かつて神だった獣たちへ（１）

To The Abandoned Sacred Beasts #1

by めいびい, めいびい

禁忌の技術をもって作り出された異形の兵士“擬神兵”。戦乱の国を和平へと導いた彼らは“神”と称えられ、英雄となったのだが、内戦から時を経た今は、ただ“獣”と呼ばれている……。その擬神兵たちを殺すために旅を続ける“獣狩り”のハンク。そして、擬神兵だった父を彼に殺された少女、シャール。父が殺された意味を知るため、シャールは、ハンクと共に旅することを決意する！

Genres: Manga, Fantasy, Historical Fiction, Action, Comics, Shonen, Paranormal

194 pages, Kindle Edition

First published June 9, 2014

Reviews

[Bogdan · Rating 2 out of 5]

This volume is full of cliches, the characters, so far, are poorly drawn and feel very cartoonish, but the artwork was very good in most of it`s moments.

The way some of the creatures were made and some of the key scenes felt like I`m reading a Berserk rip off !

Not a bad thing all together, but because of the easy mode of the story it didn`t felt to be very well put together.

[CJ - It's only a Paper Moon · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's always interesting when you see your history through another culture's eyes. It's even more interesting when there is an alt-history, like giant "magic" beasts aka Incarnates that helped win the US Civil War for the Union.

And like most veterans in the US, they are treated like crap after they come home. However, I'm not sure of the cause and effect here, but most of them end up going berserk. Becoming the very thing they swore to fight.

Enter in Hank, the beast hunter, a former Captain who is also an Incarnate. It is his job, his sworn duty, to hunt down his unit and kill them before they do any damage. One of the men he killed is Nancy Schaal (or Charlotte according to certain translations and wikias) Bancroft's father.

Her sworn mission is to kill him.

Without any major spoilers, they end up traveling and 'working' together and with them as a team you get both sides to the veteran/beast coin. Is there a way to save them? How much humanity is left? Is this mercy killing or homicide?

This is pretty well written story and the art is worth it alone. I recommend this series for history fans, alt-history fans, fantasy and dark fantasy fans.

[Balthasar · Rating 2 out of 5]

A bit strange but not interesting. Comes across like written by a fifth grader who just read the wikipedia summary of the US Civil war and decides to throw in some giant beasts. And this kind of alternative history is exactly what I usually like.
But as I said - written by somebody either very inexperienced or simply inept of actually building something off of that premise. As it is, it is beautifully drawn, inked, and - yes - even lettered. But the characters are thinner than the book's paper, the story is making me yawn hard.
Maybe there is a chance that the sequels pick up the pace a bit, but the cliffhanger at end of the first book made me roll my eyes so hard you thought I'd have a demonic possession. So no, I simply can't recommend this manga, except to art students who look for renderings of late 19th century clothing. Aside from that, avoid this book.

[Kenny · Rating 3 out of 5]

Against the Civil War backdrop is a monster hunter series. Mildly interesting.

[Jenn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting but a bit strange. Not sure about this one.

[Fatima Jade · Rating 2 out of 5]

I mean this kinda sucked to read, but it never was boring but I also got confusedddd sooooo...
Not worth my time, read it in one sitting so I could just be done with it. And I only read it because I'm behind my reading schedule and needed a short read. Not gonna read the rest of the series because I don't want to. But I will buy the whole series because the cover make my brain flood with *gay panic* damn she is hot. Anyway yeah the only thing I like about this is the girl

[Sparky · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was definitely different from what I usually read, but I honestly enjoyed it! I really like the concept and the world as well as Hank and Schaal and the other characters too, it has pretty good funny moments! Had a very interesting end so I’m most likely gonna come back in the future to continue this one! I can say to definitely give it a try, you might like it!!

[Hisgirl85 · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 stars. Different, gritty, and intriguing. Not happy and fun.

[Kentaro · Rating 4 out of 5]

this manga look like serious story, but almost episode is a complete story, so reader can move on to next episode.

