Graineliers, Vol. 1

グライネリエ [Graineliers] #1

by Rihito Takarai

Rihito Takarai (Ten Count) pens anything but a garden variety fantasy! In a world where the seeds of plants are imbued with power, the wheels of fate begin to turn for Luca, an illegal seed cultivator, when the government-sanctioned Graineliers come to take away his father, who in turn hands Luca a rare and powerful seed...!

Genres: Manga, Fantasy, Comics, Graphic Novels, Shonen, LGBT, Yaoi

194 pages, Paperback

First published November 27, 2014

About the author

Rihito TAKARAI (宝井 理人) is a Japanese manga artist.

Takara is also known for her dōjinshi circle called Giga Traper.

Associated Names:
* Rihito Takarai
* ริฮิโตะ ทาคาราอิ (Thai Profile)

Reviews

[queen0f_hearts · Rating 4 out of 5]

First of all, the cover is a huge disappointment. Luca looks so good but what’s the deal with that plain red background??

The plot itself is very interesting and “new”. I haven’t read a manga about magical seeds yet which give the people special powers. I’m curious to find out more about what happened to Luca and also how his father was involved, since he caused his son to swallow the seeds.

Also, the relationship between Luca and Abel seems promising. Best-friends-relationships are one of the bests and I think I can presume, it’s going to be tough for them! (There’s additionally enough inspiration to ship these two, if one feels like doing so. Ten Count is one of my fav yaoi manga, therefore there’s no doubt Takarai is experienced in such subjects~)

In summary, this is a satisfying start of a new and freshly-themed series and I am definitely going to purchase the next volumes!

[Chelsea 🏳️‍🌈 · Rating 2 out of 5]

I feel like, if I was younger, I would've been a lot more invested in this premise, but I just found it really slow and not that interesting, personally. It felt like a dystopian type of society where the main characters grew up with little money, there's a lot of emphasis placed on how much food they can get that will last them and there are systems put in place to keep lower classes from interfering with the seed industry.

The characters weren't all that discernible personality wise, in my opinion. I did like the art, however.

I don't think I'll be continuing this series, to be honest.

[Julie (Let's Read Good Books) · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 stars

This was interesting. In a world where the seeds of plants are wealth, illegally cultivating or ingesting rare specimens can mean death. When Luca ingests some seeds given to him by his father before his dragged away by the authorities, Luca is changed. He no longer needs food, only water. His friend is trying to hide him from the Grainelier Institute Security Forces. If Luca's secret is discovered, he'll be banished.

Loved the art and the story is interesting.

full review to follow

[78sunny · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ich bin ein bisschen hin und hergerissen. So richtig umgehauen hat mich das ganze nicht. Zu wenig ist für meinen Geschmack inhaltlich passiert. So richtig ist gar nicht klar in welche Richtung das ganze gehen wird. Alles wirkte etwas oberflächlich und wirr. Trotzdem fand ich die Idee mit den Samen, die nun selten sind und mit den Menschen, die halb Pflanzen sind, genial und würde gern mehr dazu lesen.
Der Zeichenstil ist schön und besteht aus eher zarten Strichen. Normalerweise nicht das, was ich bevorzuge aber zur Story passte es.
Trotzdem bin ich mir nicht wirklich sicher, ob ich weiter lesen werde. Ich habe einfach zu viele Reihen, die ich viel lieber lese und wo ich noch total zurückhänge. Zeit ist kostbar und ich glaube ich würde die nur noch für die Reihe opfern, falls ich mir den Band irgendwo ausleihen könnte.

Story 3,4
(An sich sehr interessant, aber noch gibt es zu wenig Infos)
Zeichenstil 4,0/5
(filigran, detailreich)
Charakter 3,0/6
(wenig Tiefe, weder groß sympathisch noch unsympathisch)
Gesamt 3,4/5
(ich weiß noch nicht ob ich weiterlesen werde)

[Dean Lovelace · Rating 5 out of 5]

Tiene un tema muy genial.
En este mundo las plantas son la base de la economía y son muy importantes no cualquiera puede ser un jardinero, hay exámenes para todo sin quieres volverte uno de ellos.
Seguimos al protagonista Luca, que vende semillas ilegalmente y muy raras, después se encuentra con su amigo Abel en un jardín cerrado a publico a buscar semillas hablan fuerte y los pilla el guardia.
El padre de Luca es muy despreocupado con su hijo, y solo se dedica a estar en un maldito cuarto lleno de flores azules, muy raras. Luca tiene solo malos recuerdos de su padre.
El tiempo pasa y atrapan al padre de luca y este le da a su hijo unas semillas y este las come mientras su padre se entrega a la policía, después de comer estas semillas el cae en coma, y es encontrado por Abel, este le dice lo que paso y que estuvo durmiendo por 2 años.
Van a la gran ciudad y se encuentran con una misteriosa niña, esta niña tiene una semilla super rara,y esta decide plantarla en una iglesia abandonada, Luca a darse cuenta llega a la iglesia y busca por todos lados la bendita semilla, la encuentra y se pincha y al otro día la semilla ya no esta y esta un árbol enorme.
Después los van a buscar a la casa de Abel los Graineliers y van en una carreta hacia un lugar y están haciendo investigaciones para ver de cual de todos los jóvenes es el hibrido planta

[Rod Brown · Rating 2 out of 5]

Here's a sleepy, watered down take on the X-Men by way of Swamp Thing set in a fantasy world that looks vaguely like 19th century France. A reclusive father makes his son, Luca, swallow a seed that puts him into a coma. When Luca awakens, despite appearing normal on the outside, he is more plant than human. Unfortunately, the government is actively seeking and detaining seed carriers using special soldier/scientists called graineliers. A cat and mouse game begins when Luca's new form starts to manifest powers and draws the attention of a famous grainelier leader.

Very ho-hum.

[Forthright . · Rating 4 out of 5]

An intriguing fantasy with a rural/historical feel, in which certain seeds are quite rare and only certified graineliers are allowed to handle them. But Luca has learned all about plants from his dad, who's also growing things illegally. Raids and fires. Strange flowers and best friends. And so many questions that don't have answers yet. Looking forward to volume 2!

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rihito Takarai's first shounen series. Her art is as gorgeous as ever and the first volume holds a lot of potential. The ending did make me think that perhaps it'll turn into Ten Count style with Abel and Nicolas 😂, but it is very much shounen and not BL.

[Laur Henry · Rating 3 out of 5]

Super interesting concept for this manga! Looking forward to reading more and seeing the characters develop!

[frau.meln · Rating 3 out of 5]

Rihito Takarai ist vor allem für Ten Count bekannt. Ihr Zeichenstil ist sehr ästhetisch, allerdings sind ihre Charaktere zwischen ihren Geschichten äußerlich ziemlich austauschbar sind. Ich sehe in den meisten Kurose oder Shirotani.

Dafür greift sie gern außergewöhnliche Themen auf. In der von ihr geschaffenen Welt von Graineliers sind Samen und Pflanzen etwas sehr bedeutsames und alles scheint aus ihnen zu entstehen.
Diese Grundidee ist durchaus spannend. Zudem wurden bereits einige Köder gelegt um meine Neugier zu wecken.
Der Einstieg ist recht rasant, doch danach legt sich das Erzähltempo.

Allerdings finde ich die Charaktere leider sehr blass und habe noch gar kein Gefühl zu ihnen aufgebaut.

[Megan · Rating 5 out of 5]

In a world where seeds are illegal, hot boys are forced to resort to such drastic measures as donning stylish coats and gardening in secret to deal with their parental abandonment issues. This manga truly has everything. Embroidered cloaks for sneaking. Childhood friends to homoerotic business partners. Selective memory issues. Coma-induced time jumps. Super special secret powers. Criminals trying to go straight. Daddy issues. Arson. Reading this book was a 500% return on investment and I will be seeking out the rest of the series posthaste.

[noujoud · Rating 5 out of 5]

Trop biennn ce mangaaa

[Alisha · Rating 4 out of 5]

The synopsis for this volume sounded intriguing, and I'm always on the lookout for something a little bit different. Graineliers certainly sounded like it was going to be original and unlike anything I'd read before and it certainly delivered.

The art is gorgeous and detailed throughout the volume and as for the story? We're thrown straight in to the plot with no messing around. The world is rich and interesting and we get a lot of background on it in just this first volume. There's still things I want to know but we get the basics. It's certainly a unique world, and I'm excited to see more of it and how it works...and how the seeds work! This volume is just a very detailed taster!

Luca and Abel are brilliant, I love the friendship between the two of them and they cracked me up more than once. Their banter was hilarious. Luca is quite stoic and quiet and Abel is a bit more amiable, more open and loose and willing to joke. Abel's dad is pretty hilarious too and I'm hoping we get some more of him!

I'm curious to see more of Luca and what's happened to him and how it'll affect him and where his character is going to go in the story. Chloe is intriguing too, at first she kind of seems like an annoying kid but then BOOM plot twist....and I'm so ready to find out what that's all about.

There's some nice comedy elements to the volume, and I really think Abel and Luca are a good character pairing, they play off of each other nicely with Abel being the more outgoing of the pair. The chilli peppers scene was brilliantly hilarious. Hugues provided some nice humour too and I'm hoping he's going to be a permanent fixture! I haven't decided how I feel about Nicolas yet though, so I guess I'll just wait and see on that front. I'm thinking I probably won't like him much after his ominous comments at the end of the volume, but who knows.

We cover a lot of ground in this first volume, meeting characters, key events taking place, getting to grips with the world and how it works and so on. Not to mention having the main plot kicking off as we end the volume. I still have questions and we have some mystery elements regarding Luca's father that are going to be fun to unravel. I'm so excited to see where the story goes and get some clues to try and puzzle it all out! This is looking to be an original and entertaining series and I'm impressed with this first volume!

[Judyth · Rating 3 out of 5]

~3.5 Stars

I've only read Takarai's yaoi series, Ten Count, which I enjoyed but I know was met with some issues. This seems to be a very different kind of series, though, and I'm pretty sure it's not labeled yaoi, at least.
We're introduced to a dystopian world, where plant seeds are hard to find and illegal to grow on your own, and very expensive. Luca does what he can to make money, even growing some plants and selling them on the blackmarket; he lives with his dad, who he doesn't see much of, and who he knows is doing something bad, but he's not sure what. It all goes downhill very quickly, though, when the police show up and he swallows a seed that makes him black out for two years.
This is an intriguing world, though the seed thing is a little weird. The effect it has on Luca, in particular, is very odd. And then we meet this little girl, who might be similarly odd, though she could be a whole different matter as well.
I'm very intrigued. I don't feel like we got enough in this volume, and yet there was a lot explained in this volume, and we got to know the characters relatively well. I was a little unsure at first, but I might pick up the next one. I kind of want to know where this goes next. And I do rather like how Takarai develops characters, and the humor put in.

[Lucy Larsen · Rating 4 out of 5]

THIS IS A REVIEW OF ALL THE CURRENT RELEASED VOLUMES NOT JUST VOLUME 1

This was a pretty good manga and I’m kind of sad that it’s still ongoing because I really need to know what happens next.

I found this manga at my local library, so I picked it up. It only had three volumes at the library so I figured it was a short story and the plot behind it sounded super interesting so I thought I would give it a try. The magic system in this story was super interesting and dealt with seeds. Certain seeds, when eaten by humans can make them into mostly plant creatures with human appearances.

I don’t want to spoil too much about the story but the main character and the whole political system in the world is super interesting. There was also no spice in this story. I thought maybe my library just didn’t have all the volumes when I reached the end of volume three, but it looks like even in Japan (the country of origin) the story only has three volumes so far and is ongoing.

Overall, I would give this a four out of five star rating. I take one star off just because it’s not complete so I feel like, without the whole story, I can’t really give it a full five stars.

[Mayumi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Grainerie is a very interesting manga. In this world there are thousands of magical seeds. However, in order to plant those seeds or study them, a person must be a Grainerie. If a person is not a Grainerie then just by growing the plant it can become an illegal act. Because these seeds are magical they can also grow in people. But growing a plant in a person's body is considered a crime equal to murder.

I really like the main characters. Both of them click well together. The story line is also different as I expected both of them to go and become Grainerie. I did not expect Lucas to be a fugitive nor did I expect him to eat the seeds It of course did not happen like that.

The best thing I like though is the art. I like the way everyone is drawn. I especially like the way she draws all the plants and trees. They are done really well!


The last thing to note is that despite it being by Rihito Takarai, there is no BL whatsoever in this manga.

[Selena Pigoni · Rating 4 out of 5]

Volume 1 of this series was spent mostly on world and character building. Graineliers has a world in which seeds and grain seem to have magical powers, though right now the only "magic" I've seen is one seed bursting into flame on its own and Luca swallowing a couple and becoming part plant. Only government officials called Graineliers are allowed to work with these power, magical seeds, and so anyone who isn't qualified cultivates plants at great risk (death, in some cases).

So far, it's an intriguing world, and there seems to be the beginnings of a plot happening, so I'll stick around another volume and see how this plays out.

[gabi · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really like the art style in this! The plot was quite fascinating. I’m interested to see what becomes of this!

[Ottery Chocolat · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was not written for me.

There are books where the pacing is slow, and the story is long, not a lot of anything happens, perhaps some navel gazing and the artwork is pretty enough, adequate but nothing you haven't seen before and those kinds of books are a great fit for some people, like this one, but they were not written for me. Not every book is meant for everyone. I want to make that clear. Because, full disclosure, this book was not right for me.

The storytelling, the pace, and the art are all around mediocre to me. Its storytelling and subject are neither dramatic or exciting or even have any kind of forward momentum. As far as the story is concerned, not a lot happens. Luca, the hero is a very annoying, emotionless, male Rei Ayanami doll like figure without a personality which does not aid the story. Given the dull nature of the main character when the instigating events that set the story in motion occur, you don't feel any type of emotional interest or concern for his loss, either physical or temporal. His best friend is a more human character, but again, he's a paper cutout of an anime girl. The character that is usually the neighbor-girl who has a secret crush on the boy, comes over, cleans his room, feeds him because he's parentless and yells at him intensely and immensely about how she's never going to do anything for him and yet spends the whole bloody series being his mother and never grows the courage to reveal her true feelings. Only here, his name is Abel. And he's a boy. And all that passion is non-existent.

If it's supposed to be a yaoi story it fails in that regard too. There's the hint of concern for the boys for each other and then nothing. Quite literally, no walking on you when you're changing, no I'm bashful around you because I like you, no anything remotely homoerotic moments in the story at all. Simply nothing happens. Not a dang thing. They meet a person who changes the circumstances of their life and will likely cause the instigating event in the next chapter. But for my part, I will be too busy sleeping to read it.

This is a seriously hard pass. There isn't even enough to make me interested in the events of the next book. And the sad thing is the story seemed to hold such an interesting premise. Perhaps, if you're a fan of fantasy, slice of life stories this might be your cup of tea. But for myself, this is not as interesting as it seemed.

While the artwork is competent, after a while, more towards the end really, all the pretty tall boys start to look the same and honestly, I don't know that I care enough to distinguish between. Not that there are that many, the book presents maybe 3 main characters, and torturously slowly bores us with Luca and his companion.

Again, if quiet peaceful stories are your interest perhaps this might interest you, but I like drama even if it's just people arguing and feelings being emoted on paper for me to care. This books biggest failure was how empathetic it ultimately left me. Like a doll. Not unlike Luca. Don't buy it, don't read it. There are better fantasy graphic novels, better manga, and better yaoi books out there, I really don't understand why Yen Press wasted their time bringing this over. Ridiculously decompressed storytelling might work in Japan but even this is a stretch for that kind of patience.

[coffeecakeandte · Rating 2 out of 5]

Themes: Plants, dystopian
Best season to read book: Spring
My actual rating is more like a 2.5 but am rounding down simply because the only thing that was keeping me invested in this manga was the premise. It is interesting to think that seeds, when ingested, give you druid-like magic, or at least that is the result I was getting.
We have Luca who is the son of a man who is illegally harvesting or artificially growing seeds and plants. The only individuals who are authorized to do so are called Graineliers who seem to be run/organized by military authority. During a raid, the father encourages his son to flee and ingest these seeds he gives him; the son obeys but ends up in a two year coma during which his friend and aspiring Grainelier Abel. We gradually identify him as no longer fully human but is suggested to be imbued with plant-like characteristics now. Soon the government catches onto something not being right when an unauthorized rare plant is discovered after its introduction by a mysterious child name Chloe.
There are hints of scattered humor and the idea of friendship between Abel and Luca but it was not portrayed that strongly. The pacing was incredibly slow and was interested more-or-less in the beginning only. I also felt that, while the artwork was delightfully soft, I think it could have been defined a bit more; I think the artist was going for a outlines to reflect the natural theme of the manga but fell a bit. However, the art was not a deterrent enough for it to impact my review/rating. I am also left questioning a lot of the character's decisions; there does not seem to be a lot of reasoning that is explained.
I will probably pick up the second volume just to see where the story is headed, although at this point, would not recommend.

[Heather · Rating 5 out of 5]

I bought this manga based on the creator's previous work, without even reading the synopsis. Her art is really stunning and I don't agree with reviewers who say all the characters look the same.

Since I didn't read the synopsis, I didn't know what I was getting into. In the fictional world of this story, people can apparently turn into plant-monsters. Such creatures are treated as a threat to humanity and are destroyed, but in volume 1 we don't meet any such creature.

Instead we meet a boy whose father goes mad over the loss of his wife, and locks himself away in a laboratory to work on a secret project. That project ends up being a more efficient plant-monster hybrid. Just before the government breaks into his home to destroy his work and murder (?) him, the man gives his son some seeds from his new hybrid creation and tells him to eat them. The boy does, and falls into a coma. When he wakes two years later, he is a plant-human hybrid, but he looks completely human. He just can't eat, and requires lots of water to survive. At the end of volume 1, due to some DNA testing done in this steampunk-type universe, the government is aware a new mutant exists and they lay a trap to catch him.

I loved the art. The characters are interesting, though it's basically just the main character, his father, and his best friend up until the last chapter, where the antagonists and a potential new ally are introduced. I'm curious to see where this story goes. So far the main character hasn't been revealed to possess any sort of powers, yet the government has hatched an elaborate plan to smoke him out. I'm worried about him! I'll keep reading this series.

[Elyse · Rating 4 out of 5]

The story line of this manga is a little bit difficult to explain, but it is really creative and different.

In this fantasy world, seed of different types and powers are used. The only person having the rights to cultivate them are call Graineliers and are selected by the government. A small percentage of humans have absorbed seeds and have now some unknown plant-like powers. If the government get track of them, they are automatically banished and are not consider humans anymore.

Young Lucas grown & sell rare seeds even if this is illegal. His father gets caught doing the same and give the boy some unknow seed to swallow. Lucas now on the run go hide with his friend Abel.

I am curious to see where this will go. Abel & Lucas have a close friendship and hopefully this will evolve into something more. (Hey this is drawn & written by Ten Count author, so I have high expectation.) We do not really know the effect of those seed on Lucas either, since this is only the first volume.

[Ady · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sin duda, Rihito Takarai no me falla. Su calidad de trazo, composición, psicología y diseño siempre van a terminar fascinándome de esta autora, y esta nueva historia lo demuestra. Este tomo nos introduce sobre este nuevo mundo en el que las semillas son lo más valioso, así que plantarlas y comerciar con ellas está muy regulado. Aquí nuestros protagonistas nos demuestran que son capaces de lograrlo y con un pequeño giro de la historia.

Tiene un ritmo entre pausado y rápido, cuando llega el momento de explicar el mecanismo de este mundo lo hace con detalle, pero cuando el clímax avanza, todo pasa muy rápido.

Cabe recalcar que, al momento, no contiene yaoi o trazos de shonen ai, posiblemente algunos guiños aquí y allá, pero por como va la historia, no creo que la autora vaya a incorporarlo en esta historia ahora. Aunque no me quejaría por una interacción entre Luca y Abel (que se sienten como los sucesores espirituales de Shirotani y Kurose).

[Mona · Rating 5 out of 5]

Pretty boys?Check.
Favorite manga artist?Yup.
Lots of pretty plants.Present.

Basically this manga is my aesthetic.I'm so impressed with how Rihito's works never fail to meet my expectation.

I was dissapointed when I know that this wasn't going to be yaoi.I snapped out of it pretty quick.The story was so intriguing I can't stop turning the page and as usual her art style was pleasing to the eyes.

Btw you should totally check this out if you happen to be a Free! trash like me.Lucas and Abel are so freaking similar to Haru and Makoto my shipper heart sqealed.They are a pair of opposites just like MakoHaru.

Our main character Lucas with black hair and quiet,languid manner who gets super intense when it comes to his passion.Abel who has brown hair,is impossibly kind and caring,would risk his life for Lucas.Did I mention that they are childhood friends?

Just go read this already.

[Kat · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 out of 5 stars

By far, this is one of the more original fantasy manga's I've read in awhile. I can't think of any series that incorporate magic seeds that have the ability to give people special powers.

As for what those special powers are, that is unclear. Luca doesn't know what he can do yet, and, by the looks of things, depending on what seed you eat, you probably end up with a different ability.

I also really like the idea of a society that values the power of agriculture. Just simply being able to grow a certain plant in only a certain area can make or break a community, which was more true in the past then it is now in most developed countries, but is still a huge deal in developing nations.

All in all, I am definitely interested to see where this series goes, and Luca's deal is.

[Nerys Medina · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well,

The story has a slow and mysterious start. It's not bad, the concept of a system based on plants seeds sounds interesting, but we still have to wait for more character development.

Luca and Abel are childhood friends, so they have their own thing going, but at the same time, the characters still feel ungrounded and needing a bit more time for things to get interesting.

The pace of the story has the whimsical way that Takarai-sensei is knowns for, but at the same time, it feels just a tiny bit confusing.

I'll wait for volume 2 in order to be more conclusive with my opinion, after all, the ending of this first vol leaves our characters in a tight spot.

[Ruby Treasure · Rating 4 out of 5]

Graineliers has a very unique premise that I found intriguing, I mean seeds that give people plant powers? What!? The world building in this volume is quite nice and you can already get a feel for how the universe works. I hope to see it fleshed out more as the story continues.

There are only a few characters so far and they were a little bland, that may just be something that comes with time as well as getting to know the characters more. I also thought it was a little boring at some points, but it is the first volume so there was a fair amount of set up. That said, I am very much looking forward to the second volume and will definitely be picking it up when it comes out.

[Pauline · Rating 3 out of 5]

Takarai's strength tends to lie in deeply sensual, drawn-out romances, usually featuring deeply flawed (or broken) main leads. Takarai's attempt to go mainstream seems to have caused her to forget her strengths and lose sight of why so many people love her work.

While the world she's created is interesting, and the apparent central mystery curious, it never really succeeded in drawing me in. The two main leads also seem rather blase and I never really found myself rooting for them at any point. I'll read a couple of the follow-ups to give it a proper chance, but it didn't truly excite me and I'll be taking my sweet time with this series before I make any final decisions.

[Sesana · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's an interesting concept, but I don't think it's really been adequately explained in this volume. It's a vaguely French land where seeds have special value and special, vaguely defined magic. I expect that this will get expanded on and explained more in later volumes. The main character is kind of bland, though I did like his relationship with his childhood friend. The last chapter introduces an antagonist who could really grow into an interesting character. I'm not sure yet if I'll continue with this series. The world didn't really capture my interest the way I was hoping it would.

[ricardo · Rating 5 out of 5]

Graineliers is something new. Never read something alike. The plot is very different and the boys are all handsome. We have Lucas, our protagonist; Abel, his best friend; Hugues, who, in my opinion is probably the cutest; and there's Lord Nicolas. Can't say much about Lord Nicolas but he is quite intriguing.

The cover is plain but it's still beautiful. Wish they would have added some outline of flowers behind Lucas. Here's to hoping it is BL. ❤