Kaina of the Great Snow Sea T01

大雪海のカイナ [Ōyukiumi no Kaina] #1

by Tsutomu Nihei (Other), Itoe Takemoto

Au-dessus d’un monde où les terres ont été englouties par les neiges, le jeune Kaina mène une vie frugale sur la Canopée, une membrane qui relie les cimes des colossaux arbres orbitaux, avec quelques autres rescapés de l’humanité. Mais sa rencontre avec une mystérieuse fille originaire de la mer Blanche, l’immense étendue de neige qui recouvre le monde d’en bas qu’on pensait inhabité, va l’entraîner dans une épopée cruciale pour le genre humain…

Genres: Manga, Fantasy, Comics, Science Fiction, Graphic Novels, Fiction, Adventure

Kindle Edition

First published December 8, 2022

About the author

See also 弐瓶 勉.

Tsutomu Nihei (弐瓶 勉 Nihei Tsutomu, born 1971) is a Japanese manga artist. His cyberpunk-influenced artwork has gained a strong cult following. He has a relatively large community of fans in Germany where his manga Blame!, NOiSE and Biomega were published by Ehapa. Blame! was also published in France and Spain by Glénat, in the US by Tokyopop and in Italy by Panini Comics.

At first he studied architecture and later it is shown up in his manga works with drawing huge structures. This became one of his general theme that makes his manga unique. His works are usually in black and white. He is also an avid fan of the video game series Halo, as he mentions in his commentary section in the Halo Graphic Novel.

Taken from Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tsutomu_...

Reviews

[Holly | Raise Your Words · Rating 1 out of 5]

​-- 1/5 Stars -- ★☆☆☆☆​

Trigger Warnings for Kaina of the Great Snow Sea 1: Death, killing, survival

Kaina of the Great Snow Sea 1 is the first volume in the series by Tsutomu Nihei and Itoe Takemoto. In this volume we meet Kaina and his village, all of which struggling to survive with a lack of water and resources. In comes Ririha, a princess from the Snow Sea, an area previously thought to be unoccupied by Kaina's village on the canopy - the only surviving village.

This upset me so much. The premise, the cover art, the description, it all made me so hyped to read this. I was even looking into watching the anime with subtitles (I'm a dub girly). Let me just say, I hated this. The art style is all grays with no real use of a stark black or a stark white. Due to this, we lose all sense of depth in this world. Beyond that, what even is this world? None of the rules were explained. This felt as if Nihei said, "hurry up and get to the love interest, we have nothing without her." This volume would have been much better served ending with the addition of Ririha, not throwing her in almost immediately.

Well, you have to try new things. I would highly recommend picking up any manga just to see if you like it. This one was sadly a bust for me. Thank you to Tsutomu Nihei, Netgalley, Vertical Comics, and Kodansha Comics for an advanced reader copy in exchange for my honest review.

Follow all of my reviews and content with LinkTree

[Jen · Rating 2 out of 5]

My thanks to NetGalley and Kodansha/Vertical Comics for an eARC of this book to read and review.

This was bleak. The world was developed, but poorly. Nothing was explained, nor made any sense. I guess the reader is the same as the characters in this world, as they don't know about their past and how humanity got to the state they were in now.

The artwork didn't wow me, the world-building such as it was made no sense, the characters were maybe the best part, but they didn't grab me enough to care to read the rest of the series. Also, how does getting stabbed in the shoulder KILL someone? I can see if the sword they were stabbed with had poison on it, if they had a huge amount of blood loss, from shock (but these are battle-hardened warriors, I would think they could handle themselves), but the death was almost instantaneous, there was no time for shock or poison to set in unless the poison was incredibly fast acting, but no one said the handy for the reader, "Hey, they use poison on their blades, don't get even a scratch!".

I can see me recommending this to manga readers who like to learn about the world slowly as the characters do and who enjoy bleak landscapes and really depressing post-apocalyptic settings.

2, this did nothing for me but I didn't hate it, stars.

[Kim Scarlet · Rating 5 out of 5]

✨𝐌𝐘 𝐓𝐇𝐎𝐔𝐆𝐇𝐓𝐒 𝐀𝐁𝐎𝐔𝐓 𝐈𝐓:
Kaina Of The Great Snow Sea is about Kaina and the older villagers who live with him in a small village on the canopy. They always thought they were the only humans in the world, just as their ancestors told them. But then Ririha shows up in a bizarre way, and they’re all pleasantly surprised to see another human like them.

