Billion Needles follows the life of a teenage girl whose quiet boring days are dramatically changed when her body is possessed by an alien life form caught up in an intergalactic manhunt.In this second volume of 7 Billion Needles, Hikaru is briefly lulled into a sense of normalcy. As strange as "normal" might seem to her now, "happy days" are much more welcomed than the surreal days she experienced with Celistial. Having wasted Maelstrom in a massive battle she has been freed from the voices in her head(-phones) and is now moving on with her life with new found resolve. So when she gets an opportunity to formally exorcise her personal demons, which come in the form of painful memories of her deceased father, Hikaru takes the first ferry to the Izu Islands to pay her final respects. When she and her friends arrive and make their way around Hikaru's ancestral home, they all quickly realize that they were not alone making this trip. Not only is Maelstrom still around and possibly more determined than ever to defeat Celestial, but Celestial was never in Hikaru's headphones at all...He was in her blood all this time! Making her bond to him almost as deep as her connection to her family...
180 pages, Kindle Edition
First published May 12, 2010
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108 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 30 reviews
January 14, 2018
An ultimately "fine" book with an interesting premise and decent art. The second volume picks up immediately where the first left off, and it's got some thrilling moments, but the stakes are never as high as the previous volume. Kind of comes off as filler.
November 10, 2018
Things wrapped up a little better in this volume! Plot holes get filled and character background is explained!
May 19, 2015
7 Billion Needles is a cohesive, building story and this volume continues directly from volume 1. It's best to start reading from the beginning.
Armed with new friends and dealing with the aftermath of the strange events that have risen up around her, Hikaru decides to revisit the island she grew up on and face the past that still unsettles her.
Volume 1 was a fantastic start for this manga that left a fair number of open questions. Many of these are answered in volume 2, with different ones taking their place as the story proceeds in unexpected yet logical ways. Managing that while keeping the reader engaged and maintaining the established pace, atmosphere and style is an impressive achievement. The core of this volume is quite emotional and it dovetails nicely with philosophical questions and themes being examined. There's also a very nice hook at the end to set up the next volume.
7 Billion Needles is proving to be a wonderful little science fiction series with a lot of heart.
4/3/14
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Edit 4/19/15: Liked this volume even more the second time. Hikaru's backstory, the confrontation, and philosophical themes were all intense and wove together wonderfully. Amazingly unexpected direction at the end to set up the rest of the series.
Armed with new friends and dealing with the aftermath of the strange events that have risen up around her, Hikaru decides to revisit the island she grew up on and face the past that still unsettles her.
Volume 1 was a fantastic start for this manga that left a fair number of open questions. Many of these are answered in volume 2, with different ones taking their place as the story proceeds in unexpected yet logical ways. Managing that while keeping the reader engaged and maintaining the established pace, atmosphere and style is an impressive achievement. The core of this volume is quite emotional and it dovetails nicely with philosophical questions and themes being examined. There's also a very nice hook at the end to set up the next volume.
7 Billion Needles is proving to be a wonderful little science fiction series with a lot of heart.
4/3/14
---
Edit 4/19/15: Liked this volume even more the second time. Hikaru's backstory, the confrontation, and philosophical themes were all intense and wove together wonderfully. Amazingly unexpected direction at the end to set up the rest of the series.
February 23, 2017
so why did Masaya? i flipped back and forth over that scene several times and still don't get it.
it had a surprise ending that was not quite a surprise b/c i've read it somewhere else.
it had a surprise ending that was not quite a surprise b/c i've read it somewhere else.
May 11, 2014
This review originally appeared on my blog, Shared Universe Reviews.
7 Billion Needles is a four volume science fiction manga series written and drawn by Nabuaki Tadano. This is his manga debut and it is based on the science fiction story “Needle” by Hal Clement. It’s an impressive debut for Tadano and his art was well utilized in the design of the covers for the four volumes. That’s initially what caught my eye and sparked my interest in this short (by manga standards) story. They did exactly what cover art is supposed to do, it grabbed my attention. I really like that the designer kept the original Japanese lettering in the speech bubbles.
