What do you think?
Rate this book
Last Hope Series #1
Last Hope Vol 1
Handsome and mysterious transfer student Hiroto Nakadai arrives at Maunaloa Academy, but he holds a secret far deeper than anyone can guess. Hiroto is actually a prince from another world, on the run from the evil Lord Kumagai and his dimension-hopping foot soldiers. Together with his newfound friends, Hiroto must journey through space and time, into the realms of the imagination, and beyond death itself in order to escape.
But first he’ll have to make it out of high school alive.
192 pages, Paperback
First published May 15, 2005
1 person is currently reading
26 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
June 24, 2021
This book was weird. It falls into the strange trend of works (circa 2000s) that exist as solely an homage to popular anime instead of being good on its own merits. (I'm not bashing Amerimanga here btw, there are some manga that are excellent by Western authors, but they actually try to create a fully fleshed out story of their own. This one doesn't.)
They also went wayyyy too broad with the homage as it was not only an homage to just shonen in general but the whole world hopping plot device is just a thin excuse for the authors to just write a bunch of loosely connected stories from different genres. Dystopian? Check. Mecha? Check. And vol 3 is going to be about Frankenstein. yayy.
It's kind of like they took only the few elements that didn't work for me in Spirit Circle and used generic characters you would find in an Isekai series.
I was on board with this series for the first third of the book. The pacing was good. The characters seemed to have potential. But the moment when Alvin explained his backstory with heavy and unnatural exposition I knew we were in for trouble. And when the action happened, everything was rushed and NOTHING was explained.
One thing I did like about the series was the art style. It was crisp, kind of generic anime style, but it really worked. The artist was fantastic in drawing lineart and crisp body shots- nothing looked wobbly or rushed, everything looked extremely professional, better than some real shonen I've read. I also think that the character designs for Colleen and Hiro were well thought out. Especially Colleen, they really hit a jackpot with her character design imo.
I was also impressed with some of the bolder decisions the books chose. I was NOT expecting there to be any death so I was shocked. It was a great decision as it took the tone away (for a second at least) from being super generic. However, THE boldest, most daring decision was later retconned, which really irritated me. If you're going to go for it, go for it. Don't tease your readers. If we've accepted that something happened, don't take it away.
Overall score:
+1 star for great art, great character design for some characters (not Alvin tho), great paneling
+1 star for showcasing different personalities in the characters and having consistency, dialogue that was just okay but didn't suck at least, a great first third of the book, occasional bold plot decisions
0 stars for literally a billion cliches, having backstories for Hiro and Alvin that were so generic they made me roll my eyes, Tom and Drake were very one-dimensional and it seemed unnecessary to have the two of them
0 stars for generic series setup, no explanation for technology, setup, or some events, and the plot was just an excuse for the writers to write what whatever they wanted to
0 stars for pretending like the characters have deep bonds even though they met THE DAY OF the action, tacked-on crushes or thin romance, and fast pacing with no breaks for character exploration
= 2/5 stars
They also went wayyyy too broad with the homage as it was not only an homage to just shonen in general but the whole world hopping plot device is just a thin excuse for the authors to just write a bunch of loosely connected stories from different genres. Dystopian? Check. Mecha? Check. And vol 3 is going to be about Frankenstein. yayy.
It's kind of like they took only the few elements that didn't work for me in Spirit Circle and used generic characters you would find in an Isekai series.
I was on board with this series for the first third of the book. The pacing was good. The characters seemed to have potential. But the moment when Alvin explained his backstory with heavy and unnatural exposition I knew we were in for trouble. And when the action happened, everything was rushed and NOTHING was explained.
One thing I did like about the series was the art style. It was crisp, kind of generic anime style, but it really worked. The artist was fantastic in drawing lineart and crisp body shots- nothing looked wobbly or rushed, everything looked extremely professional, better than some real shonen I've read. I also think that the character designs for Colleen and Hiro were well thought out. Especially Colleen, they really hit a jackpot with her character design imo.
