Cagaster: kniha 1

Cagaster #1

by Kachou Hashimoto, Jan Schejbal (Translator), Veronika Nováková (Translator)

Lidstvo postihla nemoc zvaná "Cagaster", která mění nakažené v obří hmyz. Příběh se odehrává v roce 2125, třicet let po prvním výskytu Cagasteru, a popisuje život Kidoua, nájemného ochránce před vražedným hmyzem.

Genres: Manga, Comics, Graphic Novels, Science Fiction, Young Adult, Fantasy, Seinen

196 pages, Paperback

First published January 13, 2016

Reviews

[Geoff · Rating 3 out of 5]

This comic had some great elements, particularly the world building. It's an interesting universe with an unique twist on post-apocalyptic culture that opens the door to weighty questions of morality. But things just didn't quite come together. The art was interesting, except for the incoherent action scenes (which, in an action oriented book isn't great), the characters were pretty stock and tropey (the silent broody protagonist, the mysterious villain, the naive beauty), and the plot was pretty standard. And the book ended on a huge cliffhanger, which seems fine for a shorter issue of volume but is annoying in a longer collection like this. Not a bad manga, but not a great one either.

[Xavier Hugonet · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cagaster vol. 1, by Hashimoto Kachou is a shonen manga that ran between 2005 and 2013, and has recently been adapted into an anime series for Netflix by beloved studio Gonzo. Ablaze manga is publishing it in a six volumes collection

The year is 2125, 30 years after a war, and the start of a pandemic turning one in a thousand citizens into a bug monster. Two thirds of the world population fell victim to the mutated humans, with no cure being found. The bugs are then declared not human, and their killing as soon as the transformation begins is allowed without it being categorized as murder. A new craft then appears: the exterminators. Some are in it for sadism and/or easy money, others, especially from the Far East, have other motivations.

This is a setup for yet another post apocalyptic series about monsters, those who hunt them, and the big mystery at the center of it all. The setting is in the frontier Western post apocalypse genre. Don’t expect anything original there.

Our main character is Kidow, mercenary exterminator, and basically your standard shonen protagonist: A dark stoic, brooding misunderstood character, whose past and motivations are kept secret from the reader at first. At the beginning of the story, he stumbles onto the aftermath of a bug massacre, and accepts the request from a dying man to bring his daughter Ilie back to a mother she thought dead.

The art is rather crude and dated, even for 2005. There isn’t much detailing, and the artist saves time on backgrounds, up to the point of keeping them totally blank during some back and forth dialogue. Actions sequences are difficult to follow, due to weird choices in paneling and huge original Japanese sound effects pasted all over the pages, with no flow logic whatsoever to guide the reader in his reading of the scenes.

This first volume mostly serves to introduce the settings and the characters. Ilie decides to make a life for herself, and adjust to her new town surroundings while fighting her feelings of loneliness, and trying to understand Kidow.

Along the way, Kidow gets involved in a murder investigation, killings made by humans and not bugs, and we discover similar cases have already been happening, all victims being exterminators. Could the shadowy figure appearing here and there be responsible ? Are they alone or part of a group ? Is this about revenge or something else entirely.

While being a good quick read, Cagaster doesn’t add much to the genre. I haven’t watched the anime adaptation, but it being a 2020 Netflix production and being 12 episodes, it probably improves on the art and tightens the story. However, it only gets a 6.1 on IMDb, which makes me think it remains a forgettable addition to the shonen genre whatever the media.

Thanks to Ablaze Manga, Diamond Books and Netgalley for the arc provided in exchange for this unbiased review.

[Rebecca · Rating 3 out of 5]

I admit I wasn't entirely sure how I'd feel about this after having been less than wowed by the first chapter in French, but once the story moves beyond that, it's an engaging shounen action series that toys with moral gray areas in a post-apocalyptic world. While hardly the only series to use the "humans become literal monsters" trope, Cagaster does a better job than others by juxtaposing the monster fighting with humans who are actually far worse because, unlike the giant bugs, they can think about what they're doing. Kidow feels a little underdeveloped even by the end of the volume, but this is an interesting book nonetheless, and one that gets better as it goes on, which bodes well for future volumes.