Volume 1:
While on a school trip near the ocean, loner Hikaru, undergoes a transformative event when she encounters an alien life form recently arrived on earth. Before she can even make a guess as to what’s happening, she’s atomized and reconstructed by the alien entity. She remembered nothing of the even and the story quickly cuts to the present day. She’s going about her daily life as if nothing has changed until sometime later when the alien in question reveals itself to her by speaking to her telepathically.
Hikaru is incredibly chocked by this discovery. She’s a social outcast by choice, walking around with her music playing on her headphones in order to block out the world around her. She’s this way because of a personal tragedy. I almost missed this reason for her behavior while reading the first volume and it’s a key element to understanding Hikaru’s character. It helps you to understand and sympathize with her. She’s distant because of the death of her father she’s been this way for years. This alien, calling itself Horizon, is caught in the middle of an inter-galactic game of cat and mouse and forces Hikaru to join him on his mission while he’s on earth. She doesn’t have much of a choice either. When Horizon reconstructed Hikaru’s body, he did so while fusing himself to her, using Hikaru as a host body.
This book of alien possession or alien cohabitation is not in the traditional vein of shonen manga. The tone is more serious and it doesn’t preoccupy itself with “kewl” powers and overly deconstructed action sequences. The help Hikaru must offer Horizon is rather simple, investigate any strange occurrences in her community to try and discover the whereabouts of the other alien Horizon is tracking. Doing such a thing is a daunting task for Hikaru who has barely socialized in years. She proves to be up to the task however and the courage she demonstrates in the first half of this story, collected in volumes 1 and 2, is that of making friends and talking to others. That might seem like a completely underwhelming, especially for a science fiction manga that features aliens, but Tadano writes with such confidence and respect for characters and story that make 7 Billion Needles a compelling story about personal growth, evolution, and friendship.
The first volume felt a bit cold and distant but it reflected Hikaru’s feeling towards the outside world. She’s very secluded and introverted. She’s forced to cast her shell once she discovers the presence of Horizon but this is a slow process and it’s a bit slow but the first volume does provide plenty of action and a surprising amount of suspense I was a bit underwhelmed when I finished reading the first volume but the story stuck with me. I finished the book in one sitting and couldn’t keep it out of my head. The next morning I brought the second volume with me for my commute to and from work.
Volume 2:
After Horizon’s face to face confrontation with the other alien, Maelstrom, at the end of the first and the beginning of the second volume, Tadano takes a short break from the science fiction elements and shifts his focus on Hikaru and her past. Again, there is a bit of a slow start but Tadano does most of his storytelling in the first half of the book, leaving the second half free to indulge in the sci-fi elements and the action. By setting the stage in this manner, the writer gives more weight to the action that follows and it’s a good technique, simply one I had to get used to.
Essentially, the second volume confirms that 7 Billion Needles is worth the attention I'm giving it. The first volume was a tried and test science fiction story using new tricks. It was unusual in its execution and surprisingly charming despite the protagonist's aloofness. Tadano also continues to pursue the themes of friendship, personal growth and evolution as well as increasing the tension of the conflict between the two aliens. The volume ends with a spectacular way that doesn't feel cheap. This isn't a twist for the sake of a twist. The revelation feels well deserved and it feels like a natural, if surprising, progression of the events that preceded it.
The art is very pleasant. The characters facial expression and body language is clear. Tadano is as good at drawing charming, quiet and moving pages as he is drawing horrific action that feels visceral and immediate. There is a powerful sense of intimacy to his art that added a lot of weigh to many key scenes in the book. My only criticism is regarding the background and scenery type panels. They’re so incredibly detailed and use a lot of what can only been some sort of computerized technique. They’re nice on their own but when combined with the cleaner, gentler lines used on the characters, it’s jarring. There is a cold and stiff quality to those images and it distracts from the otherwise skilfully rendered characters.