I love how the villagers are so concerned about Kaina. He’s truly lucky to have them. But Ririha has her own nation to save too. This sounds really, really promising. It’s exactly the type of manga I’ve been looking for. The unique plot and characters are already drawing me in. I also love the potential for war and action scenes.

Overall, I highly recommend this if you love dystopia, science fiction, and adventure.

💻 FULL REVIEW HERE:

[Juniperus · Rating 3 out of 5]

Dune if it was cold out

[Hope · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thanks to NetGalley for the eARC of this book for my honest review.

This book is a dystopia/ science fiction manga that I honestly loved. This world building reminded me a lot of Nausicaa by Hayao Miyazaki. If you enjoyed that story I would recommend this one! The village that Kaina lives in is atop of a canopy of trees. They have not seen any humans in a long time so it comes as a surprise when another human from a different village shows up.

This story shows a lot of promise and I hope to continue the story in future volumes. I am curious to see how the world builds up.

[Maria · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting premise and the story kept me entertained but there is nothing compelling me to find out more about their world or continue with the series. Good for those who enjoy dystopian stories with good artwork.

I received a copy from #NetGalley for an honest review.

[Lucille · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sympa ! Au début j’ai trouvé l’histoire très intriguante et ça m’a un peu fait penser à Princess Mononoke. Mais c’est vraiment une intro et j’attend de voir la suite.

[Teresa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to NetGalley, Kodansha Comics, Vertical Comics, Tsutomu Nihei (story), and Itoe Takemoto (artist) for the opportunity to read this manga in exchange for an honest review.

This world is incredible. There is the canopy, where one village remains at the top of the giant tree, and there is the snow sea, the cold, watery world at the trees roots. When the princess of one of the nations from the snow sea comes up to the canopy on a floater, she meets Kaina. Having lost her whole party to raiders, she tells the people of Kaina's village about the war taking place between the peoples living at the tree's base. Coming up to find a great sage of legend, she is vastly disappointed that this village doesn't harbor what she seeks. Kaina is familiar with the legend as well, and he has a different theory on how to find the sage. Perhaps the two can help each other out?

Both the story and the art style appear to be heavily Miyazaki-influenced. They have a common, yet whimsical feel. I enjoyed the main characters, the world, and the setup. This could be a shorter series and be extremely fulfilling, but I also see the potential for something longer. Maybe even some romance, after the adventure aspect?

This is a fun first volume any fantasy manga seeker will enjoy.

[Rin · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a very enjoyable read. The plot and world building was fairly unique, the ‘snow + canopy’ is not something i’ve seen replicated much before.

The characters designs are really nice, the choice of outfits and even the art style in which this manga is drawn is different but I think pretty fitting. I only take some issue with the shading, its quite light particularly for non snow things but not something you shouldn’t pick up this book for.

Hi Brian and thank you NetGalley.

[IvyInThePages · Rating 5 out of 5]

Rating: 5 leaves out of 5
-Characters: 5/5
-Story: 5/5
-Writing: 5/5
Genre: Adventure, Fantasy, Scifi, Shonen
-Adventure: 5/5
-Fantasy: 5/5
-Scifi: 5/5
-Shonen: 5/5
Type: Manga
Worth?: Yes

Hated|Disliked|Meh|It Was Okay|Liked|Really Liked|Loved

Want to thank Netgalley and publishers for giving me the chance to read this book.

I really loved this manga! It is something new and I'd like to see where the story goes. How will the fight what is making their kind dwindle down.

[Chris Gernon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fascinating world building and a unique art style I really liked. Not much to say about the story yet, as this volume really just introduces the setting and characters, but I’m definitely curious to see where this goes.

[Sara · Rating 4 out of 5]

Full review in Booklist Magazine.

Read more graphic novel reviews at The Graphic Library.

[Tachan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quand deux grands noms de l’imaginaire font converger leur talent pour une histoire rendant hommage à l’oeuvre culte d’un dieu du manga et de l’animation, c’est le projet de Tsutomu Nihei (Blame!) et Itoe Takemoto (Elin, la charmeuse de bêtes) dans cette revisite de Nausicaä.