[NerdyKino · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've seen the anime for this originally that made me want to check out manga. This is seriously an under-looked series with such a sad tale. Commander Hank genetically mutated creature known as Incarnate. Used in the war between southerners and northerners along with comrades. To only live out their use and be exterminated by the northerners. Incarnates gradually loose their humanity and Hank's comrades are running rampage everywhere, loosing their humanity. Hank made a vow to hunt down his comrades in order to save their souls.

Volume one sets up from Hank's perspective the growing burden and responsibility he feels with every comrades life he takes. You see through the perspectives of his comrades the reason they volunteered for the experimentation in order to end the war, they were all good people with good intentions and it bites you. Hank has a girl Nancy join him in order to decide if she will kill him or not for Hank killed her father who was an incarnate.

Among this, Hank's close friend who betrayed him and killed Hank's crush is creating plans for incarnates so Hank has two fronts to deal with. Hank is a humble soul and watching him take all this on, absorbs you into the story. This isn't a groundbreaking supernatural, action but the story is very solid and has you rooting for Hank. I really love the whole concept. The art is very nice and gritty at crucial parts.

I've grown quite attached to this series if you're looking for a decent action with a strong story.

[Doc · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Let us sacrifice our today so that our children can have a better tomorrow." --A. P. J. Abdul Kalam

Before reviewing this book I would like to point out I don't believe Vertical Comics rates their boks for age appropriate content so at a guess I would say this series is rated Older Teen. There is some nudity (though censored), moments of death, and a some fan-service (though nothing compared to Maybe's Tales of Wedding Rings series.) If you are going to let a younger reader take a look at this book please preview it first so you can judge if it is appropriate for them.

The Civil War was a tragic time in American history where kin were forced to battle each other as the southern states tried to secede from the northern states. In this story setting the South had better manpower and was pushing back against the North so the folks up North used forbidden arts to turn some of their soldiers into entities known as the Incarnates. These inhumanely strong soldiers turned the tides of the war and the North won. However even if the Incarnates have become frightening monsters in a desperate act they have little place in a world that is now at peace. Enter the Beast Hunter whose job it is to put an end to Incarnate soldiers that have abandoned their humanity, refuse to listen to reason, or in at least one sad cases merely suffer from PTSD and becoming a danger to others.

Now enter Nancy Schaal Bancroft. She is the daughter of one of the Beast Hunter's victims and has been tracking him down to avenge her lost father. Without warning she greets the man with a shot into his chest from her father's old Elephant Gun but instead of dying grabs the girl and runs out of the bar to figure out why she wanted to make such a scene and try to murder him. Things happen and now the Beast Hunter has Nancy accompanying him along on his mission to show her the truth in why he does what he does.

Honestly, I am grateful for Nancy's silly mood shifts and odd behaviors such as sudden tea time during this volume because the subject of the book although covered in a film of fantasy or sci-fi (depending on what the forbidden arts were) are pretty dark. I personally have heard of people who have had to sit in the corners of rooms in fear of ambush after coming back from Desert Storm and in the time of the Civil War I can only imagine (even as bad as some people treat soldiers now) that being a monster returning from the war would only be worse.

[Nelson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fragmented review:
- Pretty good manga.
- Interesting spin on the US Civil War, despite the cliches it uses.
- Characters aren't too interesting so far, but it's only the first volume and these things take time in manga.
- Kinda has a Monster Hunter or Dark Souls feel to it.
- It handles themes such as war, PTSD and poor treatment of veterans fairly well, albeit surface level so far.
- The slight fanservice is unnecessary, but it's not too common or abrasive so far.
- Art is pretty good. Nothing impressive, and action scenes don't flow as well as most shonen, but it can be quite nice at times.
- I'd say it's a solid 7 at the moment. Good enough to keep reading, but not good enough that I'd go out and recommend it until I read more.

[Julie (Let's Read Good Books) · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

This is nothing new or special, but it was a fun read. There are monster battles, no clear-cut bad guys, and glimpses into the personal lives of soldiers who gave up their humanity to end a never-ending war. I liked both protagonists, and wouldn't hesitate to read more of the series.