In the second volume, Tadano continues to pursue the themes of friendship, personal growth and evolution as well as increasing the tension of the conflict between the two aliens. The volume ends with a spectacular way that doesn't feel cheap. This isn't a twist for the sake of a twist. The revelation feels well deserved and it feels like a natural, if surprising, progression of the events that preceded it. The first half of 7 Billion Needles is an excellent science fiction story that manages to keep one foot planted in reality which contributes to it being an engaging story. The art is crisp and very detailed, if sometimes a little stiff. Tadano’s debut manga focuses on intelligent storytelling, drama, and conflict instead of shonen style superhuman brawling. This is a manga with heart and an interesting message for 21 century youth. It's also got plasma based aliens and other smart science fiction elements which make for a truly successful story. I look forward to reading the second half.
7 Billion Needles is a four volume science fiction manga series written and drawn by Nabuaki Tadano. This is his manga debut and it is based on the science fiction story “Needle” by Hal Clement. It’s an impressive debut for Tadano and his art was well utilized in the design of the covers for the four volumes. That’s initially what caught my eye and sparked my interest in this short (by manga standards) story. They did exactly what cover art is supposed to do, it grabbed my attention. I really like that the designer kept the original Japanese lettering in the speech bubbles.
Volume 1:
While on a school trip near the ocean, loner Hikaru, undergoes a transformative event when she encounters an alien life form recently arrived on earth. Before she can even make a guess as to what’s happening, she’s atomized and reconstructed by the alien entity. She remembered nothing of the even and the story quickly cuts to the present day. She’s going about her daily life as if nothing has changed until sometime later when the alien in question reveals itself to her by speaking to her telepathically.
Hikaru is incredibly chocked by this discovery. She’s a social outcast by choice, walking around with her music playing on her headphones in order to block out the world around her. She’s this way because of a personal tragedy. I almost missed this reason for her behavior while reading the first volume and it’s a key element to understanding Hikaru’s character. It helps you to understand and sympathize with her. She’s distant because of the death of her father she’s been this way for years. This alien, calling itself Horizon, is caught in the middle of an inter-galactic game of cat and mouse and forces Hikaru to join him on his mission while he’s on earth. She doesn’t have much of a choice either. When Horizon reconstructed Hikaru’s body, he did so while fusing himself to her, using Hikaru as a host body.
This book of alien possession or alien cohabitation is not in the traditional vein of shonen manga. The tone is more serious and it doesn’t preoccupy itself with “kewl” powers and overly deconstructed action sequences. The help Hikaru must offer Horizon is rather simple, investigate any strange occurrences in her community to try and discover the whereabouts of the other alien Horizon is tracking. Doing such a thing is a daunting task for Hikaru who has barely socialized in years. She proves to be up to the task however and the courage she demonstrates in the first half of this story, collected in volumes 1 and 2, is that of making friends and talking to others. That might seem like a completely underwhelming, especially for a science fiction manga that features aliens, but Tadano writes with such confidence and respect for characters and story that make 7 Billion Needles a compelling story about personal growth, evolution, and friendship.
The first volume felt a bit cold and distant but it reflected Hikaru’s feeling towards the outside world. She’s very secluded and introverted. She’s forced to cast her shell once she discovers the presence of Horizon but this is a slow process and it’s a bit slow but the first volume does provide plenty of action and a surprising amount of suspense I was a bit underwhelmed when I finished reading the first volume but the story stuck with me. I finished the book in one sitting and couldn’t keep it out of my head. The next morning I brought the second volume with me for my commute to and from work.
Volume 2:
After Horizon’s face to face confrontation with the other alien, Maelstrom, at the end of the first and the beginning of the second volume, Tadano takes a short break from the science fiction elements and shifts his focus on Hikaru and her past. Again, there is a bit of a slow start but Tadano does most of his storytelling in the first half of the book, leaving the second half free to indulge in the sci-fi elements and the action. By setting the stage in this manner, the writer gives more weight to the action that follows and it’s a good technique, simply one I had to get used to.