[Lashaan Balasingam · Rating 3 out of 5]

There's an interesting premise behind this post-apocalyptic world with terrifying creatures but the setup works against it as the story focuses on mundane small-scale events that look to innocently develop its characters but never enough to really make them as intriguing as they could be. There's a lack of direction that really ruins the volume. Still fun though.

Yours truly,

Lashaan | Blogger and Book Reviewer
Official blog: https://bookidote.com/

[Jungian.Reader · Rating 4 out of 5]

Set in the year 2125, the world is plagued by Cagaster which is a monstrous infection that changes whoever is infected into a giant cannibalistic bug. Kidow who is a strong bug exterminator and his friend go on a journey as they usually do try to find ways to survive in a world that they have always known. They hope that they can return to the times before the plagues even with them not knowing anything about that time.
This manga (yes, you need to read from right to left) starts with Kidow acting as a bodyguard or an exterminator protecting a merchant who is collecting riches left by those who have been killed by the bugs.
This is when he meets Ilie and her father who were attacked by a bug and he saves her and takes her back home with him. Back home to slowly gets to know her and she is not all she seems. He decides to help her find her mother and that takes them on an adventure.
I am quite excited about the second volume because the final chapter left me on my head.
I have to say that I really did not enjoy the art style, it was black and white and I really could not enjoy the graphic details that the story itself held. It was washed out by the lack of color.

[Layla Crowie · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5/4 stars.

Dark and gritty, this is a fantastic manga for those interested in apocalyptic worlds and are also fans of human mutations. It flows together with a great amount of mystery about our main characters past, and the start of an interesting journey.

[Vendea · Rating 2 out of 5]

I received digital ARC from publisher via Netgalley in exchange for a honest review.

I wouldn't have noticed Cagaster if it was not for its anime adaptation you can watch on Netflix. I was curious about its manga source, so I decided to give it a try. I knew it probably wouldn't fit my usual reading taste, but I was willing to be surprised. Well, this really was not my thing.

Hashimoto's art itself is not bad or anything. It's pretty clean and neat and nice to look at. I wish we got more of world building because I was mostly curious about the disease itself. You thought you'd get to look at the insect mutants? Wrong. At least not in the first volume. This was also my biggest issue. I wanted action. I didn't want to watch some orphan girl getting scolded by adventurer. Ilie should have been left out completely, her character doesn't suit the plot at all.

So... would I recommend Cagaster? Sure. It got interesting premise and world building. Is there action? No, not yet.

2.5/5*

[Erika Sarutobi · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not bad of a story but definitely not something new. The background story was honestly nonsense just to cover up the plot-holes and to make the current situation make sense. Like why would two-thirds of humanity be wiped out before people decide to kill the monsters? I mean that don’t even happen in zombie movies so why should it happen just because people turned to bugs instead? Moreover, it turns out they had time to have wars against each other rather than kill these bugs. You honestly expect me to believe that and ignore how stupid that sounds?

Besides that, there was too much fillers with really dry humor and barely any plot happening except here and there. The artstyle wasn’t my type either so I think I’ll pass this one up and not pick up the sequel.

Thank you Netgalley for providing me with a digital copy for an honest review.

[Elia · Rating 2 out of 5]

It's an action manga with ZERO ACTION!
It had so much potential too - a future world that has been overrun by a disease that turns people into huge flesh-eating bugs (which we only get to see like twice) and our main characters are an "exterminator" and the girl he rescues when her father is killed by one of the bugs. And then NOTHING HAPPENS. There is a bit of a side story developing with a weird hooded figure who is killing a bunch of exterminators, but we don't even get enough about that to spark much interest.

[Claudio Rodrigo · Rating 3 out of 5]

3/5 stars

Thank you to Netgalley for providing this e-arc

What do i have to say about this? Well, that i'm not hooked and a big fan of the genre at all. Both shounen and dystopia. I wouldn't rate it lower due to the great art style and the great volume ending that could definitely intrigue people into purchasing the next volume

[Maite · Rating 2 out of 5]

bonne intrigue mais bon la meuf a l'air d'avoir 12-13 ans quoi donc j'ai envie de dire 2 étoiles car l'histoire / le monde est bien écrit MAIS WSH Y'A PAS A FAIRE DES SOUS ENTENDUS AVEC UNE GAMINE ???

[Yumiko_Youku · Rating 4 out of 5]

The beginning was rather boring but 4 stars for the potential.