On connaît surtout Nihei pour ses univers architecturaux très épurés où tel un conteur futuriste il nous perd dans des histoires étranges et philosophiques. A Itoe Takemoto, on doit une oeuvre de fantasy d’une grand humanité sur les relations entre humains et créatures vivantes. Il était donc assez improbable de voir les deux travailler ensemble, c’est pourtant ce qui se passe dans cette série au rythme fort lent au Japon, à peine 2 tomes depuis plus d’un an qu’elle paraît. Cependant, elle a su suffisamment séduire et surtout répondre de deux auteurs-artistes reconnus, ce qui lui a déjà offert une adaptation en animé. Chez nous, elle débute tout juste chez Pika, éditeur de Takemoto mais pas du tout de Nihei.

De leur alliance va naître une histoire prenant le meilleur de chacun et avec des influences miyazakiennes évidentes. Nihei, en tant que conteur, nous fait découvrir un univers de SF très sobre pour lequel le trait épuré de Takemoto s’inspire de son travail à lui, pour nous donner un récit très architectural. Takemoto, elle, reprend ces mondes qu’elle aime tant il y a une forme de symbiose entre l’humanité et les créatures peuplant ces terres, des plus surprenantes ici. Ensemble, ils donnent un univers assez singulier, qui intrigue autant qu’il interpelle et rappelle ce que Miyazaki avait fait sur Nausicaä.

Dans ce premier tome fort introductif et rapide à lire, vu la narration des plus épurées du duo, nous suivons le jeune Kaina, héros éponyme de l’histoire, qui vit dans les canopées d’arbres gigantesques qui ont poussés sur une terre recouverte de neige telle une mer. Dernier garçon de sa génération, il fait survivre son village peuplé de vieillard et vieillarde, cohabitant ainsi avec les créatures des sommets, jusqu’au jour où une jeune fille de son âge arrive en utilisant une de ces créatures comme montgolfière, pensant trouver un saga pouvant résoudre les problèmes qu’il y a sur terre dans la mer de neige. L’histoire va nous conter l’histoire de la rencontre de ces deux mondes.

Nous sommes dans une histoire de survie où vont se confronter deux civilisations différentes, qui ont évolué dans des mondes différents, avec des contraintes et des problématiques différentes, qui s’annoncent à la fois classiques, déjà vu dans nombre de titres de SF comme ceux d‘Elisabeth Vonarburg ou Ursula Le Guin sur les thèmes de la natalité, Miyazaki sur le rapport à la nature et les rivalités entre peuples concernant des ressources, ou Neal Stephenson sur l’importance de l’écrit comme mémoire. Et je ne peux pas en dire beaucoup plus car ce premier tome est fort peu bavard.

Pour l’instant l’intrigue apporte plus de questions que de réponses mais la narration s’annonce plaisante à la fois un peu aventureuse (avec ses attaques d’insectes à faire peur aux phobiques) et contemplative (avec ses réflexions écolo et natalistes). C’est assez équilibré. Mais en même temps, les personnages semblent très archétypaux et je n’ai pas encore d’éléments me permettant de m’attacher réellement à eux. C’est un peu plat avec, on le sent, surtout l’intention de faire un récit de SF classique, hommage, bien carré.

J’ai passé un bon moment avec ce lent début de récit science-fictionnel promettant des réflexions intéressantes sur l’écologie, la natalité, le rapport à l’altérité. C’est encore assez timide mais on a envie de faire confiance aux sommités derrière ainsi qu’aux influences qu’on sent. L’alliance Nihei – Takemoto tient décidément plutôt bien ses promesses.

Avis complet : https://lesblablasdetachan.wordpress....

[Justin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ever since BLAME, I've been a fan of Nihei's work. Sure, the story got a bit weird toward the end, but that tends to happen in his books, some more so than others. But he always draws incredible worlds, so when I saw his name on a new series, I kind of reflexively gave it a shot...

I did not look closely enough to realize he only wrote the story, leaving the art to someone else. Mistakes may have been made.

