【電子版】紅殻のパンドラ(1) 角川コミックス・エース

紅殻のパンドラ [Benikara no Pandora] #1

by Masamune Shirow

【電子版ならではの巻末設定資料が士郎氏自らオールカラー化！】全身を機械化した「全身義体」を持ちながら、天涯孤独な天然少女が初めて心を許したのは…謎めいた美女と、地上最凶の美少女型戦闘アンドロイド！？

Genres: Manga, Yuri, Comics, Science Fiction

178 pages, Kindle Edition

First published March 8, 2013

About the author

Masamune Shirow is an internationally renowned manga

Masanori Ota, better known by his pen name Masamune Shirow (Japanese: 士郎正宗), is a Japanese manga artist renowned for his influential contributions to the cyberpunk genre. Born in Kobe in 1961, he studied oil painting at Osaka University of Arts, where he developed an interest in manga. His early work Black Magic led to the critically acclaimed Appleseed, which won the 1986 Seiun Award for Best Manga. Shirow achieved global recognition with Ghost in the Shell, a groundbreaking manga that inspired multiple anime films and series, a live-action Hollywood adaptation, and numerous video games. His stories are known for blending action with philosophical inquiries into AI, post-human existence, and the ethics of technology. He has collaborated with Production I.G on projects like Ghost Hound and Real Drive. Shirow’s distinctive style and thought-provoking narratives have left a lasting impact on manga, anime, and science fiction worldwide, influencing creators including the Wachowskis of The Matrix fame.

Reviews

[Justin · Rating 4 out of 5]

I went into this series, knowing nothing about it, other than that it's a collaboration between Koshi Rikudou (Excel Saga), and Masamune Shirow (Ghost in the Shell)--both series I really like, but in wildly different genres. For me, reading the announcement about Pandora was like hearing Guillermo Del Toro and Jackie Chan would be working together on a project; their styles are so radically different, but man, wouldn't it be interesting to see what they come up with together? So far, in this mash-up of cyberpunk and off-the-wall comedy, the answer is yes.

The story centers around Nene, a cyborg girl with a fully prosthetic body, who's taking a trip to the island of Cenacle, to visit her aunt. En route, Nene draws the attention of an eccentric scientist named Uzal, and gets roped into helping Uzal save the island from a giant robot that her assistants have unwittingly sent on a rampage. Full-body prosthetics are rare, and Nene's body conveniently lends itself to military-style upgrades. (Need expertise in small arms or camouflage? There's quite literally an app for that.)

Things aren't incredibly deep as of yet, but it's an entertaining enough story, thanks to Rikudou's lively artwork (when he doesn't revert to chibi-fying everything), and Shirow's genuinely funny writing. Pandora is unabashedly fan-servicy at times (particularly in how Nene acquires her special abilities from Uzal's assistant, Clarion), but it's all very tongue-in-cheek, and fairly lighthearted.

Pandora in the Crimson Shell is fluff, but so far, it's entertaining fluff. Reading it brings to mind a slightly more pervy version of Slayers, but in a futuristic setting: it's silly, the characters are fun, and there's enough action in amidst the slapstick to keep things moving at a good pace. Time will tell if the charm has staying power, but right now, this is a fun little series.

[Doc · Rating 4 out of 5]

From the mind of Masamune Shirow (creator of GHost in the Shell) and the artistic styling and humor of Kōshi Rikudō (of Excel Saga fame) comes a Teen rated tale about hopelessly optimistic and rather dense cyborg girl names Nene would love to one day see world peace achieved. In the meantime the super rich and suspicious inventor Uzal Deliah takes an interest in Nene who is traveling to the island city of Cenancle so she can live with her aunt. With the help of Uzal's cherished pet and hopelessly grumpy cyborg Clarion Uzul is able gain Nene's friendship in a very short time.

All seems well in Nene's world when suddenly KAPOW buildings start collapsing and chaos quickly spreads through the streets. Worried about her new friends Nene bravely seeks them out just to find them and they are running toward the danger. Nene comes across a scene where she gets to see Clarion in combat cementing her affectionate views of the only other cyborg she knows that is like her. However in the conflict Clarion is damaged protecting Nene and Uzal offers her a chance to protect the both them by tweaking her cybernetic interface. After a moment of embarrassment Nene finds herself capable of amazing feats...for a very limited time for reasons as Uzal explains.