Essentially, the second volume confirms that 7 Billion Needles is worth the attention I'm giving it. The first volume was a tried and test science fiction story using new tricks. It was unusual in its execution and surprisingly charming despite the protagonist's aloofness. Tadano also continues to pursue the themes of friendship, personal growth and evolution as well as increasing the tension of the conflict between the two aliens. The volume ends with a spectacular way that doesn't feel cheap. This isn't a twist for the sake of a twist. The revelation feels well deserved and it feels like a natural, if surprising, progression of the events that preceded it.
The art is very pleasant. The characters facial expression and body language is clear. Tadano is as good at drawing charming, quiet and moving pages as he is drawing horrific action that feels visceral and immediate. There is a powerful sense of intimacy to his art that added a lot of weigh to many key scenes in the book. My only criticism is regarding the background and scenery type panels. They’re so incredibly detailed and use a lot of what can only been some sort of computerized technique. They’re nice on their own but when combined with the cleaner, gentler lines used on the characters, it’s jarring. There is a cold and stiff quality to those images and it distracts from the otherwise skilfully rendered characters.
In the second volume, Tadano continues to pursue the themes of friendship, personal growth and evolution as well as increasing the tension of the conflict between the two aliens. The volume ends with a spectacular way that doesn't feel cheap. This isn't a twist for the sake of a twist. The revelation feels well deserved and it feels like a natural, if surprising, progression of the events that preceded it. The first half of 7 Billion Needles is an excellent science fiction story that manages to keep one foot planted in reality which contributes to it being an engaging story. The art is crisp and very detailed, if sometimes a little stiff. Tadano’s debut manga focuses on intelligent storytelling, drama, and conflict instead of shonen style superhuman brawling. This is a manga with heart and an interesting message for 21 century youth. It's also got plasma based aliens and other smart science fiction elements which make for a truly successful story. I look forward to reading the second half.
April 6, 2019
Hikaru and a friend return to the island where Hikaru's dad died.
This second volume is a good sequel to the first but the feel changes. This one is all about understanding why Hikaru shuts people out to the extent of wearing headphones constantly. I'd sum up this volume as friendship versus loneliness.
The library isn't able to get volumes 3 and 4 and I'm ok with that. It's a so-so series but it didn't make me want to reach for the next one.
This second volume is a good sequel to the first but the feel changes. This one is all about understanding why Hikaru shuts people out to the extent of wearing headphones constantly. I'd sum up this volume as friendship versus loneliness.
The library isn't able to get volumes 3 and 4 and I'm ok with that. It's a so-so series but it didn't make me want to reach for the next one.
August 7, 2017
Okay, this one is going downhill. The pacing is just way too fast. And the 'friendship' theme is undeserved from what we've seen of the interactions between the three girls. Like, have the police even been investigating the DEATHS that happened just a few days ago?
September 20, 2018
I like it.
Read
June 30, 2020Wow. That was fucked up.
November 28, 2021
Interesting. 👍
April 7, 2023
This volume was not nearly as good as volume 1. The school element was missing and the story was far less clear.
May 7, 2023
4.25 rounded down
November 17, 2013
There's an excitement about a story like 7 Billion Needles. It’s not just that the alien serial killer, Maelstrom, is loose on earth and could be anyone we see, and is pursued by the curious outside Horizon, a police officer made only of plasma. It’s that the authors billed it as a quartet - he knew where it was going with his villain and only needed the four volumes to write it all.
But here, in Volume 2, the story has already punched itself out. The union of Hikaru and her extraterrestrial cop body-mate beat the evil Maelstrom. Obliterated it, actually, at the end of Volume 1, and Volume 2 opens with them transparently triumphant. Then Hikaru meanders, meets an old friend, and visits her childhood home just in time for the alien serial killer to suspiciously wash up on shore and attack her friends some more. It possesses more people, eats more people, and mutates into more big things. It is the same stuff over again but with much less impact because we've seen this story.
The novel element is that when Hikaru and Maelstrom collide this time we're treated to a colossal flashback to the fall and death of Hikaru's father. This is drama that Volume 2 invented, almost from whole cloth, and is a terribly standard tragedy-origin. It doesn't feed into much of who Hikaru is beyond the stereotype of being a jaded outsider, which never required an origin story.