Let me be clear: Takemoto's art in Kaina is fine. It's not the stark, often rough style I expected when I thought Nihei was drawing this, but this is still a very nicely illustrated book. But leaving the pure, written word storytelling work to Nihei is like asking Beethoven to direct a movie. Beethoven was perfectly capable of telling a story through music, in the way that Nihei generally does visually. Taking away their strongest tools and expecting them to produce equivalent results is really not the smartest move.

The story in Kaina is...okay so far, but it really isn't doing anything to sell me on Nihei as a written storyteller. It's leaps and bounds better than the lazy mess of Tower Dungeon, but it still feels lacking somehow. The surface of Earth(?) is covered in snow that's not really snow, but seeds/spores(?) that fall from colossal trees whose canopy encircles the entire globe(?). Kaina is the youngest member of the last(?) village that exists at the top of the canopy, and his elderly neighbors fear for his future after they're gone. Down on the surface, there are scattered settlements at the bases of these huge trees, but due to water shortages, a war has broken out. Ririha is the princess of one of these settlements, who makes a desperate ascent above the canopy in search of a "sage" who legends say can make the water flow again(?) and put an end to the source of the conflict.

It has the potential to be an interesting enough world, but you'll notice an awful lot of uncertain question marks up there. That's because, in true Nihei fashion, he doesn't really define a lot of this in his writing; you're supposed to pick it up based on what you see of the world he's built. But when someone else is doing the art, there's sometimes a disconnect between what Nihei has in his head, and what we see (this can happen when he tackles the art, himself, sometimes too, for the record). Like, there's one section where Kaina's pondering over "lights" he can see moving in the gloom down below the canopy, and...you'd be forgiven if you didn't notice the handful of tiny white dots against the grainy backdrop we're presented with. Or, there are several action sequences where characters are fighting giant bugs, and it can be pretty difficult to tell exactly what's happening--is that one thin line something hitting the bug, or indicative of motion, or what?

I wouldn't call Kaina a bad series, at least not just yet. But I'd be hard-pressed to say it's good after this volume, either. Ririha has motivation, but Kaina feels oddly listless for a titular character. The world has potential, and there are some nice little details, but I have serious questions, like why Kaina's village is so depopulated, or how they lasted so long above the canopy in the first place. Those are sizable questions, and ones I'd be comfortable assuming would be answered as the story goes on, but...this is Nihei we're talking about, who asks you to just accept that his worlds are the way they are, and for something on this grand a scope, that feels like kind of a big ask. At some point I'll likely give volume 2 a go, but it'll likely be awhile.

[Enairolf · Rating 4 out of 5]

J’ai ce premier tome qui traîne depuis un petit moment dans ma PAL. Il était temps de le sortir et découvrir cette histoire. Au vue du résumé, j’étais très curieuse de me plonger dans cette lecture. J’ai passé un très bon moment et je ressors de cette lecture avec énormément de questions en tête et surtout, avec l’envie d’avoir la suite entre les mains. C’est un premier tome qui nous met l’eau à la bouche, qui se dévore en un rien de temps et surtout, qui nous donne très envie de découvrir ce que la suite nous réserve!

Dans ce premier tome, au-dessus d’un monde où les terres ont été englouties par les neiges, le jeune Kaina mène une vie frugale sur la Canopée, une membrane qui relie les cimes des colossaux arbres orbitaux, avec quelques autres rescapés de l’humanité. Mais sa rencontre avec une mystérieuse fille originaire de la mer Blanche, l’immense étendue de neige qui recouvre le monde d’en bas qu’on pensait inhabité, va l’entraîner dans une épopée cruciale pour le genre humain…

Ce que j’ai le plus aimé dans ce manga c’est l’univers que les mangakas ont crées. Il est super original et surtout il est hyper mystérieux. Je suis ressortie de ma lecture avec des questions plein la tête. J’ai vraiment apprécié cette part de mystère. C’est très intrigant le monde dans lequel ces personnages évoluent. Entre la mer blanche, le fait que ce soit le dernier village, qu’il n’y a que des vieilles personnes exceptés Kaina, ces bestioles, ces trous, enfin bref, chaque chose que l’on voit nous amène à nous poser des questions. Je crois que pour le coups, je ne me suis jamais autant posée de questions qu’ici. J’ai beaucoup aimé le personnage de Kaina, j’ai hâte de le découvrir un peu plus en tout cas. J’ai beaucoup aimé aussi celui de Ririha, ça donne envie de la connaître encore plus, surtout que ses origines viennent semer encore plus de questionnement dans notre tête.. Je suis vraiment curieuse de découvrir la suite en tout cas!

