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VS Aliens
Kitaro must unravel a mystery between the two cutest girls in school. One claims the other is an alien! Is Sana Sakuma really a secret visitor from outer space or is this some elaborate prank? The mystery spirals in and out, back and forth, keeping you guessing until the very end. Do you want to believe?
- GenresManga
174 pages, Kindle Edition
First published November 14, 2011
19 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews
July 17, 2016
I found this manga randomly at the library and I'm glad I picked it up because it was so ridiculously cute. It's definitely not "the best story ever" or anything life changing, but sometimes you just need something fun and easy to read. I'm in a reading slump and this has definitely helped. There kind of isn't much of a plot and what happens is so hilariously ridiculous, but the characters and the relationships are adorable. I really, really loved this and I wish there was more. The art was so cute too.
November 9, 2014
Highschooler Kitaro is approached by his frantic classmate Aya with some startling news - the prettiest girl in school, Sana, is an alien!! Once Aya, the only one who can see the aliens, witnesses the beginning of an alien invasion, the three go on the run - but the greys know about Aya’s ability and the chase is on!
Vs Aliens is a farce, as in the dramatic genre use of the word, though you only realise this once it gets to the end. Up until then, Yu Suzuki keeps you guessing, throwing curveball after curveball at you. Are the aliens real? Is Sana an alien - is Aya, or Kitaro? Is it all made up - if so, why? Etc.
Suzuki’s art is a very generic manga style, and the writing and plotting is fairly simplistic which tells me its probably aimed at teen readers - one of the themes is teenage crushes. This is also the kind of book where the journey makes up for the end, because you’re invested in the story and you genuinely don’t know how things’ll turn out but when you see what it was all building up to - in essence, a super lame punchline - you’ll be surprised at how ridiculous it all is.
The overall lightness of the story brings down the book but it’s definitely an enjoyable read whose mystery holds the attention all the way through. Vs Aliens isn’t the deepest or most memorable of mangas, but it’s a fun, quick read for all ages.
Vs Aliens is a farce, as in the dramatic genre use of the word, though you only realise this once it gets to the end. Up until then, Yu Suzuki keeps you guessing, throwing curveball after curveball at you. Are the aliens real? Is Sana an alien - is Aya, or Kitaro? Is it all made up - if so, why? Etc.
Suzuki’s art is a very generic manga style, and the writing and plotting is fairly simplistic which tells me its probably aimed at teen readers - one of the themes is teenage crushes. This is also the kind of book where the journey makes up for the end, because you’re invested in the story and you genuinely don’t know how things’ll turn out but when you see what it was all building up to - in essence, a super lame punchline - you’ll be surprised at how ridiculous it all is.
The overall lightness of the story brings down the book but it’s definitely an enjoyable read whose mystery holds the attention all the way through. Vs Aliens isn’t the deepest or most memorable of mangas, but it’s a fun, quick read for all ages.
November 30, 2014
3.5
What do you do when the prettiest girl in your 8th grade class might be an alien. Well you look for invasions and other nefarious shadows. Even if your not sure you believe.
8th grade is very complicated when one girl may be and alien one girl thinks she see’s aliens and one boy, Kitaro, is stuck in the middle of them both. Then their class thinks they are all having some kind of mating dance three-way. Are they all crazy ? Perhaps, but then it gets worse, the possible alien’s mother disappears and leaves a note to run. The mystery deepens into something darker and maybe dangerous or something else ?
I was caught up in this story I could not stop reading. Great expressive illustrations, clear easy to follow dialog and and very interesting fun story line. I am a fan of this book.
What do you do when the prettiest girl in your 8th grade class might be an alien. Well you look for invasions and other nefarious shadows. Even if your not sure you believe.
8th grade is very complicated when one girl may be and alien one girl thinks she see’s aliens and one boy, Kitaro, is stuck in the middle of them both. Then their class thinks they are all having some kind of mating dance three-way. Are they all crazy ? Perhaps, but then it gets worse, the possible alien’s mother disappears and leaves a note to run. The mystery deepens into something darker and maybe dangerous or something else ?