[DJay · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a pretty straight forward Manga. Girl on cover is looking for the person that killed her dad. He finds him and finds out that things aren't what they seem. And that about sums it up.

[Sunread26 · Rating 3 out of 5]

Chronique complète :
https://sunread26.wordpress.com/2024/...

Extrait :
Nouvelle série dont je n’ai pour l’instant que le premier tome, je l’avais pris par curiosité, mais je viens juste de lire le tome… Quand je dis que je suis à la ramasse, mais que ma situation actuelle me permet d’avancer un peu ! Ce qui m’avait attiré pour ce titre, c’est sa jaquette, une fille armée, mais les larmes aux yeux. En tout cas, la série est éditée chez Pika, et comporte un total de quinze tomes, puisque la série est terminée ! J’ignore si elle est devenue introuvable par contre (comme Pika est connu pour ça).

L’univers de la série nous plonge dans un pays en guerre (pour certains, elle s’est arrêtée, mais la vérité semble tout autre), où le pays n’a pas eu d’autre choix que de former une section remplie d’êtres spéciaux. Des humains ont acceptés d’êtres des cobayes pour devenir des bêtes sacrées, pour la plupart, ils n’auront plus grand-chose d’humain après leurs transformations. Ils combattront alors l’ennemi au péril de leur vie, puis tout cessera. Le retour à la vie civile ne sera glorieux qu’au début, puisque peu à peu, ils perdront l’esprit. En partie traumatisés par les combats sans doute, la vision des gens à leurs égards aussi ou bien un effet secondaire de leur transformation. En perdant la raison, ils deviennent, visiblement des monstres incontrôlables et semant la mort, certains par traumatisme d’autres par désespoir de ne plus être normal. C’est au cours de cette période que l’on nous place, aux côtés de la fille de l’une de ses bêtes divines (qui a été tuée par le chasseur), mais aussi de celui qui les chasse… leur ancien commandant, lui aussi une bête divine. Ce que l’on peut dire dès ce premier tome, c’est que les bêtes divines vivent avec des symptômes post traumatiques, comme de nombreux soldats de l’armée chez nous. Je doute qu’il y ait un suivi psychologique dans leur monde malheureusement. Rien ne dit non plus que c’est le seul déclencheur de leur état, ce qui est sûr, c’est qu’une fois qu’ils perdent le contrôle, ils ne reviennent pas à la raison.

La série se bat également avec la moralité, puisque la fille, Charlotte, ne comprend pas pourquoi la seule solution, c’est la mise à mort. Alors qu’ils ont fait le choix de sacrifier leur corps d’origine pour combattre et protéger, voilà maintenant qu’on leur retire la vie sans sommation. Plusieurs cas de figures sont montrés dans ce tome, dans le trio, un seul semble avoir réellement perdu la tête. Le minotaure, inspiration sans doute grecque pour celui-ci, a toujours eu peur du combat, il s’est donc habitué à construire des forteresses telles des labyrinthes. Malheureusement, cela empiète sur une ville non loin, puisqu’elle grandit sans cesse. Il tue également tous ceux qui pénètrent à l’intérieur, croyant qu’il s’agit d’ennemis, tout cela à cause d’un enfant l’ayant menacé avec un jouet, preuve de son traumatisme. Pour les deux autres, c’est plus complexe, l’un se contentait juste de bouger pour se rendre vers un lieu (son rêve, son but), en prenant soin d’éviter les zones peuplées… Il sera tué, car pas le choix, il menace un pont ferroviaire à la noix, mais appartenant à un riche (oui, j’ai trouvé le sort de celui-ci vraiment injuste), surtout que s’il a encore sa tête (ce que je pense), il aurait pu servir de monture lui-même en fait… Le dernier essayait de se rendre utile, malheureusement, il s’est réduit au banditisme pour y parvenir. On les tue comme on tue une bête qui gêne notre espèce, alors qu’on en tue plus de notre côté, bref, c’est injuste.

[...]