C’est un premier tome très prenant et très intrigant que l’on a ici pour le coup. C’est très rapide à lire, l’univers crée m’a vraiment impressionné, l’intrigue est très intéressante également et les personnages le sont tout autant. Je me pose beaucoup de questions et surtout, je me demande ce qu’il va bien pouvoir se passer par la suite. Pour le coup, c’es très addictif parce que l’on veut tout savoir à propos de ce monde plus que mystérieux!

[Liz (Quirky Cat) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Summary:

Kaina and his people do a decent job of surviving high in the trees, seeking out some sort of life in this dying world. Naturally, they’re not all that used to visitors, believing themselves some of the last survivors.

When a visitor does arrive, much to their surprise, Kaina and his people quickly learn how wrong their assumptions are. Not only are there other survivors, but they’ve found a safe place to live.

Review:

I wanted to love Kaina of the Great Snow Sea Vol. 1. The title and cover made it look like this story would be my ally. While I agree it has a lot of potential, it failed to suck me in before I finished the first volume.

The premise is compelling - a small, isolated village doing everything possible to survive. They have every reason to assume they’re the last surviving village, so imagine their surprise to learn that there’s at least one other. Cool, right?

It’s definitely a problem with execution, not premise. The world didn’t feel all that fleshed out despite telling us the stakes (again and again). Likewise, I didn’t feel all that attached to any of the characters, including the titular character.

Overall, I’d say that Kaina of the Great Snow Sea Vol. 1 was worth the read, but it is not a series I’ll be continuing. Great concept and potential but slightly disappointing results.

Highlights:
Fantasy & Sci-Fi
Action Manga
Dying World

Will I continue the series? Nah

You Can Also Find Me On:
Quirky Cat's Fat Stacks | Quirky Cat's Comics | Monkeys Fighting Robots | Storygraph | Bookhype | Bookstagram | Twitter | Tumblr | Reedsy

[lauras_garden_of_books · Rating 5 out of 5]

Worum gehts?
Die Welt ist von einer einzigen Schneedecke bedeckt. Kaina lebt mit einer Gruppe von Menschen oberhalb der Himmelsmembran in den Ästen der Orbitalbäume. Früher gab es mehrere Dörfer, doch das ist lange her und sie sind fest davon überzeugt, dass sie die letzten verbliebenen Menschen auf der Welt sind. Kaina jedoch fragt sich, ob dem wirklich so ist und ob es nicht doch Menschen in der Schneelandschaft geben könnte. Wenn er auf die Jagd geht, hält er immer Ausschau und entdeckt unten im Schnee ein mysteriöses Licht, das er nicht zu deuten weiß. Eines Tages rettet er ein Mädchen namens Liliha und es stellt sich heraus, dass es im Schneemeer durchaus noch andere Menschen und Städte gibt - doch es herrscht Krieg - ein Krieg um Ressourcen und letztendlich das Überleben. Werden Kaina und Liliha sich zusammentun und was können sie gemeinsam ausrichten?

Meine Meinung:
Mir hat dieser Auftaktband ausgesprochen gut gefallen und ich will unbedingt weiterlesen! Die Zeichnungen sind minimalistisch und in blassen Tönen gehalten, was super zum ganzen Setting passt. Neben den Textpassagen wird auch sehr viel ausschließlich über die Bilder vermittelt und kommt der Manga teilweise auch mit wenig Text aus. Ich mag das total und finde es entspannend, die Bilder auf mich wirken zu lassen und meine eigenen Schlüsse daraus zu ziehen. Kaina und Liliha als Hauptprotagonisten haben mir auf Anhieb gut gefallen; es sind vielversprechende Charaktere, die ich weiter kennenlernen möchte. Die Handlung entwickelt sich eher langsam, was mir ebenfalls sehr gut gefallen hat - denn wir schauen uns erstmal um, gehen auf Entdeckungsreise und müssen herausfinden, was es mit dieser Welt auf sich hat. Ich liebe sowas, das ist genau meins 🥰
Wenn du sowas auch magst, kann ich dir den Manga absolut empfehlen 👌