[Vera Neves (Sinfonia dos Livros) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Primeiro volume desta série manga. E o que tenho a dizer? É BRUTAL! A ASA tem investido bastante neste género de livros e acho que é absolutamente fantástico! Espero, muito sinceramente, que assim continuem!

Algures no ano de 2125, o mundo encontra-se sob domínio de Cagaster. Uma infecção monstruosa que infecta os seres humanos e os transforma em insectos. Mas atenção que não os transforma em insectos daqueles que podemos matar com uma pisadela. São insectos aterradores e gigantescos.

No meio desta situação toda, temos Kidow. Um jovem exterminador de insectos. Quando ele e o amigo partem numa missão, como tantas outras anteriores, encontram um pai e a sua filha ainda adolescente. O homem já não tem salvação possível pois acabara de ser infectado pelos insectos, mas a filha mantinha-se intacta. O nome dela é Ilie e, apesar do seu aspecto jovem e frágil, quando Kidow a leva para casa, ela vai mostrar que não é assim tão frágil e indefesa.
Sendo Kidow um solitário com fama de ter um péssimo feitio e um coração de pedra, vai embarcar numa aventura diferente, na tentativa de encontrar a mãe de Ilie, o que não promete ser tarefa fácil.
Estou ansiosa para conseguir ler o segundo volume e ver se a nossa pequena Ilie vai conseguir amolecer o coração empedernido de Kidow.

Comecei a ver o anime deste manga mas, sinceramente, prefiro o manga. O anime parece-me demasiadamente computorizado, muito diferente dos animes com linhas suaves e naturais a que estamos habituados. Vou contiuar a ver, claro, mas prefiro a versão manga.

Opinião Publicada
https://sinfoniadoslivros.blogspot.co...
https://www.instagram.com/p/CvPxH7QtV...

[Gigli · Rating 2 out of 5]

»»» A compra:
Premissa interessante e mais uma editora a apostar no género manga foram o suficiente para querer este 1.º volume.

»»» A aventura:
Estamos em 2125, a população foi quase toda arrasada por uma doença chamada Cagaster, que transforma humanos em estranhos insetos gigantes, e várias cidades tornaram-se inabitáveis quando os insetos fizeram delas os seus “ninhos”.
Foi criada uma fronteira para separar as zonas tomadas por insetos das zonas onde ainda há humanos e é numa das cidades mercantes fronteiriça, com defensiva militar, que vive Kidow, um exterminador de insetos Cagaster.
Num dia de caça Kidow depara-se com um homem infetado e a sua jovem filha, Ilie, e acaba a prometer proteger a jovem e a ajudá-la a encontrar a sua mãe. Até ter pistas sobre o paradeiro da mãe Ilie terá que se habituar à vida na cidade mercante, que enfrenta outros males, para além dos insetos, quando cadáveres de pessoas com marcas semelhantes às feitas pelos insetos começam a aparecer dentro das muralhas da cidade.

»»» Sentimento final:
História muito interessante, mas nem tudo é perfeito.
O desenho não acompanha a espetacularidade da história, sendo competente o suficiente, mas tem muitos espaços em branco e pouco pormenor, com muitas das vinhetas pouco preenchidas, quase a parecer em alguns casos que o desenhador se limitou ao mínimo necessário.
O que me levou, porém, às duas estrelas foi mesmo o incómodo que me causaram algumas cenas do protagonista, que eu classificaria de violência gratuita para com os seus companheiros na história, dando um péssimo exemplo de relacionamento entre pessoas e uma imagem muito pouco recomendável do protagonista.

»»» Nota final (capa e outras considerações):
--- [Capa] – Capa boa, que com pouco espaço transmite a ideia de ação e mistério que a obra oferece. As letras do título dão-lhe um aspeto meio medieval, que não parece ser o caso do que li, mas admito que dão um ar de aventura.
--- [Marca de adaptação a “tv”] – Vi capas de edições internacionais com um círculo que anuncia a adaptação da obra para a Netflix, mas eu só peço à Asa que, por favor, caso se sinta tentada a esse tipo de publicidade o faça por meio de um autocolante e não integrando o círculo na própria capa (das coisas que mais odeio no mundo editorial!)

»»» Uma espreitadela:

[Layla Crowie · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5/4 stars.

