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Black Bullet Light Novels #1
Black Bullet, Vol. 1: Those Who Would Be Gods
The future--where a terrible battle against a parasitic virus called "Gastrea" has been fought, and lost. Humanity is cornered, and lives in despair. Rentaro and Enju face constant danger in their work as a team anti-Gastrea specialists known as "Civil Security." If the daily fight against oblivion weren't enough, they'll soon face a threat that could destroy all of Tokyo...
232 pages, Paperback
First published July 8, 2011
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Displaying 1 - 27 of 27 reviews
February 14, 2016
Sometimes while reading a book life will happen and time will pass before you can pick the book back up, but sometimes so much time passes it's hard to recall everything you've read. Sometimes it's so blurry you find yourself putting the book down frequently knowing you kind of enjoyed it but not sure why. Basically life happened while I was reading this book and I put it down numerous times and am no longer clear about some events that happen.
Moving on.
Black Bullet really impressed me. Unlike other first vols of light novel series the writing is stronger, and the artwork is gorgeous. The detail shown on the character's hair was just beautiful. But despite the strongish writing I had some problems, and I'll admit I might be being overly sensitive.
Here are some points that left an impression on me:
- The characters aren't developed, there are some hints of their pasts and motivations, but I never really learned anything real about them. The only character I ended up caring about was Kayo Senju, I feel like I learned more about her than any of the main characters.
- Enju. Typical japanese loli in love with the main character despite being ten and constantly tries to seduce him. Sometimes I wish Japan would lay off the lolis and just let little girls be children.
- Rentaro is extremely emotional and seriously weak, which isn't a bad thing, but he's so predictable in his actions. He's also
- According to baka-updates Black Bullet is not a harem, so while Rentaro is surrounded by girls, other than Enju no one seems to be in love with him so yay!
- Pages 129 and 130 made me snigger they were so silly. This book is supposed to be dark, considering the world these characters live in, but it all felt so cheesy. I couldn’t take the characters seriously.
- Then there was this:
Final Rating: I liked this but the weak character development and overall cheesiness of parts of the book really made it hard to care or take this book seriously. Hopefully book two will flesh out the characters more, and maybe I’ll be less sensitive too.
Moving on.
Black Bullet really impressed me. Unlike other first vols of light novel series the writing is stronger, and the artwork is gorgeous. The detail shown on the character's hair was just beautiful. But despite the strongish writing I had some problems, and I'll admit I might be being overly sensitive.
Here are some points that left an impression on me:
- The characters aren't developed, there are some hints of their pasts and motivations, but I never really learned anything real about them. The only character I ended up caring about was Kayo Senju, I feel like I learned more about her than any of the main characters.
- Enju. Typical japanese loli in love with the main character despite being ten and constantly tries to seduce him. Sometimes I wish Japan would lay off the lolis and just let little girls be children.
- Rentaro is extremely emotional and seriously weak, which isn't a bad thing, but he's so predictable in his actions. He's also
- According to baka-updates Black Bullet is not a harem, so while Rentaro is surrounded by girls, other than Enju no one seems to be in love with him so yay!
- Pages 129 and 130 made me snigger they were so silly. This book is supposed to be dark, considering the world these characters live in, but it all felt so cheesy. I couldn’t take the characters seriously.
- Then there was this:
Final Rating: I liked this but the weak character development and overall cheesiness of parts of the book really made it hard to care or take this book seriously. Hopefully book two will flesh out the characters more, and maybe I’ll be less sensitive too.
October 28, 2017
I bought this while purchasing a number of light novels. The premise sounded interesting and it had an anime that I figured I could check out after I read the novel.
In the end, this light novel was... okay. The world building is interesting, and many things are fairly unique. The opening of the story captures the horror of Gastrea and the destruction they can achieve. It also sets up the protagonist and what drives him, which helps to pull it together.
Unfortunately, the story itself has a number of issues. The protagonist is your standard light novel fair, a male in highschool with special powers. The lolita sidekick was a new thing, though I found it to be extremely off putting. Her constant hitting on the protagonist was over the top and kind of inappropriate. The other side characters aren't much better, though less culturally taboo... though the mortician came pretty damned close with hints of necrophilia.
