+Anima 2

+Anima #2

by Natsumi Mukai

Shunned and branded as outcasts, the +Anima continue to search for their place in a perilous world... When Cooro is tricked into helping a nearby town, the +Anima must unite if they are to ever see their friend again. But after crossing paths with a new +Anima, will the bitter sting of betrayal tear this group apart?

Genres: Manga, Fantasy, Graphic Novels, Comics, Fiction, Adventure, Young Adult

202 pages, Paperback

First published May 1, 2001

About the author

Japanese Name (迎夏生)
Loves stuffed animals & owns dogs (corgis).

Reviews

[Danielle Hays · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was cute, but the actual canon story was a bit short. Half of this volume was "parallels" that were completed before the series was actually finalized, and thus wasn't canon to the overall story. It was cute to read, but I'm hoping the next volume will hold more plot.

[Elyia · Rating 1 out of 5]

Take my abilitiy to reas away please god

[Olivia Dopp · Rating 4 out of 5]

They go to a Bee keeping village, Cooro is coaxed into delivering honey to the manor. The rest of the gang go to the manor to save corro from the rumors about the young Master, Gil. They run into a giant bee and the real Gil returns. On their way south they help a young peddler and her companion, and meet an army, they help them too. Next are Three parallel sorties. Cooro, Nana, Husky, and Senri split up and join apposing gangs they aid them to find a mysterious treasure. They fight rock dragons and find the treasure just to lose is to a mysterious monster. They join and expedition to exterminate a sea monster actually an octopus they kill it. To get money they pose as bandits and Cooro "saves the day." A man tricks Cooro into a cave to capture him, they save Cooro with the help of the sheriff.

Nana who stole Husky's perls was kind of being kind of a bad but over the rest of the book and the next one she started to warm up the them. She almost became a cautious girly girl.

My opinion is that it was very interesting, I like the idea of +Anima, people with the powers of animals. I also like Cooro the Crow +Anima and how free spirited he is. Something I didn't like was how I had to read it right to left instead of left to right. And how its difficult to find which box comes next. I also didn't really like Nana and was kind of upset when she joined the group, not to mention both Cooro and Husky look like they should be girls. Plus in this one there were parallels I hate parallels I think that the writer should have stuck to the main story line.

[Nicole · Rating 3 out of 5]

Honestly I think I liked the group dynamic more in the first draft of the story that makes up the second half of this volume

[Michael Sorbello · Rating 2 out of 5]

Cooro and Husky aren't like other boys. They're anima, children with animal features and qualities. After breaking free of their servitude at a cruel freakshow circus, they go on a journey in search of others like themselves. Cooro is a crow and Husky is a fish. As they travel the world doing good deeds, they recruit a bear boy, a cat woman and a bat girl. Together they get into all kinds of wacky antics while fighting against the oppression their kind faces on a daily basis.

The low rating isn't because this series is bad, it's just extremely cliche and childish in my opinion. I think it would be good for young kids who have no experience reading manga. It's extremely light, simple, easy to follow and doesn't contain anything overly violent, dark or sexual in nature. For someone like me who generally reads books and manga with excessive gore, dark themes and adult content it definitely didn't appeal to me that much, even though I was in the mood to read something lighter than I'm accustomed to.

Not a bad manga, just not for me. Even so, it's undeniably cute and wholesome. I think it would appeal to kids and young girls, especially if they have minimal experience reading manga.

***

If you're looking for some dark ambient music for reading horror, dark fantasy and other books like this one, then be sure to check out my YouTube Channel called Nightmarish Compositions: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCPPs...

[Jorden J · Rating 5 out of 5]

+Anima is a book written by Nasumi Mukai. The main characters in this story is a boy named Cooro, Husky, Senri, and Nana. In the beginning Cooro gets this mission to go to a castle near by to drop off some honey. Cooro ends up being told to stay into the kitchen only for him to wonder off in the castle and get lost with some nectar in his hands. A monster ends up getting loose and 'Eating' him only for the monster to be attacking the honey in his hands.
A life lesson from this book is that don't always think something is safe. A example for this is that the prince thought that the monster was safe and left the castle while it wrecked havoc through the castle. Another example would be when Cooro was going to touch a beehive assuming that it was safe and wouldn't hurt him. The last example I have would be when he assumed nothing would happen when he entered the castle.
I liked this book because it was a good book. The reason why this was a good book is because it showed good detail in the pictures. This book also showed how the story improved with the plans that were going on. Something I disliked was that the book wasn't as long as I would have liked.