[Yakira Goldsberry · Rating 5 out of 5]

I had no idea this manga was already an anime before I requested to read it, so I had no preconceived notions as I dove into the story. Kaina of the Great Snow Sea is a simple story, one we’ve seen a few times before. A dying population, isolated and alone, thinking they’re the last of their kind, only for a new mysterious stranger to arrive. It reminded me of Children of the Whales, and Snowball Earth, mostly because of it being winter and I read that one recently. But I’m a sucker for these kinds of plotlines so I dove right in and thoroughly enjoyed every second of it.
Kaina’s small community of elderly are heartwarming, and while I didn’t get much of a read on Kaina himself, I’m hoping that his character fleshes out in further volumes. I did enjoy how unique the world was, and all the interesting monsters. I do have to wonder though, with these sorts of stories, how they manage to supplement their diets since they always only ever eat meat due to it being snowy and all.
I did rather like the art’s sketchy style, which is very similar to Yoshitoki Oima’s style. It gives a nice feel of being windswept in these cold climates. This volume is a nice little introduction to the upcoming story, though I felt it was a little too short. We hardly get any sort of read on the princess or her people, and it feels more like the first ten minutes of a film than anything. But that will just make me want to read the next one!
Overall, I found Kaina of the Great Snow Sea vol. 1 to be an intriguing introduction to what I’m sure is a great series, perfect for fans of Studio Ghibli’s Nausicaa, Children of the Whales, and To Your Eternity.
NOTE: I received a complimentary copy from the author for review purposes only. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

[Kim · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm a Tsutomu Nihei-phile so I couldn't wait to check this out. While his works generally favor style over substance, I love his style, so I'm generally hooked. This series is a manga adaptation of an original work anime, and the artist isn't Nihei himself, but I was still happy with the first volume so far.

The story felt similar to how Children of the Whales started - a post apocalypse wasteland (desert in Children, ice in Kaina) with an isolated society of people, limited supplies, legends and mysterious technology or artifacts from the past, etc. But soon, something happens and the MC(s) learn more about the world around them. I've read complaints that the anime doesn't answer many questions, and maybe the same thing will be true for the manga, but I was definitely hooked with the mystery of the world and the world building in general. Kaina and Ririha explore the wasteland, climbing and descending the orbital spire trees, on their epic adventure. Looking forward to seeing what happens next.

I was the most wary of how the art would turn out, given I love Nihei's style so much and he wasn't the mangaka on this series. But the artist does manage to capture Nihei's style very well, albeit not quite as detailed and rich as his usual background art. There's a few violent scenes where people get shot that look quite bad, sort of like a sketchy spray of blood that seems crude in comparison.

Overall, a compelling mystery and I look forward to reading volume 2.

Thanks to Netgalley and Kodansha for the opportunity to review this ARC.

[Lexa Riffe · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a Scifi/Fantasy of a story of two worlds that look to each other for their salvation.
First we meet Kaina, last young person in the village in the canopy ("the above"). We are then introduced to the Princess from the surface ("the below" ) they both come to realize that there is more to their own world and the others than they previously realized. Where both are suffering in some way, the other has things that they need to survive.

When the princess asks Kania for help they start their journey to the great snow sea where the princess kingdom is in danger from the neighboring kingdom.

When an unfortunate event occurs Kaina is now in tow with a new travel partner, a Prince. The two of them are on a rescue mission.

I will state i don't think this is for everyone. I truly did enjoy this but be aware there is Violence and Killing in the name of survival. If you enjoy dystopia adventures this will be right up your alley.

When it comes to the actual art in the book, i do wish there was more contrast and a bit more detail , i read ALOT of manga so im used to the lack of color in artwork but the detail was a tad lacking, HOWEVER with that being said, im not sure if that is done intentionally for this volume or if it will be like this throughout.

The world building is top notch. The character development is there and seems like it is progressing. I will read volume two and really do see the potential for such a great story to keep developing.


Thank you NetGalley and Kodansha Comics | Vertical Comics
#KainaoftheGreatSnowSea1 #NetGalley

[Katelin Campbell · Rating 3 out of 5]

I picked this up because Nausicaa is my favorite manga and this is said to have Nausicaa influence. I definitely see where Nihei pulled from Nausicaa in the post-apocalyptic world, especially with the giant insects and special gear needed to go out on the Canopy. Unlike Nausicaa, however, this was a miss for me.