I was caught up in this story I could not stop reading. Great expressive illustrations, clear easy to follow dialog and and very interesting fun story line. I am a fan of this book.
November 15, 2014
Oh my gosh, on a cuteness scale of 1 to 10, VS Aliens would be about 11! I really, truly loved it! It's not the most magnificent manga out there, but it was definitely worth my time.
I don't want to give any spoilers, because once you read the description, you'll be hooked. You are dying to find out whether Sana Sakuma is really an alien, if she is dangerous or not, if reality is or is not what it looks like, etc. Some people might not appreciate it, but I thought that the mind-fuck games this manga played with my head were AWESOME! It grew in intensity just like it was supposed to, the feeling of uncertainty is present until the very end and.. well... I loved that so much! It felt like watching a thriller film or reading a thriller book.
The art was pretty simplistic, but it went really well with the story. Just the essential emotions, essential gestures, not too much embellishing: perfect! And then was the character-building. I really liked the characters, but the manga was too short to get attached to any of them. However, I did like Sana Sakuma's personality, and her loyalty to her friend, Aya. It's a friendship lesson right there, guys! The guy didn't leave much of an impression on me, but he was standard cute and loveable.
All in all, I really liked this manga, story and characters and all, and I wish it had been longer. If I recommend it? HELL YEAH!
I don't want to give any spoilers, because once you read the description, you'll be hooked. You are dying to find out whether Sana Sakuma is really an alien, if she is dangerous or not, if reality is or is not what it looks like, etc. Some people might not appreciate it, but I thought that the mind-fuck games this manga played with my head were AWESOME! It grew in intensity just like it was supposed to, the feeling of uncertainty is present until the very end and.. well... I loved that so much! It felt like watching a thriller film or reading a thriller book.
The art was pretty simplistic, but it went really well with the story. Just the essential emotions, essential gestures, not too much embellishing: perfect! And then was the character-building. I really liked the characters, but the manga was too short to get attached to any of them. However, I did like Sana Sakuma's personality, and her loyalty to her friend, Aya. It's a friendship lesson right there, guys! The guy didn't leave much of an impression on me, but he was standard cute and loveable.
All in all, I really liked this manga, story and characters and all, and I wish it had been longer. If I recommend it? HELL YEAH!
March 31, 2023
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. The art was adequate, not great, but served the story well. The story captured my attention; it was difficult to put down. The ending fit the story. I do not understand the low Goodreads rating!
August 25, 2017
Still as phenomenal as the first time I read it.
March 26, 2024
fun and cute. very silly. we can all aspire to be a friend so dedicated we invent aliens to try to help our buddy confess to her crush
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 10, 2017
When Kitaro is approached by Segawa, she claims their class mate Sakuma is an alien. Kitaro struggles to make sense of her claim - but even more so when Sakuma supports the claim. Both appear sincere, so Kitaro must find out whether or not they are lying to him, and if so - why?
This was actually a lot more fun than I expected it to be. It is quite overly silly and comedic but in a good way. The characters are rather stereotypical but I do not mind that so much with short volumes. I think character development certainly is not this book's main concern!
The art is - technically - gorgeous. It is lovely to look at and yet - it is so sloppy! Many of the pages seem as though they are pencil sketches (I still think they are). Don't get me wrong - it is quite tidy and still nice to look at. But it could be so much better if the artist would have invested more time in completing the pages properly!
Honestly, I don't actually know whether this is a Japanese or Western manga. Style and plot seem more on the same level with Japanese ones - but I can't find any information about their being any Japanese releases for this book. The author's name does appear to be Japanese but, for all I know, it could be a pen name.
Something also went wrong with the formatting; the cover is in Japanese reading order but the pages on the inside are in Western order. In other words, the cover opens up to the end of the book and you read in Japanese panel order but flip the pages like in a Western book - it was rather confusing!
If you are able to ignore some of the less optimal things about this book (sketchy art, wrong formatting) then you can actually have quite a fun time while reading this! And it does manage to have a nice mystery build up until the very end. Certainly not the most predictable one-shot out there!
October 14, 2012
"There's an alien in the next class over. Can you do something about it?"
