横浜駅SF

Yokohama Station Fable Manga #1

by Yuba Isukari, 柞刈湯葉, Gonbe Shinkawa (Illustrator)

絶え間ない改築の続く横浜駅が、ついに自己増殖を開始して二百年後の日本。駅が人間を支配する社会「エキナカ」に「１８きっぷ」で侵入した外界出身の主人公・ヒロトの旅を描く、話題沸騰のＳＦ大作がコミック化！

Genres: Manga, Science Fiction, Graphic Novels, Mystery, Fiction, Comics

178 pages, Paperback

First published August 10, 2017

Reviews

[Rebecca · Rating 4 out of 5]

This has excellent world building and an impressive lack of infodumps.

[Sandra · Rating 3 out of 5]

Generell die Grundidee fand ich sehr spannend - die Yokohama Station baut sich selber immer weiter aus und ist riesig geworden - selbst den Fuji-san hat die Station schon überbaut. Man darf nur in der Station leben, wenn man eine SUica-Karte hat, sonst wird man aus der Station entfernt.
Hiroto ist außerhalb der Station aufgewachsen und geboren worden und hat das Glück eine 5-tägige Karte zu ergattern. ER macht sich auf den WEg durch die Station und lernt das Leben dort kennen, auch dass es noch andere Gebiete in Japan gibt, die gegen die Station kämpfen etc.

Ich fands wirklich ganz spannend, das mal zu sehen - die Idee ist super. Aber es wird definitiv auch viel um Zwei-Klassen-Gesellschaft gehen usw. Und da hab ich halt keine Lust drauf :D daher bleibt es leider nur bei dem Band.

[Amelia E. · Rating 2 out of 5]

…what?

[Sophie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Ditt war ja nüscht.
Bei leicht dystopischen Settings mit Untergrundbahnen denkt meine Wenigkeit natürlich sofort an Metro 2033 - man will etwas düsteres, apokalyptisches sehen... Aber dann wird einfach nur eine recht banale Geschichte gesponnen, die mich so gar nicht erreicht hat.
Da wuchert die Station Yokohama seit 200 Jahren vor sich hin, ein junger Mann tritt eine Heldenreise an. Ab und an gibt es kleine Infofetzen über dieses organische Wachsen der Bahnhöfe... Aber sonst... Passiert... einfach nichts. Nicht mal Alltag. Nur Rumgelatsche, keine nennenswerten Konflikte. Ich war ziemlich unterwältigt.
Zeichenstil auch nicht so richtig überzeugend. Schade.

[Toni · Rating 1 out of 5]

i am just so confused

[Mademoiselle · Rating 3 out of 5]

Die Geschichte einer autonomen Bahnhofsstation, die sich selbst weiter baut und fast ganz Japan erobert und zugebaut hat, stelle ich mir optisch ganz anders vor. Hier: Viele enge kleine Panel, sehr dialoglastig. Stimmung kommt eher auf wenn im Dunkeln rumgelaufen wird. Zuviele Informationen werden auf zu wenig Platz gepackt. Mag zwar eine schöne Metapher sein, aber ich hätte mir hier eher großflächige, technophile Panel gewünscht. Schrott, Bahnhofsszenen, ellenlange surreale Rolltreppen ... vllt bin ich durch BLAME! verwöhnt. Schade - das Characterdesign mag ich sehr.

[Mahnoor · Rating 2 out of 5]

i thought this was gonna be good but the execution was not good and i was confused the whole time ☹️

[Selina · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love the setting and idea behind it.

[Novels and Neckties - Kira Murasaki · Rating 2 out of 5]

Man, I feel so sorry. Giving 2 stars is really not nice of me. drawing is such a had job and it takes a lot of time and effort.
But I was so bored. Lucky me there will be more books and I can give the series a chance, but damn ... this better gets more interesting or I´m gonna rage.