Kaina is our MC who lives in the last remaining village on the Canopy. He's also the only young person left. Every other village died out due to lack of water, and this village faces extinction. We don't get a lot of worldbuilding before a second MC is introduced, Ririha. She's from a small nation in the Snow Sea and is looking for the Great Sage to save her home from an invading nation. When she discovers this sage does not live on the Canopy, she has to return home with the help of Kaina. Both characters felt very flat and underdeveloped. I feel like the author needed to spend more time on making us invested in their stories before setting them off on their adventure together.

The art is okay. I liked the clothing differences between those living on the Canopy and those living below in the Snow Sea. Unfortunately, everything is very gray, making it look like a bad scan without a lot of contrast. It would look much better if the mangaka chose to use bolder blacks and whites to make the features pop.

Thanks to Netgalley and Kodansha for the ARC.

[E (manga_runner) · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars
Kaina of the Great Snow Sea
I will start off by saying there are points where it reminded me of Gachiakuta or Plunderer- both have worlds where it's believed there is no one living below. Also had a moment where I thought of Eden Zero, where it gives the feeling the villagers force the main character to leave- believing its for their own good. It is a quick read with many panels not having many speech bubbles. So far we know very little about Kaina or Ririha and little about their world. I enjoyed it but felt like there could have been more set up in volume one for the continued series.

In a world with little water and hunting flies for food, Kaina lives on top of the canopy with the last surviving village- who are all elders. These elders worry about Kaina's future on each they are all gone, since there is no one around his age. One day when Kaina was out hunting, a Floater appears carrying 3 individuals. When he investigates there is only one survivor, he saves her and later learns she is looking for the Great Sage to save her people. Unsuccessful with finding the individual, Ririha needs to get back to her people, but there is no way back down to the Great Snow sea from the canopy.

[Ya Boi Be Reading · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 rounded down because just like some manga adaptations of anime originals you really should just watch the original anime. So many anime original manga adaptations just end up being meh. This is just like that. I've only seen the first few episodes of Kaina and comparing it to this I would just recommend the anime. It adapts it 1:1 which is a decent way to go for a manga adaptation of an anime original. But a couple of shots don't translate to the static nature of manga compared to the in-motion nature of the original and Itoe Takamoto doesn't change anything. The shots themself feel taken from the anime. Again, this is a very faithful adaptation but so faithful it doesn't take into account the nature of the medium it's in. The story told here is good. It has solid bones and is just as good as the first two episodes which is roughly what this covers iirc. Although the story really ramps up after this leading to this first volume feeling rather bland and uninteresting. The world is massively expanded and explained after the episodes this volume covers which only makes this more of a lackluster first volume.
The art is ok. It's heavy on grays and blank whites presumably to match the feel and aesthetic . But it also ends up making too many panels hard to read. Itoe also has action that can be hard to read or understand which doesn't help either.

[Siina · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoy Nihei's stories a lot, I love his darkness and stagnant story telling. Kaina of the Great Snow Sea is an interesting fantasy manga about two worlds, the one below and the one above. Kaina is a young guy living above the canopy, but food is scarce and the people of his village are old except himself. He keeps thinking there needs to be people down below too and there sure is. At the base of the giant tree lives others, but the lack of water is a problem and thus wars. The snow sea makes things difficult. The setting is somewhat like Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind, but more depressing in many ways. I do like eco-catastrophe series. The people down below need help, but how to get there? I happen to like the fact that Nihei hardly ever explains anything and this is the case now too - I keep wanting to read what happens even if I won't understand it.

The art is good, it works well with the story line and the expressionless faces are great. This is lighter than what Nihei normally does, but it's interesting, since this can go anywhere plot-wise. There are three books now, so the series is relatively new. Let's see where this is going!

[Off Service Book Recs · Rating 2 out of 5]

Thank you to NetGalley and Itoe Takemoto for an Advanced Reader's Copy of this title!