I was also impressed with some of the bolder decisions the books chose. I was NOT expecting there to be any death so I was shocked. It was a great decision as it took the tone away (for a second at least) from being super generic. However, THE boldest, most daring decision was later retconned, which really irritated me. If you're going to go for it, go for it. Don't tease your readers. If we've accepted that something happened, don't take it away.
Overall score:
+1 star for great art, great character design for some characters (not Alvin tho), great paneling
+1 star for showcasing different personalities in the characters and having consistency, dialogue that was just okay but didn't suck at least, a great first third of the book, occasional bold plot decisions
0 stars for literally a billion cliches, having backstories for Hiro and Alvin that were so generic they made me roll my eyes, Tom and Drake were very one-dimensional and it seemed unnecessary to have the two of them
0 stars for generic series setup, no explanation for technology, setup, or some events, and the plot was just an excuse for the writers to write what whatever they wanted to
0 stars for pretending like the characters have deep bonds even though they met THE DAY OF the action, tacked-on crushes or thin romance, and fast pacing with no breaks for character exploration
= 2/5 stars
August 21, 2019
This story has no chill. It started and ended at 100%
September 27, 2012
I used to dislike manga not created by Japanese manga artists. I ignored any of the spines without Japanese surnames. “Posers,” I found myself scoffing at them, almost like they were real people. Besides the raised eyebrows from bystanders in my local manga store, I riffled through the stacks of manga.
Oddly enough, Last Hope gave me a new hope in the battlefield between Japanese-originated manga and Original English Language (OEL) manga. It had everything I wanted from a manga.
The story stuck in my mind like a happy memory queued to replay . Hiroto Nakadai, the new transfer student to the world-famous Maunaloa Academy, is the center heartthrob for the girls at school, including sweet Ikuko. Unfortunately, Ikuko and best friend Colleen get sucked into Hiroto’s secret: he’s the runaway prince of another dimension with a warrant on his head.
The first volume of Last Hope deals with Hiroto getting sucked into another world as his uncle, Lord Kumagai, pursues him for the world’s throne.
Last Hope delivers something that every aspiring artist should heed. The characters each imbue some type of personality and each persona isn’t only channeled through texts and scenes. Even their clothing choices are reminiscent to the characters’ personalities. Colleen, the tomboy with an Irish accent and a practical rough edge, bounds through the scenes with baggy pants while Ikuko’s school-girl outfit reprises the goody-two-shoes chick from the Teacher’s Pet saga.
Although what most fans are looking for in a manga is something extraordinary, Last Hope is cliché, but cliché in a good way. The formula of a mysterious guy getting everyone else wrapped into his plot is nothing new. As a matter of fact, it’s pretty exhausting. But somehow, Last Hope picks up the baton and runs the race with a smirk that says, “Yes, Hiroto is the cute new guy, and yes, the main characters jump into his story like it’s really their business.”
Not too bad for a manga created outside of Japan.
Oddly enough, Last Hope gave me a new hope in the battlefield between Japanese-originated manga and Original English Language (OEL) manga. It had everything I wanted from a manga.
The story stuck in my mind like a happy memory queued to replay . Hiroto Nakadai, the new transfer student to the world-famous Maunaloa Academy, is the center heartthrob for the girls at school, including sweet Ikuko. Unfortunately, Ikuko and best friend Colleen get sucked into Hiroto’s secret: he’s the runaway prince of another dimension with a warrant on his head.
The first volume of Last Hope deals with Hiroto getting sucked into another world as his uncle, Lord Kumagai, pursues him for the world’s throne.
Last Hope delivers something that every aspiring artist should heed. The characters each imbue some type of personality and each persona isn’t only channeled through texts and scenes. Even their clothing choices are reminiscent to the characters’ personalities. Colleen, the tomboy with an Irish accent and a practical rough edge, bounds through the scenes with baggy pants while Ikuko’s school-girl outfit reprises the goody-two-shoes chick from the Teacher’s Pet saga.
