In a world ravaged by human greed and environmental collapse, Little Mushroom An Zhe continues his perilous journey toward survival and identity. He has been living in the human base for some time, learning more about the base, about human laws, and about the goodness and corruption hidden in human hearts. Everything here is foreign to him, but learning human customs is his best chance to stay alive and find his precious spore. Supreme Judge Lu Feng is watching him closely... They say he will kill without hesitation even at the slightest suspicion. But what if the Supreme Judge makes a mistake? After all, the price of such an error could be a single wasted life... or dozens more lost if a monster slips through.
People fear and hate the Supreme Judge. Lu Feng’s green eyes are cold and emotionless, and the hand gripping his gun is steady. An Zhe fears Lu Feng more than anything – just one look into those frosty green eyes says it all: if the Supreme Judge discovers the truth, he will show no mercy.
How many total volumes is this going to be? This one started halfway through chapter 5 of the novel and ends halfway through chapter 7! The entire novel is 49 chapters with an epilogue so…
I know there are three volumes out of the CN version published with vol. 3 English version on the way but does anyone know if the manhua is ongoing or completed? I feel nervous about this one getting completed since there are so many unfinished manhua out there already.
Even in a dystopian world, people seek companionship and even yearn for love. In this second volume of "Little Mushroom" by Yi Shi Si Zhou, the protagonist tries to adapt to life in the human city. His neighbour shows open affection for An Ze, but the little mushroom does not reciprocate, because he is a xenogen and not the original An Ze.
So he ends up working for a doll-maker who specializes in making humanoid dolls, which allows him to live away from home. These dolls are very realistic but still uncanny, because they are lifeless replicas of real people. It is sad that the people who order these dolls are so lonely that they are willing to pay enormous sums in order to own a simulacrum of the person, they love.
While delivering a doll, An Ze meets up with his old neighbour and their mismatched affection continues. Lu Feng then walks in on their awkward scene and misunderstands what is going on and so saves An Ze from what he believes is unwanted attention. Lu Feng even gives An Ze his contact information so that he can call him if the neighbour becomes problematic again. On the surface this is very noble police behaviour but in the light of Lu Feng´s ability to kill people on sight, this situation is highly unusual. It will be interesting to see where this leads in the next volume ...
same as volume 1, i feel like you miss out on some details and emotions of the original story by reading the comic, but it's still pretty faithful and the art is pretty.
“There are people here who despise Lu Feng. But there are also others… who don’t.”
This book is absolutely gorgeous, and so is Hubbard. I’m honestly obsessed with how nice this volume looks and feels. The cover is stunning, the colors are vibrant, and the print quality is just really satisfying to look at in person. It feels like a book you want to keep picking up. My only small gripe is that I wish the hardcover design had a bit more distinction from Volume 1. They look very similar side by side, and I would’ve loved something that made this one stand out more. Still, it’s a beautiful release and I’m really happy to have it physically.
I really love the pacing here. It doesn’t rush through important moments, which is something that usually bothers me with manhua adaptations. Everything has time to settle, and it makes the tension feel more natural. The art style fits the story perfectly too. There’s this soft, almost calm look to it, but there’s always something uneasy underneath. An Zhe is easily the part I keep thinking about the most. He’s living as someone he’s not, and watching him quietly keep that up without breaking is so interesting. He doesn’t panic, he just adapts, and that makes him feel very controlled and distant in a way I actually like. You can also feel that small layer of resentment in him, especially when it comes to Josh. He never explodes, but it’s there, and it makes his reactions feel more real. Lu Feng left a strong impression on me too. Every scene with him feels tense. He’s calm, precise, and a little terrifying, but there’s also this sense that he notices more than he lets on, especially when it comes to An Zhe.
What really stuck with me is how harsh the world feels. Even in places that are supposed to be safe, there’s always this underlying danger. People cope with it in different ways, and you can see that through the side characters. Some are practical, some are desperate, and some just accept things as they are. It makes the setting feel very real and a bit unsettling. I also liked how the story slowly builds a sense of something bigger going on without feeling overwhelming. The only thing that took me out a little were some of the term choices, like “Supreme Judge” being used. It didn’t quite hit the same for me. Aside from that, I genuinely loved this volume. It’s immersive, emotionally quiet in a way I enjoy, and just a really satisfying read from start to finish.
As good as the first volume. I'm glad I've read the whole thing because this ends in a difficult place. I'm looking forward to the next volume that will be out around March.
In the second volume, the Little Mushroom, An Ze, tries to find a job. He’s tricked into a brothel district, but a kind-hearted madam finds him a job with a doll-maker. He makes life-like dolls of real people. Much to An Ze’s dismay, someone orders a doll of Supreme Judge Lu Feng.
An Ze keeps running into Lu Feng who is patrolling the city, killing people affected by mutations. He doesn’t like Lu Feng for this reason, but it may be the supreme judge is the key to finding his missing spore.
An Ze has a personal problem too. His neighbour, Josie, who has been the original An Ze’s friend, keeps pestering him. But An Ze doesn’t like Josie, because he left An Ze to die in the abyss. The second volume ends with Josie harassing An Ze, just as Lu Feng is on patrol in the neighbourhood.
Art was as gorgeous as in the first volume. There was maybe a bit more text than in the first, and even if some details are likely lost in adaptation, the story worked very well. The wait for the next volume is long…
мне понравилось! цвета рисунков очень подходят к теме рассказа и сами рисунки прекрасные. история то интересная, то грустная, то веселая. только хотелось бы увидеть побольше женских героев. жаль, а так, прочитав этот выпуск снова захотелось прочитать оригинал~
Loved it. Now I'm sad that the manhua likely won't cover the full story - I heard a while back that they might've been replacing the artist because she was getting a fair amount of criticism from readers. Which is absurd, because these really are gorgeous renditions of the story.
There are still gaps, of course, where I'm not sure manhua-first readers would grasp the full scope of what's happening in some pretty tumultuous scenes. But the settings are stunning - bleak and frightening but full of wonder for a little mushroom who just wants to find a job so he can eat potato soup in peace.
Without Lu Feng following him around and frightening him, which happens for a good portion of this volume.
I love how the humor is mixed in; even though Lu Feng is a terrifyingly powerful military official who holds An Zhe's life in his hands, the sense comes across clearly (to the reader, if not to An Zhe just yet) that he's teasing him more than threatening him. If An Zhe was truly in danger, he'd be dead already. Which is part of the moral dilemma that you have to struggle with in this narrative.
The protesters' anger makes sense. To them, Lu Feng is killing indiscriminately, without proof. Why won't the government fund thorough testing of suspected individuals, or at least allow wealthier families to pay for it? How does anyone know for sure that Lu Feng is correctly identifying the infected? How does one man hold so much power?
And yet: there are some, like Doussay, who see him as a savior, because he protects the rest of them. Until...well, until they become the ones he's protecting others from.
But Lu Feng hesitated with An Zhe, because while he instantly recognized something different and nonhuman about him, the typical signs of infection weren't there. He could've eliminated the possible threat without further thought, like the anti-Judge faction believes he always does, but he took him to get tested instead, and is simply watching him with increasingly puzzled interest now.
What is An Zhe? Why does he seem so gentle and innocent, yet he works in the most depraved part of the city, and carries a military bullet casing around with him, and does deeply suspicious things like dragging a heavy box across the city late at night, when the area is still feeling the shockwaves of an infection that took 73 lives because Lu Feng hadn't been at the gates to identify and eliminate the initial threat.
Lu Feng is doing his job, but he's also interested in An Zhe, which becomes such a fascinating dynamic. I just really love this story, and the art is gorgeous once again.
I LITERALLY BINGE vol 1 & vol 2, cuz OH MY GODDDDDD the story had me on choke hold from the beginning, is just is SO GOOD that once u start reading it u cant put the book down! and THE ART STYLE?? INSANEEEEEEEEE THIS IS ONE OF THE MOST BEAUTIFUL BREATHTAKING "SHOULD BE IN A MUSEUM" TYPE OF ART STYLE!!! i was SPEECHLESS in how high quality the story and artstyle is, i 1000000% recommend you to get yourself a physical copy from alohacomics, u wont regret! 😭💯💯❤️🔥👏🏻👏🏻
i pre-ordered vol 1 & 2, and THE WAY vol 2 ends, I'm literally gonna go and pre-order vol 3 after i post this review 🧍just 🤌👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻🔥🔥🔥
4.5 Definitely enjoyed more than volume 1. Again, the art style was so wonderful, and it was a lot less visually dark (think LOTR movies rather than more recent Marvel movies) thankfully.
An Zhe is such a cutie and I love him so much and the art really brings it out. Still, 100% want to reread the novels.
This is my least favorite arc from the novel, but the artwork was gorgeous. And even if the plot arc is my least favorite, it’s still an amazing story.
I do find it odd that the novel translated a name as “Josh” but here that character’s name is “Josie”.
“There’s no real difference between the human base and the abyss.”
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Was a little slow than first one but we are starting to understand about An Zhe and his life before, and how he now navigates. It also just shows how quickly things happen, for note don’t get attached to side characters lol, also that ending! Now I definitely can’t wait for volume 3!
Another wonderful volume of this gorgeous manhua adaptation. There's a lot more of Lu Feng's interest in An Zhe and the adorable chibis. Looking forward to volume 3!
If you haven't picked up the novel this is adapting, I would highly recommend it, as it's absolutely amazing and also complete.
finally got around to reading this and i’m so upset i didn’t start it sooner. an zhe is a mushroom and lu feng is so fine it disturbs me. imma need dat. anyway, i finally get the little mushroom fandom and will spiral down a rabbit hole.