I read a manga series called BLAME! about 20 years ago. Man that was boring and the story was so frustrating. In that story the earth was covered in millions of metal layers, like thousands of floors.
I cannot remember what the story was about or what was the protas motivation, but I remember a scene where prota and found-friend sit in an elevator. they travel upwards and it says: Going to level 2.345 (or else), estimated time 2271 hours (or so) ... this is about 94 days!!! what can a human do whi sits in an elevator for 94 days ?!?!?!
There is only metal, no sky and no gras or field ... and you never see a window ...

Yokohama Station gives off very similar vibes.
Next time I think "Well, I could give a post apocalyptic scenario a chance ... stop me!"
Hiroto grew up outside the station so we see sky at least in his memory, but from the moment on he enters the station there is only metal plates and iron and wires.
I hope they can take that station down. I will keep reading for the sole purpose of seeing that station going down and bring back nature.

Watch me returning to my good old beloved fantasy novels.

[AP · Rating 3 out of 5]

This series had a lot of good premise and promise, however the excution of it all fell short, especially with the ending/last volume. At first I thought why are people rating this so low, yes it is a bit confusing perhaps at times and you are force-fed a lot of info at points but some adds to the mystery and some just helps explaining things albeit perhaps a tad much. Even so it's not that bad, in fact to me it seemed quite intriguing. I liked how the story was told and there were questions I wanted answered but sadly never got. This series should have been longer by a couple of volumes to have fleshed out and rounded off the story better, it ended up feeling far too condensed maybe even a tad rushed by the end of it. I enjoyed the artstyle and I was debating whether or not to get it for the art alone, but given the somewhat flat feeling I was left with after the final volume as well as some unaswered questions which will never be resolved, I don't think I cba to pay almost 20 us $, almost 15 £ or 17,5 € which is the current price in my country for each volume. If you can get it free from the library, read it as it does have some interesting things to it. But don't expect it to blow your mind. It's a middle of the road/average story because of the poor execution, which is a bit of a shame.

[Fjedor Incognito · Rating 3 out of 5]

Die Prämisse einer aus der Kontrolle geratenen Infrastruktur-AI die ausgehend der smarten Reparaturbemühungen eines Bahnhofs entlang des Schienennetzwerks ganz Japan übernimmt und die Gesellschaft entlang dem Ticketstatus relativ gewaltfrei unterwirft, allein durch komplette Abhängigkeit von ihr, ist an und für sich gelungen. Leider machen die Autoren sehr wenig damit, das Leben in dieser Gesellschaft tiefer darzustellen. Wir bleiben die gesamte Dauer des Mangas an der Oberfläche und wenn Parallelen zur gegenwärtigen Gesellschaft gezogen werden sollten, müsste man diese schon stark konstruieren. Wenn dort eine Kritik beabsichtigt ist, verbleibt sie so vage, dass sie jeder modernen gesellschaftlichen Formation zuschreibbar wäre und damit an sich zahnlos.

Die Zeichnungen sind jedoch adäquat, wenn auch thematisch bedingt etwas Monoton in der gleichförmigen Welt der Yokohama Station. Langweilig wird es nicht und ein angenehmes Erlebnis ist es allemal. Leider scheint die Geschichte im dritten Band abrupt Enden zu müssen.

[Priyanshi · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is an exciting science fiction book that takes readers to a lively future where technology and culture mix together. The story is set in Yokohama, a city full of energy, and it explores important themes like artificial intelligence and the ethical questions that come with it.

The characters are well-developed and face their own challenges, making it easy to connect with them. The plot moves quickly and has lots of surprising twists that keep you interested. However, some complex ideas could have been explained more, which is why I gave it four stars instead of five.

Overall, Yokohama SF1 is a fun and thought-provoking read. It combines action, interesting ideas, and a glimpse into a unique future. I recommend it to anyone who enjoys science fiction and wants a mix of excitement and deeper questions.

[James DeSantis · Rating 2 out of 5]

Wayyyy to much info dump, not enough characters do give a fuck. The idea is pretty awesome, I do like it, but the execution has a lot to be desired. I can't recall a single character's name that's how bored I sadly was at the end.

[Kirei · Rating 4 out of 5]

What the fuck did I just read?

Holy shit this is interesting.

[Sunread26 · Rating 4 out of 5]

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

Extrait :
Nouvelle série pour Delcourt/Tonkam, qui arrive également avec sa version originale, le light novel. Le manga est donc une adaptation qui se déroule en 3 volumes, contre 2 pour le light novel. Je ne voudrais pas trop m’avancer, mais 3 tomes de manga ça fait super court ! J’ai donc une grande appréhension sur son contenu. Pour ma part, le synopsis m’a beaucoup intriguée, comme je lis plus vite un manga qu’un light novel de 300 pages, j’ai donc voulu tester l’univers avec sa version manga. Si je suis assez satisfaite, alors je prendrais le light novel, qui ne pourra qu’être mieux, avec bien plus de détails.

L’intrigue de Yokohama station fable nous place dans un monde futuriste, où la gare de Yokohama subit une transformation constante. Tel un être vivant, elle se multiplie, se copie puis se recolle un plus loin. Ainsi, sa structure ne cesse d’évoluer, allant de plus en plus loin, et de plus en plus haut. Ce phénomène est connu des habitants extérieurs, comme interne, même s’ils n’arrivent pas vraiment à le comprendre. Afin de pouvoir vivre à l’intérieur, il faut une sorte de passe, sans quoi, les robots vous expulsent à l’extérieur de la gare. Ainsi, les habitants vivants à l’extérieur sont soit des enfants abandonnés n’ayant pas pu avoir accès au passe, soit des adultes expulsés pour x raisons par les robots. Enfin, certains enfants, comme notre protagoniste Hiroto sont eux, carrément nés à l’extérieur de la gare. Pour les habitants de la gare, il semblerait que l’extérieur sonne le plus souvent la fin de leur vie. N’ayant visiblement pas une bonne défense immunitaire, beaucoup périssent rapidement une fois dehors. Tandis que pour les autres, il est impossible de rentrer dans la gare, ou de trouver un moyen d’y accéder. Pour vivre, ils n’ont pas d’autres choix que de se nourrir des déchets de la gare, vieux vêtements et nourritures souvent périmée.

Pourquoi ne pêchent ils pas ? Pourquoi n’ont-ils pas de potager ? Bonne question. Comme la plupart sont des enfants abandonnés, ou leurs descendants, ils n’ont tous simplement pas les connaissances pour le faire. Ils ignorent qu’ils peuvent cultiver ou pêcher eux-mêmes, pour se nourrir. Il n’est pas impossible également que la terre soit polluer et donc les poissons non comestibles. En tout cas, cette situation n’est pas expliquée plus que cela ici. Même si certains habitants de la gare arrivent jusqu’à eux et survivent, j’ai l’impression qu’ils n’en savent pas plus sur le monde qui les entoure. Visiblement, ceux vivant à l’intérieur de la gare voient à peine la lumière naturelle et le ciel, donc je doute qu’ils aient aussi des connaissances dans ce domaine. J’ai plutôt l’impression que des robots s’occupent également de cette partie-là. Mais encore une fois, il n’y a pas de détails dans le manga, sans doute par manque de temps, la série ne fait que 3 tomes après tout. Mais du coup, j’ai l’impression que cet univers n’est pas assez développé et que tout reste autour de la gare.

[...]

[Célia Comte · Rating 4 out of 5]

Synopsis absolument génial (à l’origine un roman de Isukari Yuba) et qui convient parfaitement au format graphique des mangas. Magnifiques dessins qui créent un monde dystopique juste fascinant !

[The Book Dragon · Rating 3 out of 5]

Okay so...none of the lore is explained in the book at least not at first. It just tosses you in and says "Here's some people who live on the outskirts of Yokohama Station and they're not allowed in."

So Yokohama Station is a semi-sentient always expanding megaplex of a mall that has covered almost the entirety of Honshu Island (the main island of Japan). You can't live inside Yokohama Station without something called a Suika (a microchip that is essentially an ID and wallet implanted in peoples' skulls). Break the rules, the automated turnstiles will toss you out.

Hiroto gets a 5 day pass from an ex-citizen of Yokohama Station and a mission to find and aid a rebel leader. Also an different ex-citizen tells him to look for Exit 42 (The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy reference?). First day in, he gets arrested for a technical dine-n-dash but breaks out with the help of a little boy who says he's from Hokkaido doing research to stop the spread of the station across the sea.

There's a lot that happens in this volume, but not a lot of page time is given to hardly anything, so there's this constant go-go-go vibe? But I'm proud of myself for recognizing the artist. I thought Hiroto looked familiar and I was right, he looks like Lecan (The Wolf Never Sleeps)

This series has 3 volumes.

[Waldkauzz · Rating 2 out of 5]

Interesting premise but lacking in execution.

The work was adapted from a light novel (so this may be the reason) but the first volume was pretty much just setup for the world delivered in many chunky exposition blocks disguised as dialogue resulting in an exhausting read with a story without payoff and flat characters so far. 

Also, while reading, it feels like almost nothing substantial happened?? The story feels less like an organic journey but rather like the main character is placed in different locations, gets talked to, and off we go to the next exposition chunk.
I'm willing to give the first volume the benefit of the doubt given that there are two follow-up volumes to explore the rest of the story. I think the story would have benefited from being released not in three but in one complete volume.

Furthermore, while the character art is decent, the background art is often very simple and often very similar in design. This feels like a missed opportunity to show the true extent of the eldritch nature of the world of the manga. Instead, the setting is rarely the focus. Maybe the intent was to create a claustrophobic atmosphere, but in the end, I found the design of the setting almost boring.

(Also, for example, there is a panel of the main character lamenting how dirty the station is while walking through ... an empty tunnel.)

[Kayt O'Bibliophile · Rating 3 out of 5]

Two hundred years ago, Yokohama Station developed the ability to self-propagate. Now, the one-time subway station has swallowed 99% of mainland Japan. Part of the population lives inside it, access to presumed safety and ample supplies, getting around with the fare cards embedded in their bodies. Other humans live outside on the few remaining scraps of untouched land, subsisting on the discards that make their way out from inside, unable to enter the sprawling station.

When an outside teenage boy finds a mobile ticket and a mission, he embarks on a journey no one he knows has every undertaken: venturing inside the station.

I'll say this: it's an intriguing concept! This first volume doesn't provide answers, but thevibe to me is more of "someone in the past probably tried using nanobots to patch concrete, and now two centuries later the station has swallowed Japan" kinda of sci-fi than a "construction just came to life one day" kind of fantasy-sci-fi. I'm hoping that we actually find out!

[Danielle Booey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really interested to see where this one goes. A future Japan where Yokohama station is eating up the entirety of Japan. Most people live inside but a few live on tiny scraps of land that Yokohama station hasn’t been able to absorb. Hiroto is one of those people.

One day Hiroto is given a ticket by someone who escaped Yokohama station. The ticket allows Hiroto into the station for 5 days. In those five days he needs to find the leader of the Dodger Alliance for the man who gave him the ticket. And for the professor back in his small town who also came from the station, Hiroto is looking for Exit 42. Where all of the answers are.

Really intriguing premise and good art. I just need volume 2 now!

[Nore · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting enough that I am considering picking up the novel this is based off of - and so well done, I didn't even realize it was an adaptation until the final credits in the back. Neat worldbuilding, interesting concept, overall fascinating.

[Kirsten · Rating 4 out of 5]

The world building in this is really cool! I will definitely be following this series.