So that is the beginning of the book and the basic premise of the series it seems which has a very Excel Saga feel which is fine and dandy in my opinion because it helps keep things light even if very dangerous things can potentially harm the protagonists (much like the machine Uzal invented that is going amok. In particular the reporter we see early on (who seems to be an idol as well) tends to end up in situations that put her in danger but she survives. She is practically the reincarnation of Excel Excel so we'll have to see if her luck continues to keep her alive.

So basically even though it is rated Teen this book does have a slightly ecchi feel at times but if you are fine with that sort of things and a goofball sci-fi buddy story then by all means pick this book up and give it a try. You might just find yourself cheering Nene on for World Peace. ;)

My favorite part or rather parts of the book would have to be Clarion's deadpan humor which I couldn't help but chuckle considering how different Nene is and yet Nene adores her. In particular when Nene started giving Clarion nick names and she kept blatantly shooting them down. :)

[DeA · Rating 4 out of 5]

Okay, I wasn't sure what to make of this as the cover is definite fanservice. However, it was a funny start to a series that I'm still trying to decide what to make of. The futuristic concept of humans being augmented into robotic bodies is not a new one but this series takes that and like Ghost in a Shell it creates a case that only an augmented human can handle. I will be picking up the next two volumes from the library so it is worth reading. Recommend for teens and adults. Warning: this graphic novel contains intense fanservice.

[Bentgaidin · Rating 3 out of 5]

This isn't really hitting for me yet, but I'm going to give it a try with future volumes anyway -- the author and artist have a good track record for making stuff I like, and it might just be a pacing thing where it takes a bit to get going. Right now, it's a ditzy-cute cyborg girl fighting robots; hopefully, we'll get to see more of them later.

[Yuiko · Rating 1 out of 5]

I was sorta bored of this. I mean come on I'm sure this girl's parents told her not to talk to strangers and what does she do she trust a complete stranger and goes with her.not very smart if u ask me.

[Hanii Aburame · Rating 3 out of 5]

First off I would like to say I have not read Ghost in the Shell, so I can't compare Pandora and Ghost.

I had not read a manga where the main characters are or interact with robots and the primase sounded interesting so I decided to give it a try. There is enough action and funkiness to keep it interesting. There is a bit of fanservice which I am neutral about, although part of the pull to keep reading is to see how Clarion and Nene's relationship is going to evolve.

To me is a big part of reading manga, and enjoying it, is the art. The characters full body, action scenes and robots are all drawn well, I especially have to praise Nene and Clarions joints and robotic features, they are well drawn and look as if they could be real. My only pet peeve about the art is how the characters are comedically drawn for, comedy and non-comedy scenes. Now I like blank or funny faces, exaggerated limbs and line drawn characters as much as that next otaku, but to me there was too many of them scattered through the entire book, making it seem as if there was no serious contact whatsoever, even though Nene and Clarion are trying to save Cenancle, the island they live on, from blowing up. I know this is a light-hearted and comedic manga, but still, just too much for my taste.

But overall, a decent manga with a good storyline, good comedy and interesting characters for sure.

[[boredom.is.overrated] · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book has a pretty abrupt start and kind of just throws you in headfirst; including the cyberpunk, anti-imperialist, and yuri components.

I should not be surprised, considering it’s Shirow Masamune, but I probably wouldn’t recommend this for everyone.

Being an avid Ghost in the Shell fan, I’m planning to read as much of this as I can get my hands on. (Why is volume 9 so hard to find, btw?)

[アレツクス コツト · Rating 4 out of 5]

It had a slow start as i was a bit lost, but it cleared up after reading more. Its not bad so far. Curious to see where it goes since the GITS creator along with the excel saga creator collabed in this.

[Moriah Venable · Rating 3 out of 5]

Review to come.

[David Doel · Rating 2 out of 5]

Some of the art isn't bad. As far as the story is concerned, it's like two-thirds of the pages are missing. I have no clue what is going on!

[Autumn · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 stars

My fiance bought this Manga a couple months back because of the cover, and the author was the creator of Ghost in the Shell so I kind of had high hopes.

but, there didn't seem much of a story and definitely no back story. I couldn't get into it because they wouldn't explain new words until 5 pages later. nonetheless, Itll look nice on my shelf

[Jack · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was ok. I read the first volume and was interested in the collaboration. I have also watched the first episode or two of the anime. It was only ok also. I just wasn't drawn into the story.