Thus begins Kitaro's involvement in a series of strange events. He's never met his classmate Aya before, but she wants his help in figuring out why another classmate (Sana) suddenly looks like an alien to her.
This is a stand alone volume and contains the entire manga. It's a quick read and mostly a light story with mystery elements and the question of Sana's origin looming throughout. The art is good and the style, while on the simple side, fits. While nothing revolutionary Vs Aliens is a fun little story I liked quite a bit.
** Printing Note: This story is published in Japanese (Right-to-Left) style. I normally don't mention this in reviews, but there's a slight problem here - the cover is on "backwards" (if you open the front cover you see the title page; if you open the back cover you see the title page and begin the story). In addition to being confusing, this means the book is bound on the wrong side of the page, and you flip pages like a L-to-R book while reading the pages R-to-L.
I adjusted quickly and only noticed a single two-page spread in the book (and one page of that was mostly speech bubble) so this didn't really affect my enjoyment and given the otherwise high production quality I'm not docking the rating for this snafu. Felt it was worth mentioning though just in case all copies are like this. **
Thus begins Kitaro's involvement in a series of strange events. He's never met his classmate Aya before, but she wants his help in figuring out why another classmate (Sana) suddenly looks like an alien to her.
This is a stand alone volume and contains the entire manga. It's a quick read and mostly a light story with mystery elements and the question of Sana's origin looming throughout. The art is good and the style, while on the simple side, fits. While nothing revolutionary Vs Aliens is a fun little story I liked quite a bit.
** Printing Note: This story is published in Japanese (Right-to-Left) style. I normally don't mention this in reviews, but there's a slight problem here - the cover is on "backwards" (if you open the front cover you see the title page; if you open the back cover you see the title page and begin the story). In addition to being confusing, this means the book is bound on the wrong side of the page, and you flip pages like a L-to-R book while reading the pages R-to-L.
I adjusted quickly and only noticed a single two-page spread in the book (and one page of that was mostly speech bubble) so this didn't really affect my enjoyment and given the otherwise high production quality I'm not docking the rating for this snafu. Felt it was worth mentioning though just in case all copies are like this. **
November 9, 2014
'Vs Aliens' by Yu Suzuki is a manga story that might be perfect for younger teen readers. It had an interesting mystery and the kind of charm that older readers might be too jaded to enjoy.
Kitaro is approached by a girl named Aya in his school that is convinced another girl is an alien. Kitaro is a bit nervous approaching the supposed alien, Sana, because she is pretty. He also finds himself attracted to Aya, which gets him some teasing from the other boys. But the mystery deepens, and Kitaro, Aya and Sana find themselves on the run. Is it real or a hoax? Will Kitaro be able to help Sana or even tell her he likes her?
It's a cute story that moves along well enough. The story elements involve young crushes. The SF elements are fairly light and it's a light story by the time it's all done.
I received a review copy of this manga from Diamond Book Distributors, Gen Manga Entertainment and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for allowing me to read this fun manga.
Kitaro is approached by a girl named Aya in his school that is convinced another girl is an alien. Kitaro is a bit nervous approaching the supposed alien, Sana, because she is pretty. He also finds himself attracted to Aya, which gets him some teasing from the other boys. But the mystery deepens, and Kitaro, Aya and Sana find themselves on the run. Is it real or a hoax? Will Kitaro be able to help Sana or even tell her he likes her?
It's a cute story that moves along well enough. The story elements involve young crushes. The SF elements are fairly light and it's a light story by the time it's all done.
I received a review copy of this manga from Diamond Book Distributors, Gen Manga Entertainment and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for allowing me to read this fun manga.
December 14, 2014
There's no doubt that this is one of the cutest manga I have read. This is the kind of book you should pick up whenever you're in bad mood or just annoyed by the book you've recently read. It was a funny and light read. That will surely give smile to your face and brighten your day.
Everything about the story would keep you turn the pages and the art was fabulous. It added to the cuteness of the manga and gave more life to the characters. So I had no problem with discerning this certain character from the others. But the only con with this one was the ending. Yes, It was like a fantasy book with a protagonist fighting demons or monsters but it would end up with the character waking and realizing that everything was just a nightmare. Of course the character here wasn't dreaming or whatever but close to the said idea. And also the realization was thrown out easily not giving the readers the chance to guess or think.