Tadano’s art remains strong enough to carry the emotional sequences, even if they don’t earn much themselves. The best pages are vistas and wide shots – there’s a particularly striking two-page spread of Horizon summoning a beam as wide as the county our heroes are presently in.
But that’s hardly enough to warrant there being a Volume 2. The best thing about this book is the very end, which promises to break the status quo drastically and tell a very different story in Volume 3. It makes this book feel even more like filler, but if it pays off well in the second half of the quartet, then no one will mind.
But here, in Volume 2, the story has already punched itself out. The union of Hikaru and her extraterrestrial cop body-mate beat the evil Maelstrom. Obliterated it, actually, at the end of Volume 1, and Volume 2 opens with them transparently triumphant. Then Hikaru meanders, meets an old friend, and visits her childhood home just in time for the alien serial killer to suspiciously wash up on shore and attack her friends some more. It possesses more people, eats more people, and mutates into more big things. It is the same stuff over again but with much less impact because we've seen this story.
The novel element is that when Hikaru and Maelstrom collide this time we're treated to a colossal flashback to the fall and death of Hikaru's father. This is drama that Volume 2 invented, almost from whole cloth, and is a terribly standard tragedy-origin. It doesn't feed into much of who Hikaru is beyond the stereotype of being a jaded outsider, which never required an origin story.
Tadano’s art remains strong enough to carry the emotional sequences, even if they don’t earn much themselves. The best pages are vistas and wide shots – there’s a particularly striking two-page spread of Horizon summoning a beam as wide as the county our heroes are presently in.
But that’s hardly enough to warrant there being a Volume 2. The best thing about this book is the very end, which promises to break the status quo drastically and tell a very different story in Volume 3. It makes this book feel even more like filler, but if it pays off well in the second half of the quartet, then no one will mind.
February 1, 2014
This review is for all four volumes of 7 Billion Needles.
This was on the border of being really interesting and making absolutely no sense to me. Everything was good until volume three when the subspecies and the Moderator were the focal point and things got very science-fictiony. It was intense.
I think that ultimately the series was about friendship. It seems so simple and almost cheesy after all that, but when it all came down to it there seemed to be the overriding theme of loneliness. Once Hikaru was taken in by Nao and Saya she wasn't so lonely and was able to open up more. Which then prompted her to help Chika who she saw as herself before Nao and Saya. Hikaru became a spectator (who actually mostly just ignored everyone) to an active human. She participated in life which ended up allowing her to save the world.
More sci-fi than I usually read, but I enjoyed it thoroughly!
This was on the border of being really interesting and making absolutely no sense to me. Everything was good until volume three when the subspecies and the Moderator were the focal point and things got very science-fictiony. It was intense.
I think that ultimately the series was about friendship. It seems so simple and almost cheesy after all that, but when it all came down to it there seemed to be the overriding theme of loneliness. Once Hikaru was taken in by Nao and Saya she wasn't so lonely and was able to open up more. Which then prompted her to help Chika who she saw as herself before Nao and Saya. Hikaru became a spectator (who actually mostly just ignored everyone) to an active human. She participated in life which ended up allowing her to save the world.
More sci-fi than I usually read, but I enjoyed it thoroughly!
September 28, 2011
This is a not very exciting follow up to Volume 1. Hikaru and some of her friends return to the island on which she was raised. Hikaru wants to visit her father's grave. He died in a suspicious accident after he let down the islanders' dreams of wealth by misinterpreting granite for some substance known as "black ore." (Googling "black ore" comes up with references to its uselessness, although there are directions for making earrings from it.)
Hikaru cannot shed her alien inhabitant, since he has not finished repairing her body after blowing it to bits when he crash landed on earth. Maelstrom, the bad alien, shows up on the island even though he was apparently killed at the end of Volume 1. There are lots of flashbacks and dream sequences and another battle to the death at the end. But Tadano has a surprise ending that bodes well for Volume 3.