Although what most fans are looking for in a manga is something extraordinary, Last Hope is cliché, but cliché in a good way. The formula of a mysterious guy getting everyone else wrapped into his plot is nothing new. As a matter of fact, it’s pretty exhausting. But somehow, Last Hope picks up the baton and runs the race with a smirk that says, “Yes, Hiroto is the cute new guy, and yes, the main characters jump into his story like it’s really their business.”
Not too bad for a manga created outside of Japan.
September 20, 2015
Last Hope embodies a lot of worn-out cliches - the main character Hiro is dark and mysterious. He's perfect at everything (except geography). He attracts all the girls, including Ikuko, one of the main characters, and once he does, Ikuko and butt-kicking Colleen discover that Hiro is a prince from another dimension hiding from his crazy uncle. Everybody gets dragged into it, and the antics continue from there.
The plot is interesting and the characters are developed. He is much more respectful after Hiro brings them to another dimension; in the beginning, he's a very one-dimensional jerk forcing himself on Colleen. I wish we'd gotten to see more of the dynamic between Hiro and his uncle before Hiro left; readers know nothing about them other than the fact that Uncle Kumagai is framing Hiro for murder.
Artistically-speaking, the drawings were fine. I didn't like how skinny Colleen was - some of the frames left her looking anorexic, and I wasn't sure if this was a plot device or if she was just drawn super skinny. Though I enjoyed this graphic novel well enough, I have yet to search out the second volume; I didn't find it compelling enough to warrant continuing.
The plot is interesting and the characters are developed. He is much more respectful after Hiro brings them to another dimension; in the beginning, he's a very one-dimensional jerk forcing himself on Colleen. I wish we'd gotten to see more of the dynamic between Hiro and his uncle before Hiro left; readers know nothing about them other than the fact that Uncle Kumagai is framing Hiro for murder.
Artistically-speaking, the drawings were fine. I didn't like how skinny Colleen was - some of the frames left her looking anorexic, and I wasn't sure if this was a plot device or if she was just drawn super skinny. Though I enjoyed this graphic novel well enough, I have yet to search out the second volume; I didn't find it compelling enough to warrant continuing.
August 12, 2009
An interesting first part of a story about a prince from another dimension who is on the run from his evil uncle (who has already killed the rest of his family in his attempt to become king). The prince uses some sort of transportation device to end up in our world. He is enrolled in high school trying to get the smartest guy he can find to fix the transportation device when his uncle finds him. He and his friends use the device to escape from his uncle (who is now going to kill them all) and accidentally end up in a world like the one they left, only there are armed guards everywhere. Can they survive and get back home?
Sadly there is only one more volume out (published in 2006) so I'm hoping that the rest of the story is in there, because otherwise it is probably just going to be left hanging.
Sadly there is only one more volume out (published in 2006) so I'm hoping that the rest of the story is in there, because otherwise it is probably just going to be left hanging.
January 20, 2009
Hiroto is a mysterious and handsome transfer student at Maunalao Academy and the object of Ikuyo's crush, something her best friend Colleen will never understand. But when Ikuyo and Colleen eavesdrop on Hiroto talking to underclassman and super-genius Alvin they get involved in something darker than either of them could imagine. Hiroto is in fact a prince from another world and when his uncle Lord Kumagai tracks Hiroto to Earth to kill him, Hiroto, Alvin, Ikuyo, Colleen and her admirers are sucked into an alternate dimension. Will they ever make it home?
So far a pretty good story. I like Colleen as a character but wish she would fight for herself more often. I can't stand soft characters like Ikuyo who let the men have all the fun.
So far a pretty good story. I like Colleen as a character but wish she would fight for herself more often. I can't stand soft characters like Ikuyo who let the men have all the fun.
August 7, 2020
I read this and thought it was really good. I could never find any other volumes, but this one made me wanna search every bookstore I could get to (that sold comics and manga). Sigh. Never found any others, so that was a shame.
October 20, 2008
i liked it alot and i really want to read the next one
May 29, 2009
Cool! A new series!!!
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews