Destroy All Humans. They Can't Be Regenerated. A Magic: The Gathering Manga, Vol. 4

すべての人類を破壊する。それらは再生できない。[Subete no jinrui wo hakai suru. Sorera wa saisei dekinai.] #4

by Takuma Yokota (Illustrator), Katsura Ise

It’s the nineties at Tokiwagi Middle School. And for gamers like Hajime Kano, after the release of Magic: The Gathering, nothing will ever be the same again!

The year is 1998. The prophesied “end of the world” is nipping at the planet’s heels along with the cold winds of winter. After an intense game of Magic with his best friend, Kurushima, Hajime makes a promise with him that he intends to keep—to meet each other at one of the biggest tournaments in Kyoto. However, when Emi gets upset with Hajime at karaoke, he finds himself weathering more than just the icy cold of winter.

Genres: Manga, Romance, Comics, Fiction, Fantasy, Comics Manga, Humor

212 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2020

Reviews

[Anna Quilter]

"I'll treat these cards with care....so you should treat me with a little more care..."

-Emi hits the nail on the head...with the comment to Hajime.

I am enjoying Hajime and Emi a little more than the first few volumes...as they get "closer"

[Jiro Dreams of Suchy]

The visuals for the Magic cards is a really inventive way to show the powers and creatures of Magic (I don’t know that game in anyway outside of cultural osmosis but it looks fun). This would be fun for a passionate fan.

I will never get over the odd cultural ideas about girls in Japan- I’m not going to act like America is doing it right but if a middle schooler was at a college party I know I would say something AND feel uncomfortable. Neon Genesis is the same way- really young girls being treated as adults. I’m a man so I will just assume I’m wrong on this account of America being better but that party scene gave me the ick. Does anyone else feel the same?

[Mark]

Misgivings about dumb boys fighting for the right to date a girl aside, and the resolution to that is better than first suggested, the grudge match between Hajime and Kurushima is just gorgeous and I loved the whole thing.

I’ve commented similarly before, but having this based on an actual game, one that is not imbalanced due to the whims of a media property, makes these matches so much more interesting than waiting for the ultimate move to show up.

With so many cards out there, there’s a slew of possible strategies, even as everybody deals with a new meta that favours one hopelessly overpowered deck. We know it’s going to get banned, but the characters are living through the moment with no small amount of annoyance.

Underneath its veneer of 90’s nostalgia and real-life game, this is a basic story of the guy and the girl coming together. Consequently, if you’re not on its frequency, there’s not a lot new here to sink your teeth into.

But, as I strive to mention each time, this is so adjacent to my nostalgia that it is impossible for me to not enjoy it on some level. When they discuss that Utada Hikaru song being released? I remember downloading it on Napster back when I was in university.

And with the idiotic posturing of boys taking a back seat, it’s time for romantic misunderstandings to crop up when Emi starts getting jealous after she drags Hajime to a group date and he suddenly turns out to be more popular than expected.

This situation isn’t helped by Hajime using some real bad manga boy logic in his response to a very specific question and the two end up in a real rough spot that only the power of Christmas can save, which also leads to another cracking card sequence.

It’s a little by the numbers, but some of the romantic flourishes are kind of nice. The pinky swear is really sweet and the whole Christmas thing is nice. It’s also not impossible to believe these two are into one another.

Emi being a little selfish and then also weaponizing her fan service was a good laugh too. The series gets away with some things by making them actually part of the story and having them not inorganically cropping up (though that also happens).

If you’re not doing something novel with the plot, the next best thing is to make sure the setting is interesting and your characters work together. The setting here is pure dynamite and the characters solid enough for my tastes, so I enjoy it more than some will.

3.5 stars - wish fulfillment? Yes. Delicious nostalgia bomb with some great competition sequences? Also yes. The style of the latter gets this one bumped up to the full four.

[Alex]

Light read but still enjoyable. Heavily leaning into its teenage romance with the framing of 90s nostalgia & MtG, but it is still a fun read.

[Callum Woodward]

Magic is fun but I’m definitely in it more for the love story between the characters.

[Evan Day]

God i love this series so much

[José Manuel]

En realidad agradezco que sean difíciles de conseguir estos mangas, le da un toque de magia nunca mejor dicho. Me siento como cuando pedía a mi padre coleccionar las cintas de la serie de Pokémon, nunca sabia si tendrían la siguiente al llegar al kiosco.
Es una historia súper bonita llena de nostalgia y un amor súper puro y romántico.

[Justin]

These books make me feel so nostalgic. If you have gotten this far into the series I assume you are a magic player. I have been playing for 24 years and I love getting a chance to see the game in its hay day. Where the cards were adventurous and broken and not pushed to oblivion. It also makes me wistful for childhood and a highschool experience I never had. If you're an older person looking to revisit a childhood memory built on a stack of 60 cardboard squares I would suggest this.

[Sel]

De momento voy a dejar parada la saga y decidir más tarde si quiero continuar. Las partidas de Magic han mejorado y se desarrollan más; dibujan y detallan más las propias criaturas de las cartas, y eso queda increíble. Eso sí, sigo teniendo sentimientos encontrados con el romance y las escenas cringe que me sacan totalmente de lo principal.

[Laura ♡]

New character appears? Hm, ok. I'm down for that! But really loved to see a few of my favorite MTG cards shown here~ Swords of Plowshares. Necropotence. Wow, just seeing how they've always been shaking the format since their release.

[ChaosStrolling]

Soooo many cute moment omg, some jealousy happens that ends in cuteness. Not a fan of Emi’s sports outfit because again, they’re in middle school, but thankfully it’s only bad for a couple pages.
Chapters 13-16

[Mirko]

Buono il flashback perpetuo che porta al cliffanger finale, meno buono come descrive gli stessi vista la brevità di questi flashback.

[Chris Mills]

Very nostalgic for me. Reminds me a lot of playing MTG when it came first out and I was in school - playing with friends, juggling homework and beginning to like girls…

[Bill Fish]

It's wonderful and horrible to see someone saying all the wrong things due to fear of rejection, then uncomprehending why their friend is mad at them. Very entertaining.

[eliseinwanderbook]

È sempre carinissimo jkenbev

[Kathleen]

I love how this series is rooted in the media of the late '90s. The in-jokes, references to commercials, timing of new game releases - it's such fun! Like a targeted nostalgia bomb.

[Catdaga Coughlan]

Ganas de más, no me gusta la sexualización, pero me dejó mucho hype el final con el salseo y me gusta que haya mecánicas de magic.
AAAAAA

[Jack King]

The cliffhanger from book 3 was wrapped up very nicely and more characters are getting woven into the story in very interesting ways!

[Katie with a blog]

2.5/5

By far the weirdest one, a grown ass adult should never be inviting two thirteen year olds on a group date.

[Steffany .O (coffee over apples)]

please stop sexualizing the female lead. she is 14 😭

[Wilson]

This book can't be reviewed in detail without spoiling it. Just trust me that this is a key follow-up to the previous volume.