Hikaru cannot shed her alien inhabitant, since he has not finished repairing her body after blowing it to bits when he crash landed on earth. Maelstrom, the bad alien, shows up on the island even though he was apparently killed at the end of Volume 1. There are lots of flashbacks and dream sequences and another battle to the death at the end. But Tadano has a surprise ending that bodes well for Volume 3.
June 1, 2011
This second instalment concludes the cliffhanger of the first and continues to explore both the surprising relationship of the clashing alien entities and the origin of Hikaru's reclusive behaviour. It seems she had suffered a terrible tragedy on an island she once lived on with her father. However, thanks to Horizon's positive influence and the unexpected friendship of two classmates, Hikaru feels ready to stop hiding herself from the pain of her past and return to the island for some much needed closure.
Unfortunately, Maelstrom has also followed her and she soon finds that facing old ghosts are the very least of her problems.
A good solid continuation of the story that offers a nice insight to the troubled teenager and a very interesting twist to Horizon and Maelstrom.
Unfortunately, Maelstrom has also followed her and she soon finds that facing old ghosts are the very least of her problems.
A good solid continuation of the story that offers a nice insight to the troubled teenager and a very interesting twist to Horizon and Maelstrom.
May 15, 2013
A short, but sweet sci-fi epic which follows Hikaru Takabe, a closed-off teenager, who is constantly on her headphones and pretty much is isolated from the whole world. One day a terrible accident befalls her she dies, only to be awake the next day. She feels different and suddenly realized she is not alone anymore. Horizon, an intergalactic force of order now resides within her and she is forced into a conflict of cosmic proportion again Maesltrom, a force of chaos. During the story she must not only confront and fend the decline of humanity as we know it, but also open her heart to others which may prove the more challenging of the two tasks. A great, easy to read manga for sci-fi nuts.
September 28, 2013
(3.5) i can't do a decent assessment of this because aliens that rip people apart are not my favourite things in manga (i liked Parasyte but could have done without the gore), but i like this brand of art (that nice clear seinen style but with enough detail and pen-strokes to make it interesting) and the story moves through a number of psychological registers. it's nice and short, too, at 4 vols.
August 7, 2011
This is actually some of the best manga I've been exposed to in a while. There's some fascinating metatextual stuff going on with Akira as well as heart-breaking revelations into why Haruka is why she is today. Also, we get to see Haruka's friends, Saya and Nao, showing us why they are awesome. Between vol 1 and vol 2, 7 Billion Needles went from great to awesome!
December 23, 2016
It seemed like volume one was a fairly closed tale, more like a standalone novella, but volume two expanded the story nicely. The art continues to impress. Managing that while keeping the reader engaged and maintaining the established pace, atmosphere and style is quite an impressive achievement. There's also a very nice hook at the end to set up the next volume.
Good work Tadano sensei!
Good work Tadano sensei!
January 28, 2016
I really like the art in this volume. It was nice to see where Takabe Hikaru is coming from in terms of her seclusion from the rest of the world. The ending had quite a surprise to it. I'm too into this series to not want to finish it so I'll read it online since Volume 3 and 4 are oop.
November 13, 2010
Less action, more emotional intensity than 1st volume. Full review coming soon.
January 19, 2011
This volume introduced the real meat of the story, 2 entities who fight and die in an endless cycle. One of them suggests that he is ready to end this and change their purpose and proposes a wager.
February 25, 2011
Still a little hard to follow, but the story breaks off in an unexpected direction. Excited for volume 3.
July 29, 2011
A major improvement over the first volume. It's amazing how closely Tadano sticks to Clement's novel -- it's not an absolutely faithful adaptation, but it's far closer than Hollywood would ever get.
February 10, 2012
It seemed like volume 1 was a fairly closed tale, but volume 2 expanded the story nicely. The art continues to impress.
January 5, 2013
Now we're getting somewhere. In this volume the magical-girl-manga mask starts to slip.
August 31, 2014
review to come soon
Want to read
June 14, 2016FALSE
July 2, 2017
No está mal 3'5 sobre 5
Displaying 1 - 30 of 30 reviews