[Of Butterflies & Books · Rating 4 out of 5]

PLOT:
In the mists of a vicious war, beings known as Incarnates were created. Now in the aftermath, the Incarnates live among us but are very different than the people they once were. Hank is a soldier fulfilling a painful promise that was made and has taken on this journey with a young woman, named Schaal, who is trying to figure out what he is all about and the true nature of these beings. However, while the previous may have ended there are signs a new one may be brewing in the shadows.

REVIEW:
This is a reread for me and I still very much enjoyed this series. I love Hank. He is such a tragic, admirable character the fact he has to carry the weight of what he has to do in the present and the painful memories from the past. I kind of consider him the main character more so than Schaal, while I still love her character because she's willing to learn more than what she initially thought to be true, but Schaal is supposed to embody the audience reading this series that is also learning more about this world. I also love their growing relationship and chemistry together. I also absolutely love the art. It's so detailed and beautiful.

[Javier Muñoz · Rating 4 out of 5]

Me ha gustado bastante este primer tomo, el dibujo es bastante detallado y a momentos muy bonito y la historia resulta interestante pese a ser un estilo de manga muy clásico.

El manga se desarrolla en un país similar a los estados unidos del siglo XIX, aquí también ha habido una guerra civil y también la gana el Norte, pero esto se consigue gracias a que mediante artes prohibidas llegan a convertir a algunos de sus soldados en monstruos y criaturas extrañas con poderes casi divinos, cuando llega la paz, sin embargo, estos monstruos que deberían ser héroes para la nación terminan siendo perseguidos y asesinados.

En esta ambientación se encuentran Nancy Schaal Bancroft, la hija de uno de los"encarnados" (el nombre que reciben estas criaturas semidivinas) que ha sido asesinado y el propio asesino de su padre, un cazador de encarnados llamado Hank que fue capitán durante la guerra civil, momento en el que conoció a muchos de los soldados que fueron convertidos en bestias . Ambos unen sus caminos para solucionar los problemas que causan los encarnados que pierden su humanidad.

De momento me ha despertado el interés, ya veremos...

[Niche · Rating 4 out of 5]

A dark fantasy with quite a bit of comic relief. I had vibes of Berserk, Pumpkin Scissors, and True Grit. Created by Maybe who did Tales of Wedding Rings, there is very little fan service so far (I wouldn't normally comment on it, but Tales of Wedding Rings was pretty heavy on it).

The setting is something of an alt-history post-Civil War (US) in which soldiers were weaponized by being transformed into mythical creatures. After the war, they struggle to find a place in society which fears them.

The two protagonists are Schaal, the daughter of a monstrous soldier, and Hank, a "beast hunter" who kills such soldiers when they go rogue. This is the same hunter who Schall is seeking revenge against for killing her father. The antagonism vanishes pretty quickly when it's shown to be more of a legal/mercy killing nature. Schaal's one of the main sources of levity and I enjoy comic relief, but others may feel a little tonal whiplash.

[Mads · Rating 1 out of 5]

What a bleak story…
PTSD manifesting through allegorical physical changes could be an interesting take - now that war has changed these soldiers (in this case, turning them into literal beasts), how can they take this newfound baggage back to society?
The short answer is that they can’t. The lesson of Sacred Beasts seems to be that these soldiers are so monstrous due to their experiences that they need to be killed to protect the populace. The only other solution provided is through avoiding civilization altogether. These soldiers can never be trusted to be around “ordinary” people again.
I understand that this is supposed to be a typical dark battle series, but the real-world similarities are a little too on-the-nose in the dialogue and plot points. This story simply feels devoid of compassion.

[Rereader · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this volume. Schaal is an interesting character, but she doesn't shine in this nearly as much as I wish she did. Hank is great and the other Incarnates are equal parts glorious and terrifying. The artwork is incredibly detailed and beautifully drawn, capturing the pain and suffering war brings. I like the setting, too; a reimagining of the Civil War where the North managed to create creatures known as Incarnates to give them an edge. While war retellings/reimaginings aren't unique, I enjoyed this and am pleased with the heavy focus on the consequences of war. A great first volume, check out, I doubt you'll be disappointed.