I was really drawn to the premise of "Kaina of the Great Snow Sea", which gave the vibes of a post-apocalyptic survival setting, with two distinct worlds, resource conflict, and warring between rival kingdoms. While these themes were represented in the first volume, I don't think that they have been presented in a way that is compelling enough for me to seek out the second volume. I think the art style is beautiful and the premise has the potential to be very interesting, but the presentation of characters and conflict so far has not played into something that compels me to ask more.

On further investigation, it seems that this series was an 11-episode anime and movie first, then was adapted into a manga in the last year. I would definitely give the anime/movie a try to see how the manga holds up as a comparison, as I know sometimes taking a story from one format into another can change how it is presented. I will not likely seek out the second volume of this manga without first watching the show.

[✧ Beanie Reads ✧ · Rating 2 out of 5]

Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for this digital ARC!

Not gonna lie. I loved the art for the people, but... I never understood what was going on. I kept waiting for the world building to start making sense, but it just didn't. I think it has a lot to do with the sort of "white room" going on with the art. Almost literally. There was sooooo much white everywhere. I get it's a snow environment, but I just couldn't figure out what was what. There was apparently an above and below the snow sea, but there were just so many *things* that just seemed to be doing stuff. It could be bad execution on the backgrounds, or it could be bad world building. I'm honestly not sure.

The story itself isn't bad. It's actually decently interesting. I probably would read more of this as it was updating on, say, my shounen jump app, but that's only if I could really understand what's going on with the world outside the base plot.

So yeah, it's not for me. Hopefully others can understand what I cannot.

[Zoe · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thank you so much for Netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to review! I am always looking for new stories to devour in visual format and this manga was a nice surprise!
While I did enjoy reading this story the reason I give it 3 stars is because 1: it is being compared to Nausicaa my all time favorite manga and Ghibli movie (so basically a bar no one can reach),
2: the first novel is very introductory where you only just scratch the service of who our main characters are, and what the world is.
We follow a boy living "top side" in a very small community. A princess living at the bottom being threatened by a neighbouring kingdom. And both societies are threatened by the environment. This is very much an environmental driven story where the world is in turmoil struggling with water decline and fighting to survive due to the Great Snow Sea. While definitly interesting and relevant in today's climate change I am not sure this is a series I want to continue as I really would prefer rereading Nausicaa for now.

[Ije the Devourer of Books · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kaina lives in a snowy world on top of a canopy that spreads across the trees. He often wonders if there are other people beyond the canopy as he struggles to take care of the aging villagers around him.

Then one day he finds an injured young woman in a airborne contraption and suddenly he and the villagers realise that they are not alone in their world, but the young girl talks of her own home underneath the canopy which is beset by invaders, and Kaina realises that this is his chance to be involved in something bigger than his own village and something that could change his way of life forever.

I thought this was a great first volume. I wasn’t keen on some of the artwork because it was slightly confusing but I definitely want to read the next volume! Lots of excitement for the story ahead.

[CharlyyGentlePhoenix · Rating 4 out of 5]

Au plus profond des mondes post-apocalyptiques enneigés, avec une bonne dose de SF/Fantasy. Un groupe de survivants fait comme il peut… Avec une pointe d’humour… Une princesse débarque et combat les créatures démoniaques inévitables avec sa garde.

Elle est la seule survivante et se retrouve sur la « canopé » avec « Kaina » elle raconte que son peuple par delà la mer blanche est en voie d’extinction car victime de nombreuses attaques. Et elle doit leur porter secours…

La princesse aimerait y retourner mais elle doit chercher un moyen.

En attendant, elle profite de l’hospitalité des gens de la Canopé.

Le truc est un page turner et les dessins sont très simples, très efficaces.

« Kaina » nous offre tout un univers unique et singulier. Sans jamais nous noyer dans des détails inutiles.

Phoenix

++

[Mystic KT · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the first full on sci-fi manga that I have read which was interesting as the themes that I am used to in a full novel can be interpreted in a different media. I liked some of the aspects of the art style however I am a fan of some colour in manga as this helps me to visualise the story better, I enjoyed the message of the two different races and how they think that they are the only ones on aa planet and when Liliha find her self in the canopy lands with Kaina they both find out how wrong they are. I think this volume did a good job of setting up the world and allowed us to get to know the characters and start to see where this is going to go. I will be continuing with this series and can not wait until the next volume comes out.

A great start to a new manga series.