The antagonist of this novel was an interesting one, and presented a true challenge for the protagonist. Unfortunately, both the antagonist and the giant Gastrea are defeated by two separate deus ex machinas. It takes away from the story and due to their convenience it cheapens the rest of the novel.
Lastly, the writing is pretty bad. As this has been translated, it's hard to know if it is the author or the translator who is the reason for the terrible prose. It takes a bit to work around, and takes a bit away from the tale itself, but not enough to ruin the story. But if you aren't ready for it, it can be a bit hard to deal with.
In the end, I don't recommend this light novel. It has a unique premise, an interesting antagonist, but the ending is disappointing, the writing is poor, and the side characters are distracting in their taboo natures.
In the end, this light novel was... okay. The world building is interesting, and many things are fairly unique. The opening of the story captures the horror of Gastrea and the destruction they can achieve. It also sets up the protagonist and what drives him, which helps to pull it together.
Unfortunately, the story itself has a number of issues. The protagonist is your standard light novel fair, a male in highschool with special powers. The lolita sidekick was a new thing, though I found it to be extremely off putting. Her constant hitting on the protagonist was over the top and kind of inappropriate. The other side characters aren't much better, though less culturally taboo... though the mortician came pretty damned close with hints of necrophilia.
The antagonist of this novel was an interesting one, and presented a true challenge for the protagonist. Unfortunately, both the antagonist and the giant Gastrea are defeated by two separate deus ex machinas. It takes away from the story and due to their convenience it cheapens the rest of the novel.
Lastly, the writing is pretty bad. As this has been translated, it's hard to know if it is the author or the translator who is the reason for the terrible prose. It takes a bit to work around, and takes a bit away from the tale itself, but not enough to ruin the story. But if you aren't ready for it, it can be a bit hard to deal with.
In the end, I don't recommend this light novel. It has a unique premise, an interesting antagonist, but the ending is disappointing, the writing is poor, and the side characters are distracting in their taboo natures.
September 21, 2016
The main character is bland and doesn't have much in the way of characterization.
The side characters are more interesting, but....I didn't care for them. You have a lolita thing going on with a 10 year old girl (who's lips are sometimes refereed to as beautiful by our main which was just creepy and weird) who comes onto our main character and is sometimes naked. It just gave me an ick feel.
You have the typical tsundere character.
You have a really gross woman who eats things from the stomachs of dead people. It's just weird.
And then the story itself is hard to follow. The rules aren't clearly defined. And the twist out at the end just felt like it came out of no where.
I'm not gonna read the rest of this series. A skip for me.
The side characters are more interesting, but....I didn't care for them. You have a lolita thing going on with a 10 year old girl (who's lips are sometimes refereed to as beautiful by our main which was just creepy and weird) who comes onto our main character and is sometimes naked. It just gave me an ick feel.
You have the typical tsundere character.
You have a really gross woman who eats things from the stomachs of dead people. It's just weird.
And then the story itself is hard to follow. The rules aren't clearly defined. And the twist out at the end just felt like it came out of no where.
I'm not gonna read the rest of this series. A skip for me.
December 28, 2023
I watched the anime in 2014 and liked it just fine, so when I spotted the light novel at the library, I decided to pick it up. I wouldn't recommend it.
Enju is fighting to keep her erosion rate at bay, and Rentaro is fighting to keep his paedo rate at bay. I.a., he "loses" himself momentarily when he knows that Enju is bathing. Where is Tadashima when you need him?
The anime scrubbed a LOT of disgusting shit out of the story. It, i.a., removed much of the paedo stuff (it should have removed everything, really) and toned down Sumire's nonsense because wtf. In the anime, she serves Rentaro some random goo and keeps an anatomical doll (Charlie) as company. In the light novel, the "goo" is explained to be a partially decomposed doughnut taken from a dead man's stomach - and Rentaro eats it! Here, Charlie is said dead man, and she likes rubbing her cheeks against his..........
Most of the disgusting shit is compiled in the first chapter. Afterwards, the story is... just okay. The author messes up the days of the week. The writing is boring, the dialogue is dumb, and the, at times, nonlinear storytelling is clunky. Only the general concept of the novel is interesting.
The author also labels his work in the afterword as a "heaven for those with a lolita complex." He needs to be on a watchlist if he is not yet. (Maybe he quietly discontinued the series because the anime made more people aware of his work and they were getting suspicious? Anyway.)
Enju is fighting to keep her erosion rate at bay, and Rentaro is fighting to keep his paedo rate at bay. I.a., he "loses" himself momentarily when he knows that Enju is bathing. Where is Tadashima when you need him?
The anime scrubbed a LOT of disgusting shit out of the story. It, i.a., removed much of the paedo stuff (it should have removed everything, really) and toned down Sumire's nonsense because wtf. In the anime, she serves Rentaro some random goo and keeps an anatomical doll (Charlie) as company. In the light novel, the "goo" is explained to be a partially decomposed doughnut taken from a dead man's stomach - and Rentaro eats it! Here, Charlie is said dead man, and she likes rubbing her cheeks against his..........
Most of the disgusting shit is compiled in the first chapter. Afterwards, the story is... just okay. The author messes up the days of the week. The writing is boring, the dialogue is dumb, and the, at times, nonlinear storytelling is clunky. Only the general concept of the novel is interesting.
The author also labels his work in the afterword as a "heaven for those with a lolita complex." He needs to be on a watchlist if he is not yet. (Maybe he quietly discontinued the series because the anime made more people aware of his work and they were getting suspicious? Anyway.)
June 8, 2025
I got this because it's a book 1, but so far it's too depressing for me to want to keep reading. I'll check out the anime, though, to see how they've adapted what I've read so far (hopefully at least one episode's worth).
Things that are probably cut (for relevance, brevity, etc.):
- internal monologuing
- the amount that Enju (10) declares that she has totally slept with Rentaro (15?) but I'm not hopeful
- the random gay bar
We'll see. For a very lot of reasons, I can't imagine I'll get too far into a story about a "zombie apocalypse"-style pandemic but they turn into monsters when it doesn't even have comedy going for it like Kaiju No. 8.
(update)
NEVERMIND, apparently the streaming site we use DELISTED IT in the ONE DAY I had it on the watchlist. What.
Well, at least the trailer seems to have a lot of the scenes I read, so that at least gives me a vague idea of what the show's like. (Not interested in watching it, for the record, though the theme song is rockin'.)
I'm not that excited about keeping the book around, anyway. It's just another monster apocalypse, and I'm really not in the mood for those. Rating accordingly for benefit of the doubt.
Things that are probably cut (for relevance, brevity, etc.):
- internal monologuing
- the amount that Enju (10) declares that she has totally slept with Rentaro (15?) but I'm not hopeful
- the random gay bar
We'll see. For a very lot of reasons, I can't imagine I'll get too far into a story about a "zombie apocalypse"-style pandemic but they turn into monsters when it doesn't even have comedy going for it like Kaiju No. 8.
(update)
NEVERMIND, apparently the streaming site we use DELISTED IT in the ONE DAY I had it on the watchlist. What.
Well, at least the trailer seems to have a lot of the scenes I read, so that at least gives me a vague idea of what the show's like. (Not interested in watching it, for the record, though the theme song is rockin'.)
I'm not that excited about keeping the book around, anyway. It's just another monster apocalypse, and I'm really not in the mood for those. Rating accordingly for benefit of the doubt.
November 5, 2021
Black bullet by Shiden kanzaki was a overall enjoyable read for me. Without a doubt this is a YA novel and aimed at people who enjoy action sci-fi with a sprinkle of high school power fantasy. its a simple book that I didn't really get absorbed into the plotting wasn't to fast paced though I feel the final moment against the class 5 could have been done better as it just felt rushed and was their to act as a epic moment to cap off the first book. That plot point in specific did not feel like it had any actual weight while some of the other plot points such as kagetane and kohina felt fun and as if they had meeting to the overall story. I enjoyed the book simple because It was a fun story in general and I'm a easily entertained person so take this review with a handful of salt if need be.
June 5, 2017
This book was... half-decent.
The characters were okay, but apart from Sumire and Enju they never really managed to catch my interest. The prose was so-so, partly because of the awkward phrasings of the translation. I don't think I'll read the next part.
The characters were okay, but apart from Sumire and Enju they never really managed to catch my interest. The prose was so-so, partly because of the awkward phrasings of the translation. I don't think I'll read the next part.
July 16, 2019
DNF @ page 40. I can't do this anymore. All it would've taken to make this readable was if they got somebody who actually speaks English to proofread it before publication. A literal, word for word translation is an unbearable one.
September 12, 2022
More 3.5 stars then 4 mainly for the cliched dialogue, especially during battle scenes. I’ve loved the characters ever since watching the anime years ago and they don’t disappoint in the novel. I’m looking forward to volume 2.
January 9, 2018
fantastic action and total reads like an anime
November 30, 2021
Highly recommend. Those that love shonen manga with a slight darkness, think this will be right up your alley.
Read
May 6, 2022Lolis, but overpowered
January 13, 2024
QUERO MÁIS
September 27, 2015
Ten years ago, Gastrea began to appear around the world, and with their infectious capacity, the destruction of humanity accelerated with incredible momentum. One infected person became two, two became four, four became eight... When humanity finally began to worry about the multiplying Gastrea, it was already too late. There was nothing they could do. Humanity lost the Great Gastrea War.
Black Bullet takes place in a post-apocalyptic Japan after a terrible disaster that has forced humanity into a corner. First published in 2011 and recently translated earlier this year, the author of this thrilling light novel is Shiden Kanzaki. Black Bullet has a currently still publishing manga and a 12 episode animated series that aired in 2014.
Black Bullet’s plot begins ten years after the parasitic virus, Gastrea, has destroyed or turned most of humanity into Gastrea. When the mysterious virus suddenly appeared, it began turning humans, innocent or not, young and old, male and female, into frightening, bloodthirsty monsters. With the appearance of these dangerous creatures and horrid virus, mankind was forced to retreat. Their only protection were massive structures called the Monoliths, which were made from a metal called varanium, the Gastrea’s only weakness.
Ten years later, the plot takes place where the great city of Tokyo once stood. Tokyo, now called the Tokyo Area, is now split up into several districts, with the commanding powers at the center and the districts with the remains and rubble from the war in the outlying areas near the Monoliths and dangerous outer areas where Gastrea roam free. Life in Tokyo has almost been restored, but it is nowhere near to where it once was before the war. Countless lives were lost and the memory of the war is still fresh in everyone’s minds.
The current story talks about three generations, the Stolen Generation, those who had experienced the war and lost family and friends to it, the Innocent Generation, those who had not experienced the war, meaning the children born ten years ago or later, and the Cursed Generation, who were girls who were born during the war and were born with the Gastrea virus in their blood. The Cursed Generation, or the Cursed Children, were also born with inhuman powers that varied depending on the type of Gastrea virus they contained within them. Despite the fact that some of the Cursed Children protect the Tokyo Area from Gastrea, they are still often discriminated against by those of the Lost Generation, due to the fact that they carry the cause of the war that killed so many people.
The people of Tokyo now rely on special officers called Civil Security Officers and their young partners, who are Cursed Children. These pairs are called Promoters and Initiators. These officers often take care of exterminating any Gastrea who somehow get past the Monoliths. Depending on the amount of and the level of Gastrea they have disposed of, they are given ranks.
The story mainly focuses on a young civsec officer named Rentaro, a Promoter, and ten-year-old Enju, an Initiator who have a low rank of 123,452. When a powerful artifact that has the ability to recreate the Great Gastrea War and threaten the lives of those in the Tokyo Area has been stolen, the ruler of the Tokyo Area, Seitenshi, calls forth many of the Promoter and Initiator pairs, including Rentaro and Enju, to participate in the race that may prevent the extinction of humanity in Japan. In this fantastic, action-packed, sci-fi light novel, the reader can explore the terrible conflict between Gastrea and humans while going deeper, and asking the true question of the story, “Who are the real monsters? The humans, or the Gastrea?” From Rentaro’s powerful punches, to Enju’s superhuman kicks, the thrilling action is mixed in smoothly with the plot and allows the reader to imagine each scene as though they are there themselves.
Black Bullet is an exciting and riveting page turner for anyone interested in a post-apocalyptic, electrifying adventure with lovable characters, terrifying monsters and cunning villains.
Black Bullet takes place in a post-apocalyptic Japan after a terrible disaster that has forced humanity into a corner. First published in 2011 and recently translated earlier this year, the author of this thrilling light novel is Shiden Kanzaki. Black Bullet has a currently still publishing manga and a 12 episode animated series that aired in 2014.
Black Bullet’s plot begins ten years after the parasitic virus, Gastrea, has destroyed or turned most of humanity into Gastrea. When the mysterious virus suddenly appeared, it began turning humans, innocent or not, young and old, male and female, into frightening, bloodthirsty monsters. With the appearance of these dangerous creatures and horrid virus, mankind was forced to retreat. Their only protection were massive structures called the Monoliths, which were made from a metal called varanium, the Gastrea’s only weakness.
Ten years later, the plot takes place where the great city of Tokyo once stood. Tokyo, now called the Tokyo Area, is now split up into several districts, with the commanding powers at the center and the districts with the remains and rubble from the war in the outlying areas near the Monoliths and dangerous outer areas where Gastrea roam free. Life in Tokyo has almost been restored, but it is nowhere near to where it once was before the war. Countless lives were lost and the memory of the war is still fresh in everyone’s minds.
The current story talks about three generations, the Stolen Generation, those who had experienced the war and lost family and friends to it, the Innocent Generation, those who had not experienced the war, meaning the children born ten years ago or later, and the Cursed Generation, who were girls who were born during the war and were born with the Gastrea virus in their blood. The Cursed Generation, or the Cursed Children, were also born with inhuman powers that varied depending on the type of Gastrea virus they contained within them. Despite the fact that some of the Cursed Children protect the Tokyo Area from Gastrea, they are still often discriminated against by those of the Lost Generation, due to the fact that they carry the cause of the war that killed so many people.
The people of Tokyo now rely on special officers called Civil Security Officers and their young partners, who are Cursed Children. These pairs are called Promoters and Initiators. These officers often take care of exterminating any Gastrea who somehow get past the Monoliths. Depending on the amount of and the level of Gastrea they have disposed of, they are given ranks.
The story mainly focuses on a young civsec officer named Rentaro, a Promoter, and ten-year-old Enju, an Initiator who have a low rank of 123,452. When a powerful artifact that has the ability to recreate the Great Gastrea War and threaten the lives of those in the Tokyo Area has been stolen, the ruler of the Tokyo Area, Seitenshi, calls forth many of the Promoter and Initiator pairs, including Rentaro and Enju, to participate in the race that may prevent the extinction of humanity in Japan. In this fantastic, action-packed, sci-fi light novel, the reader can explore the terrible conflict between Gastrea and humans while going deeper, and asking the true question of the story, “Who are the real monsters? The humans, or the Gastrea?” From Rentaro’s powerful punches, to Enju’s superhuman kicks, the thrilling action is mixed in smoothly with the plot and allows the reader to imagine each scene as though they are there themselves.
Black Bullet is an exciting and riveting page turner for anyone interested in a post-apocalyptic, electrifying adventure with lovable characters, terrifying monsters and cunning villains.
April 24, 2016
I had high hopes for this novel and I was not disappointed.
I've fallen in love with the setting while watching the animation, but it felt like a lot of things were a bit off and now I know why: the anime production team have twisted and shortened the novel events and descriptions so much that many scenes end up looking really poorly written.
I'm not saying it is a masterpiece, but at least most events seem a lot more coherent and/or "plausible" and therefore the journey through them a lot more satisfying. Sometimes the difference is only on tiny details, but what a big difference those make!
I must also say that its tone is a bit darker and more serious than the anime, which is a plus mainly because Black Bullet got a lot of hate from loli-haters, but it is definitely not a loli-harem setting or filled with moeblob lolis. Its main focus really is the harsh reality they live in (mainly for the Cursed Children, who are infected with the Gastrea virus since birth) and the struggle to live what would be called a normal life before the apocalyptic events and at the same time fighting to survive. Oh, and also the revenge both Rentarou and mainly Kisara seek against the Tendo family and the mystery behind the Gastrea virus itself, which can transform any living creature into a freak of nature.
On a side note I would like to add that Saki Ukai's illustrations are fantastic!
I've fallen in love with the setting while watching the animation, but it felt like a lot of things were a bit off and now I know why: the anime production team have twisted and shortened the novel events and descriptions so much that many scenes end up looking really poorly written.
I'm not saying it is a masterpiece, but at least most events seem a lot more coherent and/or "plausible" and therefore the journey through them a lot more satisfying. Sometimes the difference is only on tiny details, but what a big difference those make!
I must also say that its tone is a bit darker and more serious than the anime, which is a plus mainly because Black Bullet got a lot of hate from loli-haters, but it is definitely not a loli-harem setting or filled with moeblob lolis. Its main focus really is the harsh reality they live in (mainly for the Cursed Children, who are infected with the Gastrea virus since birth) and the struggle to live what would be called a normal life before the apocalyptic events and at the same time fighting to survive. Oh, and also the revenge both Rentarou and mainly Kisara seek against the Tendo family and the mystery behind the Gastrea virus itself, which can transform any living creature into a freak of nature.
On a side note I would like to add that Saki Ukai's illustrations are fantastic!
October 21, 2015
Rather enjoyable for a Light Novel. Black Bullet tries to cater to both young-male action needs, and the adult otaku sex/perversion needs. Some feminine interest in regards scattered bits of emotional stresses, but mostly a (young) male-oriented work.
For the most part it succeeds. This being a light-novel the plot is of typical nonsense; the line which the story proceeds upon is at best frail, but really completely broken. As is the case for others in this genre.
Still, you don't read Light Novels for story. These are very fast books that take an hour or two to read and are banking on there being enough scattered moments of over-the-top action, overt young-adult sensitivity, and that rather greasy style of eroticism to pull the reader along.
And Black Bullet hits these all together well. The book is completely forgettable as just about every light-novel and young-adult novel is, but still; made for an enjoyable lazy read at the park one afternoon.
The pedophilic style of sex in this book unfortunately makes this not recommendable to kids. But if you're an adult who finds enjoyment in the familiar usages of tropes common with Japanese pop-media, than this is a rather alright book, and certainly one of the better light-novels to be translated into English so far.
For the most part it succeeds. This being a light-novel the plot is of typical nonsense; the line which the story proceeds upon is at best frail, but really completely broken. As is the case for others in this genre.
Still, you don't read Light Novels for story. These are very fast books that take an hour or two to read and are banking on there being enough scattered moments of over-the-top action, overt young-adult sensitivity, and that rather greasy style of eroticism to pull the reader along.
And Black Bullet hits these all together well. The book is completely forgettable as just about every light-novel and young-adult novel is, but still; made for an enjoyable lazy read at the park one afternoon.
The pedophilic style of sex in this book unfortunately makes this not recommendable to kids. But if you're an adult who finds enjoyment in the familiar usages of tropes common with Japanese pop-media, than this is a rather alright book, and certainly one of the better light-novels to be translated into English so far.
October 14, 2016
A bright, engaging start, setting up an interesting worldbuilding exercise, arguably grimmer than the anime (which I've watched in its entirety), and yet by the end became a confusing muddle. Usually authors aren't so transparent in making sure their protagonist gets the final boss battle in the spotlight, but this seemed particularly forced. A decent enough read, but I'm not sure I'm inclined to read volume 2.
August 26, 2015
Much more fluidly written than the usual light novel, this can be very visceral at times and is definitely one of the darker offerings out there. It has a slow start, but turns out to be hard to put down about halfway through.
Full review will eventually appear on the Anime News Network.
Full review will eventually appear on the Anime News Network.
December 4, 2015
This is way better than the anime! Even if you didn't enjoy the anime you should read this light novel.
I hope yen press will continue releasing the light novels. Can't wait for the 2nd one to come out!
I hope yen press will continue releasing the light novels. Can't wait for the 2nd one to come out!
September 28, 2015
I'll probably be reading the rest of these. I enjoyed it.
December 15, 2015
I'm bias so disregard this and move on
August 8, 2022
4.5
Full review to come but I would die for Enju Aihara.
Full review to come but I would die for Enju Aihara.
April 21, 2017
This book was very interesting. The book had spectacular fight scenes and had me enjoying it. I usually tend to fall asleep on books that have a slow exposition, but this seemed good for me. I was always up and waiting for what the main character would do, or what the side characters would do. Only draw back is that it seemed like they rushed the ending. Like the final boss of a game comes during the tutorial.
April 24, 2017
A hell of a ride into a dystopian future where virus creates monsters and only those infected can stop them.
December 21, 2017
it good but the kawaii girls r too scary ^^
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
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