But I was serious earlier about this manga uplifting your mood. Still recommended.
Everything about the story would keep you turn the pages and the art was fabulous. It added to the cuteness of the manga and gave more life to the characters. So I had no problem with discerning this certain character from the others. But the only con with this one was the ending. Yes, It was like a fantasy book with a protagonist fighting demons or monsters but it would end up with the character waking and realizing that everything was just a nightmare. Of course the character here wasn't dreaming or whatever but close to the said idea. And also the realization was thrown out easily not giving the readers the chance to guess or think.
But I was serious earlier about this manga uplifting your mood. Still recommended.
January 3, 2015
You might well not take to this story as much as I did, but I found it one of the better, snappier Gen Manga titles. Sure it gets a little silly, but it has a childish charm that will make it readable for everyone, and it has production values that make the story easier to read than some of the other Manga books from this house. When a schoolgirl tells a boy she has never spoken to that she needs his help addressing the fact that one of her colleagues is an alien in disguise, all kinds of Scooby Doo-level spooky nonsense prevails. Even if the story takes you to places you don't want it to, you have to admire the chutzpah and seriousness with which it takes its brisk narrative. I guess that makes it sound like a guilty pleasure, in which case so be it – to me the far more important word in that phrase is the latter.
May 31, 2015
I recently started to get interested in graphic novels and manga (you could say I was looking for a change of scenery). I go through different phases at times and right now I'm really enjoying this one. VS Aliens was a cute story, suitable for all ages. It kept me interested the whole time and the characters were lovely. I found that I spent a lot of time admiring the beautiful drawings! Another thing I also appreciated were the twists and turns toward the end -nicely done. Young girls will definitely love it!
*I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review*
November 7, 2014
I recieved an ARC via Net Galley in exchange for an honest review.
This was a really amusing read. While it's a little extreme and definitely quite weird, I think it has some really good points and it was a nice mystery. The final reveal was a little bit of a push in terms of plot devices and the whole idea made me think "Who would actually do that?" but on a more general side, this was suppose to be funny and it did just that.
It isn't perfect, but I would greatly recommend it to anyone who wants just a light nonsensical and quick read.
This was a really amusing read. While it's a little extreme and definitely quite weird, I think it has some really good points and it was a nice mystery. The final reveal was a little bit of a push in terms of plot devices and the whole idea made me think "Who would actually do that?" but on a more general side, this was suppose to be funny and it did just that.
It isn't perfect, but I would greatly recommend it to anyone who wants just a light nonsensical and quick read.
November 29, 2014
Okay, this is a very cute and entertaining manga. You probably know what to expect from reading the premise - Vs Aliens is an absurd adventure, and if you have low expectations, you’ll probably enjoy it. Toward the end, things get a bit too romancey for my liking, but it’s still a really fun story. Perfect if you’re looking for a light and fluffy manga to keep you busy for an hour or so.
Thank you to NetGalley and Diamond Book Distributors for providing me with a copy of this book in return for an honest review.
Thank you to NetGalley and Diamond Book Distributors for providing me with a copy of this book in return for an honest review.
July 21, 2015
I really liked it for a one shot manga, it opened me up to expanding my views on One-shots instead investing so much time on series manga. It was cute story with a twist to it, and the characters, oh boy the characters are my favorite!!! I just want to Glomp them lol ^_^ I look forward to seeing more of this author in the future.
December 5, 2016
I wasn't impressed with this manga. It felt like a bunch of doujinshi thrown together as an anthology. And, instead of anyone actually being an alien, it was just an elaborate prank among friends. A real letdown.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 10, 2014
Nice and funny manga.
Manga carino e divertente.
THANKS TO NETGALLEY AND DIAMOND BOOK DISTRIBUTORS FOR THE PREVIEW!
Manga carino e divertente.
THANKS TO NETGALLEY AND DIAMOND BOOK DISTRIBUTORS FOR THE PREVIEW!
Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews