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人形の国 [Ningyou no Kuni] #1
APOSIMZ, Vol. 1
This story takes place on the frigid, massive artificial planet known as Aposimz. Eo, Biko and Etherow, residents of the White Diamond Beam, are in the middle of combat training when suddenly a girl appears, Rebedoan Empire soldiers in hot pursuit. The girl asks for their help in keeping safe a “code” and seven mysterious “bullets.” This chance encounter marks a major shift in the fate of the entire planet…
178 pages, Kindle Edition
First published May 9, 2017
60 people are currently reading
453 people want to read
About the author
Tsutomu Nihei
214 books736 followersSee also 弐瓶 勉.
Tsutomu Nihei (弐瓶 勉 Nihei Tsutomu, born 1971) is a Japanese manga artist. His cyberpunk-influenced artwork has gained a strong cult following. He has a relatively large community of fans in Germany where his manga Blame!, NOiSE and Biomega were published by Ehapa. Blame! was also published in France and Spain by Glénat, in the US by Tokyopop and in Italy by Panini Comics.
At first he studied architecture and later it is shown up in his manga works with drawing huge structures. This became one of his general theme that makes his manga unique. His works are usually in black and white. He is also an avid fan of the video game series Halo, as he mentions in his commentary section in the Halo Graphic Novel.
Taken from Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tsutomu_...
Tsutomu Nihei (弐瓶 勉 Nihei Tsutomu, born 1971) is a Japanese manga artist. His cyberpunk-influenced artwork has gained a strong cult following. He has a relatively large community of fans in Germany where his manga Blame!, NOiSE and Biomega were published by Ehapa. Blame! was also published in France and Spain by Glénat, in the US by Tokyopop and in Italy by Panini Comics.
At first he studied architecture and later it is shown up in his manga works with drawing huge structures. This became one of his general theme that makes his manga unique. His works are usually in black and white. He is also an avid fan of the video game series Halo, as he mentions in his commentary section in the Halo Graphic Novel.
Taken from Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tsutomu_...
Ratings & Reviews
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 70 reviews
December 16, 2022
Volumes 1-4 review:
My initial reaction to Aposimz was pretty bad. I was still peeved about the ending to Knights of Sidonia, and when I saw the oneshot for Aposimz (Ningyou no Kuni /Doll Country ), I was in despair at how wispy and sketchy Nihei's art had become. The style I fell in love with in Blame! and Biomega had softened to near unrecognizability over the course of Sidonia . I'd hoped that a new manga might mean a new style, but what I saw was a smooth continuation of late Sidonia . I didn't have much hope for the full manga, and read it with a feeling of obligation.
Re-reading what's been published up to now, the story's actually pretty snappy when read all at once, rather than spread out over 2 years for 4 volumes of material. I still wish he would connect up some of these wispy lines and find his old black inkpot once in a while, but his design sense for all things architectural, technological and monstrous is as strong as ever.
A great deal of Aposimz will be very familiar to readers of Nihei's older manga. The name is pulled from Sidonia, the exterior environments are whitewashed Blame!, the interior environments and character designs are very similar to Sidonia, the automatons recall a mixture of Blame! and Biomega 's creatures, the Regular Frames are Kamen Rider -ified black gauna, Titania combines the qualities of the mysterious trio from Abara with the feminine A.I. of Biomega , even his more esoteric interests like ball joints and drinking women's urine can be found here. Nihei is no stranger to reusing elements between his series (Toha Heavy Industries, the GBE, the gauna, etc), but those were really more like Easter eggs. His previous works all have strong independent identities. But is the same true of Aposimz ?
The obvious point of departure are the Regular Frames, which have more overt superhero element than anything Nihei's done before, with some of the designs being a little on the silly side. Nihei's works usually feature a great deal of fighting, but it was typically between massively mismatched combatants or against unintelligent foes. With the Frame fights, Nihei's trying to go for fights that rely on an interplay of different powers, but the fights are usually over so quickly they don't leave a strong impression. There's been some improvement over time on that front, but it isn't Nihei's forte.
World design has always been one of Nihei's strongest points, and the worlds have always been in some way the main characters of his works. Aposimz seems to be trying to continue the success of Sidonia's versatile setting by contrasting the desolate surface with the cramped and chaotic interior, I suppose to evoke a sense of being caught between two undesirable extremities. But neither of these really brings anything particularly new to the table. There is the promise of the "core world" below the ruins to enliven things. If the core of Aposimz is engaging and memorable enough it could make or break this manga. Most of the manga's long-standing mysteries are tied up with what lives and exists in the core, but unlike Sidonia , the mysteries Nihei has set up here seem like they could be satisfactorily explained. But then again, given how Biomega turned out I won't get my hopes up. I'll settle for some really striking images.
Characterization is not particularly deep or strong, but it's functional. Etherow returns to Nihei's old staple of the wandering strong silent type, but he does actually speak and emote every now and again. Keisha starts out with a bit of a prideful side, but nothing else really distinguishes her from a horde of other female supporting protagonists in manga. She's deferential to Etherow due to his strength and shares his sense of justice. Titania, on the other hand, is the star of the manga for me. Her tiny lizard-like body is a callback to my favourite characters from Abara, so I couldn't help but like her from the start. She combines wisdom, bravery, and pragmatism, yet also serves as a source of comic relief due to the incongruity between her design and her personality, like when she gets caught in rat traps or grows out hair to disguise herself as a fluffy animal. I really think she ranks up there with Sidonia's Tsumugi (who is in several ways her opposite) as one Nihei's best creations. Her human form on the other hand, I could take or leave. It helps give her some more physical presence in certain scenes but it is not in itself interesting to me. I much preferred her human form's design in the oneshot, which had a strong Abara influence, giving her a slightly more menacing vibe, which was also reflected in her vindictive dialogue there. I hope those elements return later on, but I'm not holding my breath.
The antagonists are a pretty typical megalomaniacal empire, they're either transparently villainous (Yiyu) or duplicitously villainous (Jate, Fyuma). There isn't really any suggestion they may have some kind of legitimacy, but we also don't really know why they want to breach the core. The emperor seems like he could have an interesting relation to the core, given that he appeared in the oneshot as a frame disease sufferer brought to the core by Titania. If this remains canon and the relationship between him and Titania is explored further, that could go a long way to making his empire more interesting. As is, his subordinates are mostly just canon fodder impeding the progress of Etherow.
Overall, Aposimz is a solid start with potential to grow as we get closer to the core, but knowing Nihei's tendency to lose track of the plot toward the end of his series, I wouldn't expect it to improve massively.
Nihei connections I'm compiling:
My initial reaction to Aposimz was pretty bad. I was still peeved about the ending to Knights of Sidonia, and when I saw the oneshot for Aposimz (Ningyou no Kuni /Doll Country ), I was in despair at how wispy and sketchy Nihei's art had become. The style I fell in love with in Blame! and Biomega had softened to near unrecognizability over the course of Sidonia . I'd hoped that a new manga might mean a new style, but what I saw was a smooth continuation of late Sidonia . I didn't have much hope for the full manga, and read it with a feeling of obligation.
Re-reading what's been published up to now, the story's actually pretty snappy when read all at once, rather than spread out over 2 years for 4 volumes of material. I still wish he would connect up some of these wispy lines and find his old black inkpot once in a while, but his design sense for all things architectural, technological and monstrous is as strong as ever.
A great deal of Aposimz will be very familiar to readers of Nihei's older manga. The name is pulled from Sidonia, the exterior environments are whitewashed Blame!, the interior environments and character designs are very similar to Sidonia, the automatons recall a mixture of Blame! and Biomega 's creatures, the Regular Frames are Kamen Rider -ified black gauna, Titania combines the qualities of the mysterious trio from Abara with the feminine A.I. of Biomega , even his more esoteric interests like ball joints and drinking women's urine can be found here. Nihei is no stranger to reusing elements between his series (Toha Heavy Industries, the GBE, the gauna, etc), but those were really more like Easter eggs. His previous works all have strong independent identities. But is the same true of Aposimz ?
The obvious point of departure are the Regular Frames, which have more overt superhero element than anything Nihei's done before, with some of the designs being a little on the silly side. Nihei's works usually feature a great deal of fighting, but it was typically between massively mismatched combatants or against unintelligent foes. With the Frame fights, Nihei's trying to go for fights that rely on an interplay of different powers, but the fights are usually over so quickly they don't leave a strong impression. There's been some improvement over time on that front, but it isn't Nihei's forte.
World design has always been one of Nihei's strongest points, and the worlds have always been in some way the main characters of his works. Aposimz seems to be trying to continue the success of Sidonia's versatile setting by contrasting the desolate surface with the cramped and chaotic interior, I suppose to evoke a sense of being caught between two undesirable extremities. But neither of these really brings anything particularly new to the table. There is the promise of the "core world" below the ruins to enliven things. If the core of Aposimz is engaging and memorable enough it could make or break this manga. Most of the manga's long-standing mysteries are tied up with what lives and exists in the core, but unlike Sidonia , the mysteries Nihei has set up here seem like they could be satisfactorily explained. But then again, given how Biomega turned out I won't get my hopes up. I'll settle for some really striking images.
Characterization is not particularly deep or strong, but it's functional. Etherow returns to Nihei's old staple of the wandering strong silent type, but he does actually speak and emote every now and again. Keisha starts out with a bit of a prideful side, but nothing else really distinguishes her from a horde of other female supporting protagonists in manga. She's deferential to Etherow due to his strength and shares his sense of justice. Titania, on the other hand, is the star of the manga for me. Her tiny lizard-like body is a callback to my favourite characters from Abara, so I couldn't help but like her from the start. She combines wisdom, bravery, and pragmatism, yet also serves as a source of comic relief due to the incongruity between her design and her personality, like when she gets caught in rat traps or grows out hair to disguise herself as a fluffy animal. I really think she ranks up there with Sidonia's Tsumugi (who is in several ways her opposite) as one Nihei's best creations. Her human form on the other hand, I could take or leave. It helps give her some more physical presence in certain scenes but it is not in itself interesting to me. I much preferred her human form's design in the oneshot, which had a strong Abara influence, giving her a slightly more menacing vibe, which was also reflected in her vindictive dialogue there. I hope those elements return later on, but I'm not holding my breath.
The antagonists are a pretty typical megalomaniacal empire, they're either transparently villainous (Yiyu) or duplicitously villainous (Jate, Fyuma). There isn't really any suggestion they may have some kind of legitimacy, but we also don't really know why they want to breach the core. The emperor seems like he could have an interesting relation to the core, given that he appeared in the oneshot as a frame disease sufferer brought to the core by Titania. If this remains canon and the relationship between him and Titania is explored further, that could go a long way to making his empire more interesting. As is, his subordinates are mostly just canon fodder impeding the progress of Etherow.
Overall, Aposimz is a solid start with potential to grow as we get closer to the core, but knowing Nihei's tendency to lose track of the plot toward the end of his series, I wouldn't expect it to improve massively.
Nihei connections I'm compiling:
November 17, 2019
I don't read a lot of manga, but Aposimz attracted me with its art style, which seems finer and more restrained than other manga, almost towards European sci-fi comics of the 70s.
I'm not sure I fully understand what I just read, so I've decided to go with the flow - "sure, alright..".
There's quite a lot of body horror. There are people in bodyformed mechs, called regular frames, actually made from placenta and Haigh particles ("sure, alright.."). The regular frames function as battle armour and eeeeeverything costs placenta or particles. Want to evade a blow? It'll cost you. Want to fire off a nice placenta bullet from your wrist-mounted cannon? There's a price.
There's an 'automaton' called Titania, who looks like a crossing between a cat skeleton and a tapeworm, and still manages to look cute. Titania also can look like a pretty manga girl for short periods of time ("sure, alright..").
The story has a video game structure to it - our hero Etherow can replenish his placenta by eating, but there's a limit to how much he can store. So he has to defeat other regular framed mini-bosses to slurp up their placenta to upgrade and expand his.. placenta cavity..? .. techno-womb..? And then it's on to the main baddie in coming volumes, I expect.
I really do like the art! Sure! Alright!
I'm not sure I fully understand what I just read, so I've decided to go with the flow - "sure, alright..".
There's quite a lot of body horror. There are people in bodyformed mechs, called regular frames, actually made from placenta and Haigh particles ("sure, alright.."). The regular frames function as battle armour and eeeeeverything costs placenta or particles. Want to evade a blow? It'll cost you. Want to fire off a nice placenta bullet from your wrist-mounted cannon? There's a price.
There's an 'automaton' called Titania, who looks like a crossing between a cat skeleton and a tapeworm, and still manages to look cute. Titania also can look like a pretty manga girl for short periods of time ("sure, alright..").
The story has a video game structure to it - our hero Etherow can replenish his placenta by eating, but there's a limit to how much he can store. So he has to defeat other regular framed mini-bosses to slurp up their placenta to upgrade and expand his.. placenta cavity..? .. techno-womb..? And then it's on to the main baddie in coming volumes, I expect.
I really do like the art! Sure! Alright!
December 26, 2018
The sparseness in both the illustrations and the dialogue was quite the contrast to the last few busier mangas I have read. I love BLAME!, and while APOSIMZ had some reminiscent post-apocalyptic cyberpunk formulas, there were enough unique traits to make it stand out from Nihei's series and other beloved sci-fi manga.
March 18, 2023
4 stars for how beautiful the art was but ngl I was so confused
June 11, 2021
This is a kick-ass sci-fi series with lots of body horror and adult Star Wars-like world building mixed with epic, Anime-fights.
Tsutomu's drawing style is radically different from his earlier work. Lots of sparse, thin outlines that are fractured like the cold and inhospitable planet surface with barely any black. It fits the world-building and makes it stand out from the competition.
I've just finished the sixth book and enjoyed the expanded world-building and enemy boss fights as well as the workings underneath the planet's surface.
I hope the author/artist has an end in mind and doesn't needlessly stretch the series.
Highly recommended, especially if you dig a planetary sci-fi space opera, post-apocalyptic and body horror story mix.
Tsutomu's drawing style is radically different from his earlier work. Lots of sparse, thin outlines that are fractured like the cold and inhospitable planet surface with barely any black. It fits the world-building and makes it stand out from the competition.
I've just finished the sixth book and enjoyed the expanded world-building and enemy boss fights as well as the workings underneath the planet's surface.
I hope the author/artist has an end in mind and doesn't needlessly stretch the series.
Highly recommended, especially if you dig a planetary sci-fi space opera, post-apocalyptic and body horror story mix.
April 3, 2025
2025 review
Lolol apparently I read this last year, I have absolutely zero recollection of that! the story doesn’t seem familiar To me at all! Still really good though, keeping the 4 star rating
2024 review
For some reason it kinda reminds me of the manga, Ultraman and the comic, Descender. So if u like both of those, give this a shot
Lolol apparently I read this last year, I have absolutely zero recollection of that! the story doesn’t seem familiar To me at all! Still really good though, keeping the 4 star rating
2024 review
For some reason it kinda reminds me of the manga, Ultraman and the comic, Descender. So if u like both of those, give this a shot
October 31, 2022
Se nota mucho la influencia de Blame! en esta obra del mismo autor (en el mundo, los personajes ...), pero ésta parece más accesible, de mejor comprensión. Aunque por eso mismo pierde parte de la esencia que caracteriza la primera.
El dibujo es demasiado claro, poco definido. Entendible porque la acción se sitúa en un mundo helado, aunque le resta potencia e impacto.
Personajes y enemigos muy al estilo Blame! (mezcla de carne y robótica).
En resumen, una obra a seguir si eres fan del autor, o un buen punto de entrada si no has leído nada del mismo.
El dibujo es demasiado claro, poco definido. Entendible porque la acción se sitúa en un mundo helado, aunque le resta potencia e impacto.
Personajes y enemigos muy al estilo Blame! (mezcla de carne y robótica).
En resumen, una obra a seguir si eres fan del autor, o un buen punto de entrada si no has leído nada del mismo.
April 5, 2024
(i'm not going to do an individual review for each book, but in total it was 9 volumes at 1458 pages)
love nihei! wish he'd been given more time to work on this, it felt... odd? too long in some ways (too many battles, even if they looked rad), and too short in others (last volume had to cut the series short and made it feel rushed).
as always, his use of liminal space and spidery line work is [kisses fingers like a chef]. very excited for his next series to be translated, but until then: this was a treat!
love nihei! wish he'd been given more time to work on this, it felt... odd? too long in some ways (too many battles, even if they looked rad), and too short in others (last volume had to cut the series short and made it feel rushed).
as always, his use of liminal space and spidery line work is [kisses fingers like a chef]. very excited for his next series to be translated, but until then: this was a treat!
December 11, 2019
As others have noted, the art style in Aposimz is drastically different from the creator's work on Blame! Tom 1 and Knights of Sidonia 1. While the shapes may be similar, Tsutomu Nihei deconstructs his line work so that it looks intentionally thin, sparse, and fractured. In my opinion, this works very well, for the most part, because it fits the ambience of the dystopian desert space setting and slows the readers' eyes down in a way that enhances the sequential art storytelling of the action scenes. I will admit, however, that I found the art frustrating during non-combat sequences, because it just made the book hard to read, and I imagine that readers who have difficulty with low contrast might not be able to read this at all.
Aposimz 1, for me, is a good combination of the familiar, mashed up to be something a little bit different. It is a mash-up of many things we seen before (shojo power-up quest, dystopian zombies, giant robot (but in this case weird code that makes you a badass alien-looking thing), and Star Wars with the oppressed people eking out a living under the yoke of an Empire), but in my opinion, it's working well insofar as it makes me want to read more.
Aposimz 1, for me, is a good combination of the familiar, mashed up to be something a little bit different. It is a mash-up of many things we seen before (shojo power-up quest, dystopian zombies, giant robot (but in this case weird code that makes you a badass alien-looking thing), and Star Wars with the oppressed people eking out a living under the yoke of an Empire), but in my opinion, it's working well insofar as it makes me want to read more.
April 25, 2019
Things go at a swift pace in this manga volume. Unfortunately, I think the quick pace actually detached me from the story and made me just not care about the characters or what happens to them. Also, the brief moments of humor were so quick and sparing that it didn’t help the overall somber mood.
May 1, 2021
APOSIMZ is about what you'd get if you cross-bred two of Nihei's earlier works, BLAME! (he seems to have a thing for titles in all caps), and Knights of Sidonia: the overall setting, atmosphere, and high-powered gunplay of the former, and the larger cast of characters of the latter. Thankfully though, there's more variety to the character designs than in Knights, so everyone doesn't look the same.
The plot actually feels like something taken from a 16-bit RPG, now that I think of it. A tragedy befalls the main character's hometown, and it falls on him to put a stop to those responsible. There's a bit more to it than that, but that's the gist. Where the series is really hooking me so far is in its world-building. Nihei has a knack for tackling strange, high-concept themes in his stories, and APOSIMZ is no different. The titular "planet" is entirely artificial, and centuries ago, a war was fought against the "core" and the side that lost got exiled to the surface, where resources are scarce, conditions are harsh, and warring factions have rendered peace a fairytale. The interesting twist is that the people, themselves, also appear to be artificial (it's unclear if there are "people" in the core or not at this point), and their bodies, or "frames," are liable to suffer severe, almost zombie-like degradation. There are exceptions, but that's where one of the series' stumbling blocks appears: the esoteric terminology.
"Regular frames" are evolved, or enhanced bodies that are more durable, and can do remarkable things. They're composed and/or powered by a substance called "placenta," (ew) and each regular frame has its own limit on the amount of placenta it can hold. BUT, certain abilities of regular frames are instead powered by "Haighs particles" (close to the "Higgs particles" from Knights of Sidonia, making me wonder if this is in the same universe somehow), that, um...haven't been fully explained yet. And then there are automatons, and weapons and ammunition with special acronyms...it can get a little confusing, and in a way, it adds to the RPG flavor, if you think of the various things as MP, or stamina, or whatever.
Still, it's one of Nihei's trademark bizarre, techno-fantasy worlds, with all the mysteries and strange mindsets that come along with them. It's also bolstered by his excellent artwork--though with finer lines, and softer shadows than I'm used to. Bottom line: If you're in the mood for a manga with a distinctive sci-fi setting, unusual technology, and characters who aren't all teenagers (always refreshing!), and you don't mind a relatively straightforward plot, you'll find a lot to enjoy so far in APOSIMZ.
The plot actually feels like something taken from a 16-bit RPG, now that I think of it. A tragedy befalls the main character's hometown, and it falls on him to put a stop to those responsible. There's a bit more to it than that, but that's the gist. Where the series is really hooking me so far is in its world-building. Nihei has a knack for tackling strange, high-concept themes in his stories, and APOSIMZ is no different. The titular "planet" is entirely artificial, and centuries ago, a war was fought against the "core" and the side that lost got exiled to the surface, where resources are scarce, conditions are harsh, and warring factions have rendered peace a fairytale. The interesting twist is that the people, themselves, also appear to be artificial (it's unclear if there are "people" in the core or not at this point), and their bodies, or "frames," are liable to suffer severe, almost zombie-like degradation. There are exceptions, but that's where one of the series' stumbling blocks appears: the esoteric terminology.
"Regular frames" are evolved, or enhanced bodies that are more durable, and can do remarkable things. They're composed and/or powered by a substance called "placenta," (ew) and each regular frame has its own limit on the amount of placenta it can hold. BUT, certain abilities of regular frames are instead powered by "Haighs particles" (close to the "Higgs particles" from Knights of Sidonia, making me wonder if this is in the same universe somehow), that, um...haven't been fully explained yet. And then there are automatons, and weapons and ammunition with special acronyms...it can get a little confusing, and in a way, it adds to the RPG flavor, if you think of the various things as MP, or stamina, or whatever.
Still, it's one of Nihei's trademark bizarre, techno-fantasy worlds, with all the mysteries and strange mindsets that come along with them. It's also bolstered by his excellent artwork--though with finer lines, and softer shadows than I'm used to. Bottom line: If you're in the mood for a manga with a distinctive sci-fi setting, unusual technology, and characters who aren't all teenagers (always refreshing!), and you don't mind a relatively straightforward plot, you'll find a lot to enjoy so far in APOSIMZ.
October 10, 2021
Tsutomu Nihei's sci-fi themes seem to be present in this new work. The story takes place on a frigid artificial planet known as Aposimz, which has an overall vibe similar to that found in Blame! and the later half of Biomega. As you might expect, this first volume will aim to introduce you to the protagonists, and more importantly begin to build the world that is Aposimz. This initial volume is the first three chapters.
One nice thing worth mentioning is that the protagonist, Etherow, is a little less cold than Killy (or what Killy has become) in Blame!, and there's also a cool and knowledgeable automaton similar to Cibo (Blame!) or Fuyu (Biomega).
The action in this manga is best described as either OP or very too-the-point, or maybe high-stakes. It's a cruel/tough world where everything can change in an instant, and the outcome of that instant is determined by what little resources are available.
The art style itself is very much what you know, or will come to know, Tsutomu Nihei for, but with the contrast turned way down. The low contrast aesthetic lends itself to the frigid atmosphere being established. There are times, though, when I would have liked it if he had dipped into his inkpot now and then and used some blacks to add more detail.
Aposimz was the name of the other seed ship in Knights of Sidonia. I'm not sure if this Aposimz is that ship, or perhaps a body colonised by that ship, or if the name is nothing more than an Easter egg of sorts.
On the title page for this volume, we learn that 50-centuries ago there was a war against the core of this artificial planet, and the people that lost have been forced to live (illegitimately) on the frigid outer-parts of the planet. Below the surface lies ruins, followed by a "megastructural" shell, then the central control level; and I can only wonder what lies below as we progress in this series. In this first volume we're introduced to the idea that mankind is already a mix of human and post-human, but we also see what may be AI life as well, so of course I'm very interested in what sorts of variations of those beings we'll encounter over time. And of course, I'm especially waiting for a glimpse of our favourite mega corporation: Toha Heavy Industries.
One nice thing worth mentioning is that the protagonist, Etherow, is a little less cold than Killy (or what Killy has become) in Blame!, and there's also a cool and knowledgeable automaton similar to Cibo (Blame!) or Fuyu (Biomega).
The action in this manga is best described as either OP or very too-the-point, or maybe high-stakes. It's a cruel/tough world where everything can change in an instant, and the outcome of that instant is determined by what little resources are available.
The art style itself is very much what you know, or will come to know, Tsutomu Nihei for, but with the contrast turned way down. The low contrast aesthetic lends itself to the frigid atmosphere being established. There are times, though, when I would have liked it if he had dipped into his inkpot now and then and used some blacks to add more detail.
Aposimz was the name of the other seed ship in Knights of Sidonia. I'm not sure if this Aposimz is that ship, or perhaps a body colonised by that ship, or if the name is nothing more than an Easter egg of sorts.
On the title page for this volume, we learn that 50-centuries ago there was a war against the core of this artificial planet, and the people that lost have been forced to live (illegitimately) on the frigid outer-parts of the planet. Below the surface lies ruins, followed by a "megastructural" shell, then the central control level; and I can only wonder what lies below as we progress in this series. In this first volume we're introduced to the idea that mankind is already a mix of human and post-human, but we also see what may be AI life as well, so of course I'm very interested in what sorts of variations of those beings we'll encounter over time. And of course, I'm especially waiting for a glimpse of our favourite mega corporation: Toha Heavy Industries.
January 5, 2023
Very interesting - both artistically and story-wise - SF story.
Story is placed on the surface of gigantic planetary mega-structure. Inner core is ruled by the chosen ones (victors in the large war waged in the past) while everyone else is forced to live on the surface, under harsh conditions.
And so story begins, small military training group comes under attack from Rebedoa Empire when they try to assist the unknown girl running away from the Rebedoa pursuers. This results in a very high cost for our heroes.
Wont go into more details here because I do not want to spoil experience to other readers.
Some very interesting concepts are given here - endowing people with the so called Frames, basically providing nanobots (I think, they are called placenta here) to strengthen the body and provide one with armor and advanced weapons, to as long as body can produce energy for it.
Everything is very game-like, as story progresses our main character Etherow will level up with every battle he survives. Enemies, Rebedoa Empire, are ruthless and fielding the same type of Frames. While Etherow survives initial challenges it is visible that there is more to come.
Art is very interesting. When it comes to panoramas and epicness of battle scenes, they are still the trademarks of the author, well established in Blame series.
But, unlike Blame, art style is very much like pointillism in pencil strokes - everything is very light and distorted, strong lines come into play in some panels but majority plays out like a mirage, trembling around the edges, I have to admit it does take some time to accommodate to but after a while it does create certain dynamic art. In general characters are no longer lanky ones from the Blame but with more proportional bodies, although almost everyone from this Etherow's military training unit look like kids. Gotta be related to the story itself.
All in all, interesting story. I am on a lookout for other volumes.
Recommended to fans of SF.
Story is placed on the surface of gigantic planetary mega-structure. Inner core is ruled by the chosen ones (victors in the large war waged in the past) while everyone else is forced to live on the surface, under harsh conditions.
And so story begins, small military training group comes under attack from Rebedoa Empire when they try to assist the unknown girl running away from the Rebedoa pursuers. This results in a very high cost for our heroes.
Wont go into more details here because I do not want to spoil experience to other readers.
Some very interesting concepts are given here - endowing people with the so called Frames, basically providing nanobots (I think, they are called placenta here) to strengthen the body and provide one with armor and advanced weapons, to as long as body can produce energy for it.
Everything is very game-like, as story progresses our main character Etherow will level up with every battle he survives. Enemies, Rebedoa Empire, are ruthless and fielding the same type of Frames. While Etherow survives initial challenges it is visible that there is more to come.
Art is very interesting. When it comes to panoramas and epicness of battle scenes, they are still the trademarks of the author, well established in Blame series.
But, unlike Blame, art style is very much like pointillism in pencil strokes - everything is very light and distorted, strong lines come into play in some panels but majority plays out like a mirage, trembling around the edges, I have to admit it does take some time to accommodate to but after a while it does create certain dynamic art. In general characters are no longer lanky ones from the Blame but with more proportional bodies, although almost everyone from this Etherow's military training unit look like kids. Gotta be related to the story itself.
All in all, interesting story. I am on a lookout for other volumes.
Recommended to fans of SF.
November 7, 2021
Was the artist afraid to push down on that pencil just a tiny bit harder? The lines of the artwork look frail and incomplete. I guess that saves on some ink. At one point the number 47 is mentioned which I have some affinity for. Is it enough to warrant a high rating? Given that the story is pretty fun and surprisingly well explained (unlike some of the author's previous stuff), it would appear so. The info dump is a bit much, but it all makes sense in a futuristic dysopian setting kind of way.
A cataclysmic war has exiled a people on the outer shell of the planet Aposimz where winter is perpetual and food is scarce. The people living on the core were the winners of that war, while the surface dwellers like Etherow's bunch struggle to survive. It gets worse when they get emboiled in a conflict with Yiyu, a Rebedoan lord who is also a regular frame (supersoldier with superpowers), after recovering some artifacts stolen from the Rebedoan emperor. Etherow is transformed into a regular frame, but of far inferior strength. Thankfully, he meets a stick-like creature named Titania who will guide him through his quest that may change the destiny of the planet.
A cataclysmic war has exiled a people on the outer shell of the planet Aposimz where winter is perpetual and food is scarce. The people living on the core were the winners of that war, while the surface dwellers like Etherow's bunch struggle to survive. It gets worse when they get emboiled in a conflict with Yiyu, a Rebedoan lord who is also a regular frame (supersoldier with superpowers), after recovering some artifacts stolen from the Rebedoan emperor. Etherow is transformed into a regular frame, but of far inferior strength. Thankfully, he meets a stick-like creature named Titania who will guide him through his quest that may change the destiny of the planet.
September 15, 2025
**This review is for the entire series**
Eons ago residents of Aposimz fled the utopian core of their world to live with greater freedom on the planet's surface, vowing never to return. After thousands of years of strife and war, the surface world was rendered a frozen wasteland and the peoples that inhabited it split into many disparate factions. The largest civilization, calling itself the empire, seeks to rail against their forebears and gain back acess to their idylic core world by any means necessary. One day a young surface dweller from a modest faction becomes embroiled in a conflict between agents of the empire and an automaton from the core, soon being entrusted with a dangerous technology that if it were to fall in the empire's hands could mean the destruction of the core and Aposimz itself.
This was a pretty mixed bag. All the big draws of a Nihei work were present and pretty engaging; from a vast dystopic world to large action set pieces filled with inventive creatures and intriguing tech. The art, while not my favorite among his ouvre, does a great job at selling these aspects and fits the desolate, snowcapped setting well. Aposimz also develops an uncharacteristically large cast of characters with diverse backgrounds and at least serviceably different motivations, which was a surprising treat compared to the sparse nature of works like "Blame!". However, the plot is very messy; chock full of deus ex machinas, odd variations in pace, and very clunky / expository writing (though this could be in part due to a poor translation). While I kind of like the overall narrative's trajectory, the execution is not only sloppy but the dependence on hero worship / chosen one power fantasy (not to mention frequent hornball fanservice) only served to put a further drag on the experience. While there was an interesting tale to be told here, I think the story would have better served with a more slow-burn and cryptic execution.
Eons ago residents of Aposimz fled the utopian core of their world to live with greater freedom on the planet's surface, vowing never to return. After thousands of years of strife and war, the surface world was rendered a frozen wasteland and the peoples that inhabited it split into many disparate factions. The largest civilization, calling itself the empire, seeks to rail against their forebears and gain back acess to their idylic core world by any means necessary. One day a young surface dweller from a modest faction becomes embroiled in a conflict between agents of the empire and an automaton from the core, soon being entrusted with a dangerous technology that if it were to fall in the empire's hands could mean the destruction of the core and Aposimz itself.
This was a pretty mixed bag. All the big draws of a Nihei work were present and pretty engaging; from a vast dystopic world to large action set pieces filled with inventive creatures and intriguing tech. The art, while not my favorite among his ouvre, does a great job at selling these aspects and fits the desolate, snowcapped setting well. Aposimz also develops an uncharacteristically large cast of characters with diverse backgrounds and at least serviceably different motivations, which was a surprising treat compared to the sparse nature of works like "Blame!". However, the plot is very messy; chock full of deus ex machinas, odd variations in pace, and very clunky / expository writing (though this could be in part due to a poor translation). While I kind of like the overall narrative's trajectory, the execution is not only sloppy but the dependence on hero worship / chosen one power fantasy (not to mention frequent hornball fanservice) only served to put a further drag on the experience. While there was an interesting tale to be told here, I think the story would have better served with a more slow-burn and cryptic execution.
April 15, 2023
The world of APOSIMZ is an interesting one. A planet with different layers to it, with the exiled living on the barren topmost layer, and the "chosen people" living in the deepest layer, the Core. The world-building was something that was pretty fascinating to me. The concept of an entire planet being a type of structure isn't new, but the way it's handled here feels unique. The plot seems like it went fairly fast, and there is a LOT of exposition in it. Once the main plot arc was set up in this volume it feels a lot like it belongs in an RPG. "Defeat all of these smaller bosses to get stronger to achieve your goal of defeating the Big Bad." This manga has a LOT of common RPG tropes actually, now that I think about it more. The concept of the frames is an interesting one, although their transformed forms feel like they came out of a 1980s kids' anime. I personally don't care for that design, but that's just my personal opinion. The art style is interesting. It's very bare bones and has a sketchy feel to it, with thin lines and very little shading. The lack of shading was a smidge annoying when looking at wide shots of landscapes since still started to blend together, making it hard to comprehend properly. While I'm not head over heels for this manga series, I am interested enough in the world that I'm curious to learn more about it. Honestly, it reminds me a lot of the video game ECHO, which is probably why I like it a little more than I thought I initially would.
September 28, 2022
Meiner Meinung nach (und ich bin ein totaler Nihei Fan seit ich Blame! vor Jahren gelesen habe) erreicht Aposimz nicht mehr ganz das Level der früheren Werke von Nihei.
Es wirkt inzwischen alles leicht repetitiv. Der tolle, dunkle Zeichenstil von Blame!, Biomega, Knights of Sidonia usw. ist einem leicht helleren und vor allem mehr skizzenhaften Zeichenstil gewichen, der irgendwie die Details vermissen lässt, die ich so an Blame! usw. geliebt habe.
In Niheis anderen Werken kann man sich in den Hintergründen verlieren und immer neue Details entdecken aber der Stil hier ist zu skizzenhaft.
Als totaler Nihei Fan werde ich die Serie natürlich beenden aber leider erreicht sie nicht die Qualität seiner früheren Werke. Auch die Story ist meiner Meinung nach etwas zu "kindlich" (wenn man in Niheis Alptraumwelten überhaupt von kindlich reden kann ;) )
Es wirkt inzwischen alles leicht repetitiv. Der tolle, dunkle Zeichenstil von Blame!, Biomega, Knights of Sidonia usw. ist einem leicht helleren und vor allem mehr skizzenhaften Zeichenstil gewichen, der irgendwie die Details vermissen lässt, die ich so an Blame! usw. geliebt habe.
In Niheis anderen Werken kann man sich in den Hintergründen verlieren und immer neue Details entdecken aber der Stil hier ist zu skizzenhaft.
Als totaler Nihei Fan werde ich die Serie natürlich beenden aber leider erreicht sie nicht die Qualität seiner früheren Werke. Auch die Story ist meiner Meinung nach etwas zu "kindlich" (wenn man in Niheis Alptraumwelten überhaupt von kindlich reden kann ;) )
September 2, 2019
I saw people rave about this one online and decided to check it out. Sadly, other than the absolutely gorgeous art, it just isn't for me. Too many people die in all sorts of ways (eww). The story.. I still don't entirely get what is going on at this planet and if people are people or something else. I tried making sense of it all, but then something would happen I ended up more confused. Something about frames? Some frames can do awesome crap, others just suck? Eh? This takes place on a planet that allows life but everything looks very dead.
Oh well, still happy I tried it as the art is just freaking gorgeous. That really kept me going. Also Titania was cute when she was in her human form. But I won't be continuing. A bit too sci-fi for my taste. :)
Oh well, still happy I tried it as the art is just freaking gorgeous. That really kept me going. Also Titania was cute when she was in her human form. But I won't be continuing. A bit too sci-fi for my taste. :)
September 30, 2021
Read this pretty shortly after finishing BLAME! and I think there's a little over fifteen years between the series. In that sense, it almost feels like I'm continuing the same story, with all kinds of plot and visual references between the two, though, where BLAME! was soaked in black ink, APOSIMZ is almost pointillistic, and its minimal visual style reminds me of Nausicaa. A lot of what is shown is implied, but is still really captivating. It's also not anywhere near as messy as BLAME! As for the story, it feels like its straight out of an RPG, isn't very deep (I read this in about an hour and its wild to think it was release over the course of two years??), and kind of has a superhero angle I'm not sure will totally keep me interested but I already have the next copy so we'll see.
July 7, 2019
If this series ties together
Blame!
and
Knights of Sidonia
, as it seems to be doing by seemingly sharing technology, this will be one of the most unexpected and glorious sequence of stories I've ever read. Nihei has a tendency to use similar names in several (until now) unrelated stories (e.g., Toha Heavy Industries), so I suppose we'll see. It's telling that, of Nihei's many publications, the only two referenced on the back cover are Blame! and Knights of Sidonia. What an accomplishment it will be if he does.
August 26, 2023
Content Warnings: Graphic violence, Gore, Brief nudity, Death in the family, Disturbing scenes
Aposimz is reminiscent of Blame! with its mysterious and massive megastructures, cyborgs, and God guns. Where Blame! nailed slow pacing through barren, detailed worlds, Aposimz takes a brisk jog through its decidedly less detailed terrain. The skeletal appearance of injured frames is a haunting touch. This volume could have been stretched to twice the length for better pacing. While Aposimz does hold its own, the similarities found me wishing I was reading Blame! again.
Aposimz is reminiscent of Blame! with its mysterious and massive megastructures, cyborgs, and God guns. Where Blame! nailed slow pacing through barren, detailed worlds, Aposimz takes a brisk jog through its decidedly less detailed terrain. The skeletal appearance of injured frames is a haunting touch. This volume could have been stretched to twice the length for better pacing. While Aposimz does hold its own, the similarities found me wishing I was reading Blame! again.
November 4, 2023
It’s so aggravating I absolutely adore Blame! Like easy top 5 manga, but all the other works of the mangaka pale in comparison. That being said I’m glad he’s branched off with story and is trying new things but I always find the plot of his other stories stale or poorly paced.
Like the art and fights are still very well done but the story weighs things down so much. I made it to volume 7 out of 9 but just can’t will myself to finish the series.
I am still very excited for all his future projects and am so hopeful for a return to form
Like the art and fights are still very well done but the story weighs things down so much. I made it to volume 7 out of 9 but just can’t will myself to finish the series.
I am still very excited for all his future projects and am so hopeful for a return to form
Read
March 12, 2025I found 2 versions of this manga; one with colour(フルカラー版), one without. They look quite different and the one with colour looks so much more put together so that’s what i end up reading.
Im drawn to the world building. Also it reminds me of attack on titan a little. However, whether i’ll like the ‘upgrading’ really depends on the execution. And i heard the ending is a real letdown. This guy’s always so blatant with male gaze/service shot, but at least it’s always short.
Volume#1~5
Snack read 17 of 2025
Read on ipad
Im drawn to the world building. Also it reminds me of attack on titan a little. However, whether i’ll like the ‘upgrading’ really depends on the execution. And i heard the ending is a real letdown. This guy’s always so blatant with male gaze/service shot, but at least it’s always short.
Volume#1~5
Snack read 17 of 2025
Read on ipad
Read
November 12, 2025The story takes place on an arid and freezing landscape on top of an artificial celestial body called Aposimz. Paying close attention to the details of the world makes the reading more immersive.
The fate of the world rests in the hands of the main character who stumbled upon a mysterious code and seven bullet-like things.
The action scenes are kind of like this. This is the closest thing I can think of and wanted to share this a cool manga drawing.
https://x.com/blauereiter/status/1967...
The fate of the world rests in the hands of the main character who stumbled upon a mysterious code and seven bullet-like things.
The action scenes are kind of like this. This is the closest thing I can think of and wanted to share this a cool manga drawing.
https://x.com/blauereiter/status/1967...
May 18, 2018
Hm. Ich hab den Rest jetzt auch gerade mal weggelesen.
Wirklich beeindruckt hat mich das jetzt nicht. Alles sehr dünn.
Ein paar ganz gute Ideen und Designs, aber eben alles zu vage gezeichnet und eben teilweise auch einfach zu unklar.
Aber das Schlimmste ist, dass der Plot auf ein "Du musst einen nach dem anderen besiegen, bevor du stark genug für den Endboss wirst" rauszulaufen scheint.
Nee, nicht meins, fürchte ich...
Wirklich beeindruckt hat mich das jetzt nicht. Alles sehr dünn.
Ein paar ganz gute Ideen und Designs, aber eben alles zu vage gezeichnet und eben teilweise auch einfach zu unklar.
Aber das Schlimmste ist, dass der Plot auf ein "Du musst einen nach dem anderen besiegen, bevor du stark genug für den Endboss wirst" rauszulaufen scheint.
Nee, nicht meins, fürchte ich...
May 1, 2020
Almost exactly the same as Blame, although I’ve only seen the Netflix movie.
Humans are ruled by robots, this time called frames. They bump into a good frame who is looking to save humanity. People live on different levels underground, like a reverse apartment building.
The best part of this was the first chapter, it gave depth to the characters and made you care for them. Heck it even had some cool action sequences, after that it’s more of a back and forth between two characters with a little action scene, still enjoyable but nowhere near as good.
Humans are ruled by robots, this time called frames. They bump into a good frame who is looking to save humanity. People live on different levels underground, like a reverse apartment building.
The best part of this was the first chapter, it gave depth to the characters and made you care for them. Heck it even had some cool action sequences, after that it’s more of a back and forth between two characters with a little action scene, still enjoyable but nowhere near as good.
September 12, 2020
Es ist schon verdammt merkwürdig, einen so hellen Manga von Tsutomu Nihei zu lesen, nachdem man gesehen hat, wie er halbe Tintenfässer über die Seiten in Abara verteilt hat.
Aber das Setting entspricht in allen Belangen dem, was man vom Autor erwartet. Roboter, eine Welt, die beinah nur aus gigantischen Röhren besteht, Puppen, bissi Bodyhorror und segmentierte SciFi-Rüstungen.
Alles in allem durchaus cool~
Aber das Setting entspricht in allen Belangen dem, was man vom Autor erwartet. Roboter, eine Welt, die beinah nur aus gigantischen Röhren besteht, Puppen, bissi Bodyhorror und segmentierte SciFi-Rüstungen.
Alles in allem durchaus cool~
January 27, 2023
I quite enjoyed this book. Nihei’s work usually follows a nomadic survivor, and this book is no exception despite being quite different from his other works. His art is probably the best of any mangaka’s I’ve ever read, and his storylines are unfathomably unique. Per usual, he throws you into a strange world with little to no explanation, and as the reader you have to find your way through it. I loved this work but it hasn’t quite captured me yet, holding it back just a bit from 5 stars.
December 21, 2018
Post-apocalyptic Fighting Manga
Quite a break from the author's past work, so jumping into it I don't know what to expect.
That being said, the art is good and the world building is extensive. I look forward to new villains doing work as well.
The story is easy to follow so please give it a try.
Quite a break from the author's past work, so jumping into it I don't know what to expect.
That being said, the art is good and the world building is extensive. I look forward to new villains doing work as well.
The story is easy to follow so please give it a try.
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