[The Magical Quill · Rating 5 out of 5]

To The Abandoned Sacred Beasts vol. 1 by Maybe was an emotional read from the start. Set in a world where a civil war between the Northern Union of Patria and the Southern Confederation of Patria ends with the North using forbidden technology to create monstrous super-soldiers called Incarnates which then turn into true monsters and have to be killed by their comrade and fellow beast, Hank.

Nancy the MC, is orphaned because her father was an incarnate killed by Hank. However she goes on an adventure with him to truly understand the problem while Hank teaches her that ending their lives is a mercy.

[AnaisCouloigner · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pendant la guerre, certaines personnes ont accepté d'être transformé en bêtes monstrueuses pour défaire l'ennemi. Mais une fois la guerre finie, elles ont été rejetées malgré le respect qu'on continue de leur porter. Des années après, le commandant du bataillon part à la recherche de ses anciens compagnons, pour la plupart devenus fous, afin d'abréger leurs souffrances.

Un manga intéressant et qui aurait pu être palpitant, mais dès le deuxième tome on sent beaucoup de redondance. J'espère une évolution dans le troisième...

[L.ivresse.des.mots · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fascinée par les dessins, notamment des couettes !( tellement plus mignon que le terme couverture ^^) J'ai finalement craqué pour cette série fantasy ya.

Pour résumer Charlotte, une jeune fille espiègle, est décidée à venger son père , devenu divin pendant la guerre, et qui a été assassiné.

C'est un condensé qui regroupe plusieurs univers. Nb: l'attaque des titans m'est venue à l'esprit mais aussi food wars pour les scènes fantasmes adolescents. 😂

N'hésitez pas à me dire ce que vous en avez pensé !

[Worm · Rating 1 out of 5]

While this had an interesting concept- I completely hated it.
I love a good revenge plot especially one with a bit darker of a theme, but this manga just felt really dry.

The main character I found to be annoying but honestly I could look past that. What I couldn't look past was 1. the weird relationship/age dynamics going on and 2. the nudity of the character who's a minor.

The arts fantastic but I will not be continuing this.

[Timothy Pitkin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting world and I do like that they are incorporating the mythology of the inspiration of the monsters into the Incarnates powers, desires, and personality. Also I like how the manga feels like it took inspiration of the U.S. Civil into the world building and using it to tackle the theme of Post War and how it affects the soldiers who fought in it.

[Pauline (Kiriiti's Blog) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Des hommes 'modifiés' sont portés au rang de Divins durant la guerre mais passent au stade de monstres une fois celle-ci fini. Je ne pensais pas apprécier ce titre mais il aborde l'après-guerre d'une façon intéressante. Les personnages ne m'ont pas encore conquis mais j'aime l'ambiance fin 19ème qui se dégage du mangas. Et le fil conducteur qui apparaît à la fin du tome m'intrigue.

[Donna · Rating 3 out of 5]

Schaal joins Hank, a beast hunter, in a world where humans were turned into beasts to help fight in a war.

This was so-so. The art was ok but nothing special and I didn't really connect with either character (or the third character who is the typical huge-busted annoying woman). I think the idea is clever: now that the war is over, people no longer want beasts around, but it didn't hook me.

[The Rev. Dr. Matthew · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was fine. Fairly forgettable and why Schaal joined up with Hank still confused me greatly. She went from hating his guts to being perfectly fine with Hank within a chapter.
I am interested in Schaals development ad it relates to her dad's passing and finding out about him. The next setting for volume 2 seems interesting and the set up for the next incarnate sounds cool too.

[Seth · Rating 1 out of 5]

Monstrous transformations as metaphor for war fucking people up and making it hard to return to civilian life, which could have been interesting if the writing weren't so shallow, even before it takes a sharp turn into cartoon evil.

[Alex · Rating 3 out of 5]

So we have our basic premise, monster transformed soldiers in a war long over cannot put the fight down. Could be a commentary on veterans who can't adjust? Idk. But pretty basic monster of the week stuff to start.
Also, typical me, I see a women like Liza and my eyes start bugging.