Blue Inferior, Vol. 1

by Kyoko Shitou

It is a world where environmental pollution has spiraled out of control. Most of the land is contaminated desert, and there are only a few pockets along the shore where people can live. Those inhabiting these oases are suspicious of strangers, and know nothing about the outside world save for stories of vicious "sub-humans." One day, a young girl named Marine washes up on the shore of one of the inhabited lands. She has no memory of where she came from. She is found by a young boy named Kazuya, who loves the sea and has a natural curiosity about the outside world. The two of them start to become friends... but then rumors start spreading that Marine might be a sub-human, and she is locked up. Now Kazuya must help her escape, and uncover the mystery of who she is and where she came from.

Genres: Manga, Graphic Novels, Fantasy

202 pages, Paperback

First published May 25, 2004

Reviews

[Starbubbles · Rating 5 out of 5]

i loved this book! but to my dismay, the distributor went out of business, and was never picked up by another publisher. it's a shame, i would highly recommend it if the squeals were available, but they aren't so i don't. no sense in getting addicted, and not having enough of the story to slake the thirst for more.

[Julie · Rating 5 out of 5]

some manga are so predisposed for becoming a franchise, it's painful. this isn't the case with Blue Inferior which, contrary to the title, makes this series anything but inferior. finally, here is something that doesn't feel like it just left the manga manufacturing plant.

unlike so many other poptart manga series, BI sets itself apart by not relying on magic powers, some kind of magical realm, cute side kicks, perverse episodes or cutesy antics to uphold the story. rather, BI relies on sci-fi motifs--this story could very easily be an interesting piece of literature. the dystopian themes integrated with some hard science here and there were not only believable but also unique to the manga world, from what I know anyway. in this manner, I was reminded more than once of classic manga by Osamu Tezuka ( Phoenix, Metropolis, Akira comes to mind too), when reading BI. the only weakness I thought of is that the story runs right on the edge of possibly being a bit too dry and the art is probably the best example of "meh" manga art I can think of. the art isn't superfluous but yet it's not stylistically simple. it's just kind of an in between shade of bland but in my opinion, the well thought out story line made up for this.

the sad part is that I am having a hard time finding the other volumes of this series. the author mentions having trouble finishing the series yet I sincerely hope I can find the rest of BI somewhere.

[Lmcwil · Rating 4 out of 5]

i'm so bummed out that apparently there are no subsequent volumes available. i have been looking for another manga to read since finishing Ranma.

[William · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting and intriguing new series. What will the sub-humans do next?!!

[Amanda Curless · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a really great manga for those who haven't read manga before. It is also a great cross between distopia/utopia fiction and manga worlds. I loved the character development and I am extremely disappointed that this series was dropped by the publisher and the 2nd and 3rd book were never published. I also like how the art wasn't sexualizing every female character. The characters were drawn to be more believable compared to some manga I have read. I am half tempted to start a fan-fiction just to have some catharsis about what happens to the characters and this interesting world of humans vs subhumans in the "blessed lands" and the "Aspera Fata" lands.

[Cursedtea · Rating 5 out of 5]

I wish the rest of the series was printed!
Guess i have to read it online :/