I received an eARC through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Dark and gritty, this is a fantastic manga for those interested in apocalyptic worlds and are also fans of human mutations. It flows together with a great amount of mystery about our main characters past, and the start of an interesting journey.

[Sebastien · Rating 4 out of 5]

Je suis toujours à la recherche de nouveau manga à lire, surtout des séries courtes qui arrivent a donner un plein service en peu de volumes. Doki Doki est spécialisé dans ce genre d’oeuvre et Doki Doki est aussi considéré comme une machine a médiocrité dans le domaine du manga. Beaucoup de leurs oeuvres courtes sont ordinaire, médiocre ou tout simplement incomplètes. Difficile de trouver un bon manga, donc c’est dans d’autres compagnies que je tente ma chance plus souvent qu’autrement. En fouinant longuement parmi les autres éditeurs, je suis tombé sur Cagaster, petit manga de 6 volume produit par Glénat, maison d’édition qui produit parmi les plus populaires mangas au monde (dragonball, kenshin, evangelion,etc). Après avoir lu plusieurs critiques j’ai décidé de me le procurer et voici ce que j’en ai pensé.

L’histoire de Cagaster est la typique histoire de post-apocalypse. Un virus affect l’humain et le transforme en insecte géant mangeur d’homme. On sait pas d’où vient le virus et l’humanité est maintenant grandement réduite, vie dans des wastelands et combat pour sa survie. C’est dans ce monde que Kidow, exterminateur d’insecte, devra survivre tout en protégeant une jeune fille qu’il rencontre lors d’un travail. Cette jeune fille cache plusieurs secrêts qui pourraient bien changer la vie de Kidow pour toujours.

Bien que d’un début assez basique, j’ai accroché à l’histoire après 2 pages. Kidow est noir, puissant et efficace. Il n’aime pas parler pour rien, il aime être seul et il est franchement bad-ass. Un bon héro pour une série un peu sérieuse. Mais ça ne s’arrête pas là, le jeune fille qu’il trouve, le marchand avec lequelle il travail, le tenancier du bar où il vit ainsi que tous les personnages de cette courte série sont assez intéressant pour qu’on s’attarde à savoir ce qui va leur arrivé et c’est une très bonne chose. On a pas besoin d’en savoir beaucoup pour les apprécier et c’est vraiment la force de ce manga. Il nous introduit rapidement des personnages ainsi que des aspects du monde et on s’y attache immédiatement.

Au niveau du dessin c’est assez réussi. Le style de l’auteur est simple mais efficace. J’ai juste le problème que certain dessins sont confus et ne me semble pas clairs. Bien que les scènes d’action en général soient bien présenté, j’ai eu plusieurs moment où je me suis demandé ce que j’ai vraiment vu ce qui agasse un peu le plaisir de lecture, surtout quand l’auteur n’a pas d’éditeur pour s’assurer de la fuidité de l’histoire, je vais y revenir plus tard.

Au niveau du monde, c’est là que le manga brille le plus. Le monde développé par l’auteur est vraiment riche en idée, en noirceur et surtout en développement. En fait, ce qui a été le plus génial dans ce manga c’est qu’en seulement 6 volume l’auteur vient à bout de nous présenter un monde complet, qu’on a l’impression de connaître à la fin et ce en 6 volumes. Vraiment impressionnant, je pourrais prendre cette idée et l’utiliser dans mes cession de jeu de rôle et j’aurais que très peu de détails a couvrir (en fait je vais probablement faire ma prochaine histoire dans ce contexte). Un monde maîtrisé a 100%, ça mérite mention.

Pour être franc ce manga ne comporte pas de défauts majeur à proprement dit. Le seul gros reproche est au niveau du “pacing” et de la fluidité de l’histoire. On saut souvent du coq à l’âne en sautant d’une partie d’histoire à l’autre ce qui ma souvent confus. Surtout dans les scènes finales. Pourquoi ces problèmes, l’auteur est auto-produite. Oui vous avez bien compris, l’auteur de ce manga a produit elle même son manga sur le net et a plublier elle meme son manga. Pour cette raison la recette habituelle n’est pas respecté et l’auteur évolue son histoire comme elle le veut sans contrainte éditoriales. En base c’est une bonne chose. Le manga Evil Heart que j’ai lu et critiqué est dans la même sauce et est un petit chef d’oeuvre. Mais ici il y a autant de bon que de moins bon à cause de ça. Un bon éditeur aurait demandé à ce que certaines scènes soient coupé pour laisser la place à plus d’explication sur d’autres. Certains personnages sont mal présentés et on se demande qui ils sont plus tard dans l’histoire et pire encore, on perd beaucoup de temps sur certaines scènes qui finalement aboutissent à rien dans l’histoire quand on aurait pus avoir plus de background sur Mario le tenancier travestie du bar, ou sur les soldats de la ville qui étaient eu aussi très intéressants.

Si ce n’était de quelque moment un peu long (on veut entrée plus vite dans le vif du sujet) et des moments confu par un changement de scène rapide ajouté à un manque d’explication, ce manga serait un hidden gem hors normes. Le monde, l’idée de fond, le setting ainsi que l’ambiance de ce manga sont extrêmement bien maîtrisé. Pour une oeuvre auto-produite c’est vraiment bien fait et bien produit. C’est un crime que ce manga ne soit pas plus connu et souvent ignoré.

Donc pour les raison précités, je vais donner un solide 4 étoiles à ce manga (4.75 en fait). L’histoire est bonne, le setting est solide, le dessin est vraiment bien stylisé et surtout j’ai une une histoire complète, sans trou, sans rester sur ma faim en seulement 6 volumes et 3 histoire courtes. C’est rare d’avoir un manga complètement accomplie en seulement 3 à 6 tomes. Ici l’histoire est complète, on a pas besoin de plus, on est comblé en 6 volumes. L’auteur s’est même laissé l’ouverture pour pouvoir faire une suite un jour. Mais sinon la fin ouverte n’est pas décevante et on a eu droit à une manga d’une très bonne qualité. Dommage qu’un éditeur n’ait pas pu polir l’oeuvre d’avantage.

Je conclu donc que ce manga de type série courte est très efficace, je le recommande chaudement. Il faut juste être conscient que ce manga n’est pas fait comme les autres et qu’il faut le lire comme soit. Une oeuvre original qui touche des sujets déjà vu et revu, mais dans un contexte de production libre. Ce manga fera fière figure dans ma bibliothèque, c’est un beau bijoux que malheureusement peu de gens ont su apprécié car ils ne connaissent pas son existance. Pour tout fan d’histoire post-apocalyptiques.

[Bill Cass · Rating 2 out of 5]

I received a copy of this as an advanced reading copy from Net Galley in exchange for an honest review.

Cagaster vol 1 is set in the year 2155 after (back in the year 2125) a plague called "cagaster" turns one in a thousand people into man eating bugs which are also called "cagaster." Now a young expert exterminator naked Kidou has been tasked with protecting a helpless girl named Ilie and finding her mother.

This is a basic action anime. A 17 year old boy is somehow an expert and he meets a helpless girl and the two form an instant and inseparable bond even though Kidou is a huge jerk to Ilie off the bat.

The story is weak and the characters are huge tropes. There is nothing new, challenging, or even remotely interesting about this. I've read so many others that are better. Skip this.

[Wayne McCoy · Rating 3 out of 5]

'Cagaster Vol. 1' with story and art by Kachou Hashimoto is a manga about giant bugs and a world in turmoil because of them.

Cagaster is a disease that infects people and turns them in to insects. It is determined that there is no cure, so the best way to battle Cagaster is to execute those infected. Kidou is an executioner and on a job, he executes a man and saves the man's daughter, Ilie. But Kidou doesn't want responsibility for the girl and she is left to wander in her new town.

I like the premise well enough and it could develop into a pretty good story as it goes along. It has potential, and the art is pretty good too.

I received a review copy of this manga from Diamond Book Distributors and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for allowing me to review this manga.

[Critter · Rating 1 out of 5]

The main character is an exterminator who kills these bugs that have taken over the world. Unfortunately, there didn't feel like there was much to him. It didn't feel like there was much to any of the characters that were featured in this book. They were quite static, rather than fleshed out characters. There was also a character in this who appeared to be a transphobic caricature. The plot itself felt slow and nothing really invested me this world or story.

I would like to thank Diamond Books for providing me with a copy.

[☽｡⋆ Shells (jlreads_) · Rating 2 out of 5]

As much as I wanted to enjoy this one, I couldn’t. Most of it did bore me and it didn’t hooked me.

The art is beautiful, the story concept is my thing but I find most of the scenes especially the action scenes out of place and messy. Th plot didn’t do well as well and turned out as meh.

I also didn’t like the main character and find him not interesting enough.

Hopefully the next volume will do Justice and improve.

[Cee · Rating 4 out of 5]

*I voluntarily read and reviewed an ARC of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own*

Full of action, life or death situations, and an interesting setting have this book being quite interesting. This is a good book and a hopeful start to a series. Personally, I'm not a fan of the bugs and the infections, but I do see the appeal and can see this gaining popularity.

[Jake · Rating 3 out of 5]

Post-apocalypses with stoic looking protagonist, a child who makes him feel human again, stiffs who are against the people who hunt down monsters, and a bunch of gags there because of no reason. Add to that a serial killer who targets these hunters. All things considered, there is a story here but right now I don't really have a reason to care about any of these characters.

[Ailen Garcia · Rating 4 out of 5]

× Thanks to Diamond Book Distributors and NetGalley for the eARC. It was provided in exchange for an honest review ×

Thirty years before this story begins, humanity was hit by the appearance of a virus that turns people into Cagaster, giant insects that eat humans.
Kidow is a Cagaster exterminator, and it is on a mission that he meets Ilie, a young girl who has just lost her father and has to find her mother. Kidow promises to help her and this is how the relationship between these two begins.
In general it seems to me a very good start to the series, with a little action, a little worlbuilding and a little knowledge about the characters and how they will work between them. And to end the appearance of a mysterious character. It certainly left me wanting to continue reading.
Kidow seems the typical mysterious male character but I got a pleasant surprise with Ilie, who is not the typical protagonist who does not know how to do anything. Yes, she is in a different environment than the one she grew up in, yes, she is surrounded by people who are not like her but not for that she is totally clueless.
As for the art style, I really liked it, it's quite detailed but not overwhelming.


Treinta años antes de que comience está historia la humanidad fue golpeada por la aparición de un virus que convierte a la gente en Cagaster, unos insectos gigantes que comen humanos.
Kidow es un exterminador de Cagaster, y es en una misión que conoce a Ilie, una joven chica que acaba de perder a su padre y tiene que encontrar a su madre. Kidow promete ayudarla y es así como la relación de estos dos comienza.
En general me parece un muy buen inicio de serie, con un poco de acción, un poco de worlbuilding y un poco de conocimiento sobre los personajes y como van a funcionar entre ellos. Y para finalizar la aparición de un personaje misterioso. Sin dudas me dejó con ganas de continuar leyendo.
Kidow parece el típico personaje masculino misterioso pero me llevé una agradable sorpresa con Ilie, quien no es la típica protagonista que no sabe hacer nada. Sí, está en un ambiente distinto a aquel en que creció, sí, está rodeada de gente que no es como ella pero no por eso es una despistada total.
En cuanto a las ilustraciones, me gustó mucho el estilo, es bastante detallado pero sin ser abrumador.

[Sunread26 · Rating 3 out of 5]

Chronique complète :
https://sunread26.wordpress.com/2023/...

Extrait :
J’ai lu ce premier tome il y a longtemps, je pensais d’ailleurs l’avoir chroniqué, mais visiblement, ce n’était pas le cas… Du coup, je l’ai relu, et voilà maintenant la chronique. Cagaster est une série édité chez Glénat, avec au total 6 volumes, elle place le lecteur dans un univers futuriste et post apocalyptique où une maladie mystérieuse fait rage, transformant les humains en insectes gigantesques… Si vous avez tendance à avoir peur des insectes, cette série pourrait bien en rajouter une couche.

L’intrigue commence avec un bref résumé explicatif des événements, notamment que l’humanité n’a pas cherché directement à éliminer la menace… étonnant, non ? A mes yeux, si les gens se transformaient en insectes géants et tueurs, le gouvernement ne tarderait pas à demander leur élimination. Après tout, ce n’est pas des êtres qu’ils peuvent confiner, je trouve donc cette réaction des plus étonnantes, d’autant plus qu’au final, 1/3 de l’humanité avait déjà succombée lorsqu’ils se sont décidés à agir. Est-ce un signe de la lenteur pour les prises de décisions ? Ou de la rapidité et l’efficacité de propagation de la « maladie » ? En tout cas, le monde semble avoir régressé petit à petit, tandis que les insectes commencent à former des groupes, et continuent évidemment, de voir leur nombre augmenter.

Le protagoniste, Kidow, est un exterminateur, c’est-à-dire un chasseur d’insecte (qui n’a pas de lien direct avec l’armée). Cette profession est assez mal vue, certains pensant qu’ils tuent des insectes par plaisir et qu’ils n’ont aucune compassion. Quand un humain est contaminé, il arrive désormais qu’il soit exécuté avant de se transformer, afin de minimiser les risques encourus. Pour certains, ce comportement s’avère inhumain, pour ma part, c’est un réflexe de survie qu’il faut malheureusement adopter. Il n’existe pas de vaccin, et une fois transformé les dégâts sont considérables, il est donc tout à fait normal de faire passer le bien général, au bien personnel. Après c’est sûr que cela n’empêche d’offrir une mort un minimum digne à ses malheureux, si c’est encore possible. C’est le propre de l’homme de réfléchir au bien et au mal, aucun autre être vivant ne semble le faire, ils chassent, mangent, dorment et se reproduisent sans réfléchir plus loin.

[...]

[Sara · Rating 3 out of 5]

This story begins in the year 2125, years after a strange plague called Cagaster has broken out and wiped out 2/3rds of the human population. This plague turns infected humans into giant, human-eating bugs. Kidow is an exterminator, tasked with killings infected humans and bugs alike. On an expedition, Kidow stumbles upon a father and daughter who had been attacked by bugs. The father is past saving, but he makes Kidow promise to take his daughter back to the city, E-05. Kidow gets Ilie a job at the boarding house and restaurant where he stays, and the owner, Mario, quickly takes a liking to Ilie’s positive attitude. Mario sends Ilie on an errand that has her tangled with the Mouse Brigade, a band of orphans-turned-pick-pockets. Meanwhile, a dark and mysterious stranger is targeting exterminators and killing them in brutal ways, and Kidow might be the next target!

This was an interesting story to read in the middle of a pandemic. The intro world-building said that it took 2/3rds of the population to die before the human race decided to take action, which given the current state of tensions in the U.S., would be plausible. The kid gang is straight out of Oliver, and it's a little cliché. Kidow is the typical I'm-too-young-to-be-this-good hero, but he's more interesting than Ilie, and yet this volume focuses mainly on her. One character I did appreciate was Mario, the proprietor of the boarding house. In this futuristic world, trans people seem to not be ostracized, as Mario leads a successful establishment, and his patrons don’t seem to care about his appearance (other than one aside about “the cross-dresser”, but that was more for means of identification than used as a derogatory phrase). The illustrations are a little unpolished, but special detail is paid to character’s faces. Surroundings are a little under-drawn. Overall, the world has an interesting premise, but I'm not entirely sure what the main point of the story is going to be.

Sara's Rating: 6/10
Suitability Level: Grades 9-12

This review was made possible with an advanced reader copy from the publisher.

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[Reading Bifrost · Rating 3 out of 5]

I’ve said before in other reviews that digitalized comics just don’t quite work for me. Kidou’s scar needs to be more pronounced, it looks like the artist just slipped and made a mistake on his chin. It has very simple backgrounds, no really dynamic scenes. (Shojou manga can get away with simple scenes, but something like this that’s more in the ‘action’ category, I expect more). In other words, the art just didn’t excite me.

The story is a bit strange (it’s manga!) but once you get into it, it’s pretty interesting. It takes place in an apocalyptic world where a disease has spread causing some humans to turn into giant bugs. A big part of the story involves how exterminators, like Kidou, are despised because of their jobs. I mean, they do kill people who are turning into bugs, when they still retain some of their humanity, so I could see the psychological questions on when it is considered an extermination and when it would be considered murder.

Kidou is a very likable character, playing the ‘reluctant hero’ in the manga. Not much has be revealed about him, but you just know he has some trauma in his past yet to be shown.

Ilie is one of those characters that comes off as a bit too whiny for my taste. But she is young, and by the end of the first manga she started to get a bit better.

There’s also an ‘almost there’ relationship happening between Kidou and Ilie that’s a bit disturbing in that manga way ‘it’s okay’ for older guys to go after underage girls. Please. No.

Overall, the story is there, but it only has mediocre art.

[Ruthsic · Rating 3 out of 5]

Warnings: body horror, insects, death of parent

Set in the far future where a mysterious disease turns humans into giant cannibalistic insects, Cagaster tells the story of an exterminator (as in, someone who kills said insects) called Kidow and the girl, Ilie, he rescues on one of his jobs. Having promised her father that he would deliver her to her mother, he brings her back to his home in E05, an inn where she gets a job as a waitress. This first volume doesn't have much going for it, story-wise, and it mostly informs us of the setting and the circumstances of the characters. Kidow, being an exterminator (some people consider them murderers as the insects used to be people), and a (presumably) East Asian fellow in South-West Asia, is looked upon with suspicion. There are also some murders of exterminators going on, and he seems to be the next likely target of the serial killer. Meanwhile, Ilie's PoV is her deciding to stay in the sector E (not that she can get out, considering her home sector A is quite a way from here) and her meeting some kids around. I found the artwork nice enough, but the abundant action scenes feel filler when we don't have the plot established. Currently, I'm on the fence as to whether to continue with the series.

Received an advance reader copy in exchange for a fair review from Diamond Books, via Netgalley.

[Siina · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really enjoy these dystopian all hell breaks loose types of stories. In Cagaster the year is 2125 and this mysterious illness called cagaster turns people into human eating bugs just in 20 minutes. Killing these beasts isn't murder but extermination and Kidou is one of the exterminators. Kidou ends up saving a young girl named Ilie, because her father entrusts her with him just before he dies. They are trying to find Ilie's mother and the reason to this mystery all the while trying to survive this now barren land of death. In a sense there's Gunnm and Terra Formars in this and all in all the setting is surely interesting. The rhythm isn't the best though. Hashmoto uses a lot of time to set the money stealing part and the kid gang, which feels out of place and not enough with showing the bugs and setting the world with art. Just using text boxes feels lazy.

The art is quite angular though and somewhat stiff, but not too much to bother enormously. Hashimoto may get better with this along the way, I hope. Ilie's role seems slightly too big in this first part as her story parts are light and uneventful and the whole point should be Kidou and the state of the world at first. Ilie's role is to be the kid who needs saving, which isn't my kind of thing as it's cliched. Still, I did enjoy this, since seinen does scifi the best. Interesting!

[ChamberBooks · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a manga set in 2125 that has a plague where people turn into giant man-eating insects. The story itself begins thirty years later and follows an insect hunter, Kidou, who is also trying to find his long lost friend.

For me, this felt like Attack on Titan, just with insects. It's not that the story was bad as I actually thought it was pretty cool at parts, but I felt like it lacked depth. I wasn't really sure what was happening some of the time and got lost in the story a bit. Though I think, all in all, having insects be the main antagonist threw me off. It somewhat was more comical than anything as I just imagined my friends turning into big bugs. But it wasn't a bad thing, just gave me a few good laughs since it didn't feel as threatening (though the insects in the story were very creepy and intense). I think it was just the concept itself that left me unsure of how to feel.

I will say though that the art was great and I enjoyed the action scenes. The concept may be a bit comical to me but I think if I read more chapters and really got really familiar with the characters that it would definitely grow on me

*This book was given to me for free from NetGalley in turn of an honest review.

[Rafaela (dragonsandpaperbacks) · Rating 2 out of 5]

In Cagaster Vol. 01, we're introduced to a kind of post-apocalyptic world where a deadly disease has turned any who become infected are turned into giant insects (the so-called cagasters) who have decimated the majority of the global population. Cities as we know them are gone, replaced by bug nests, and humans are forced to live out in deserted areas. The exterminator profession was created and sanctioned to deal with the creatures, but it is viewed with mixed feelings as some consider them murderers, but on the other hand there is no cure for the afflicted humans who became man-eating insects.

Kidou, the main character, is an exterminator who deals with these bugs. He's a bit of a stoic brute with a dark past who seems to care only about himself at a first glance but is a good guy on the inside. So, he isn't a terribly original character but likable enough.

It's a bittersweet story of struggling people trying to see the good in the world. Overall, it's not a bad first volume. It introduces the main characters and we get a good sense of the worldbuilding as well but there's really not that much action. I mostly enjoyed it but I will not be continuing this series.