[The Book Dragon · Rating 4 out of 5]

First off, half this volume is actually part of the story and half is part of a parallel plot where the characters are a little different.

In the first half, our lovable main characters are on their journey. They run into trouble and meet new friends and also new foes. I've officially decided that Senri is my favorite. Precious baby bear~! Cooro is adorable too, like a little brother. Nana is a little snotty but I can see where she's coming from. Husky is the sharp tongued brat but he's okay deep down. Also I ship Rose and Senri. They'd be cute together.

As for the parallels, we fight some dragons to find a treasure, go on a deep sea dive and earn some exotic dinner, and lastly fight a piece of mechanical genius. Also, I like the sheriff, fantastic timing on that reveal.

This series has 10 volumes.

[Donna · Rating 3 out of 5]

Our four friends, each with animal powers, meet a monster bee and a giant octopus.

This is fine but it reads really young. I'd say it would be a good start for a kid who is interested in giving manga a try.

[Noelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

So far, this series is more slice-of-life fantasy than plot-driven. It’s an enjoyable read with fun episodes. We learn more about +Anima and how some are more animalistic than others. The art is gorgeous!

[Esther · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loving this series. It reminds me a bit of the TV series Sweet Tooth, and how they are hated for "not being human", also like the orogenes in the Fifth Season book series. Eager to continue this sweet but political read.

[Lys Robison · Rating 4 out of 5]

You can check out my thoughts on the book by reading them on my blog http://lysbooklist.blogspot.com/p/ani...

[R · Rating 5 out of 5]

Still interesting! Im starting to care about each of the characters. I really enjoyed the parallel stories too. The illustrations are even better in those!

[Alyssa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Most of this volume is chapters for a parallel universe. I can easily see them as actual events, so I'm a little sad they aren't.

[K · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really like this series. It keeps you eager to flip the next page. I like most of the characters, and the story.

[Lanie · Rating 2 out of 5]

I read book one some time last year and while I found it cute and fun, I didn't all out love it, like other manga series I have read.

("Black butler" is my favorite. Although I also really like "inuyasha" "pandora hearts" "recast" and "hollow fields")

So, when I found that my new library had decent manga/graphic novel section, with this "+anima" series in its entirety, I couldn't pass up on the chance to read it. Especially for free. :) LOVE having a library card again.

It's a ok book 2, but honestly, at this point, I'm not sure if I'd ever buy the series for my private library. :/ time will tell though.

The story is Entertaining enough. The art is visually appealing, mostly the great character designs, but it's not the greatest thing I've ever seen. The world it presents its an interesting one.

But half the book was dedicated to these "parallel" stories. :/ they're basically little trial runs of the world and the characters. Like, the author working out the ideas and tones and such. They were fun to read & the last one was Excellent. By far the best.

These random stories, take away from the main content of the series, taking up page space (not to mention my time) that could be spent explaining more of the tension between the +anima and regular humans. Or how about some character development? Or backstory?

We've seen basic personalities and character traits for the gang, but nothing to REALLY start explaining why they are the way they are.

:/

Plus, honestly, the tone of the series, is kinda getting on my nerves.

We are presented with such a cool idea, kids/teenagers with animal powers, outcasted by the rest of society trying to live and survive. This could be some very deep, moving, and dark shit right there. (And you guys know I love me some dark shit.) but instead, so far I've seen a very goofy, light hearted story.

Which in itself isn't totally a bad thing. I mean, it is cute, and I like how the characters personalities play on each other. Husky and nana are especially adorable. But it's just not living up to ALL that it could be. It's fun. It's a good way to spend a mindless couple of hours on a easy read. But it's not something to gush and rave over.

There's so much lost potential here. And that really effects my enjoyment of a book/series.

Seriously. I hate lost potential. It's the whole reason my rating has dropped so far and I've rated so many books 1 & 2 stars this year. :/

I'd recommend "+anima" to younger teens looking for a fun fantasy manga series. But for older readers looking for more depth and better art and characterization, I'd say look elsewhere.

(Seriously, read "black butler"!)

I'll be continuing the series to see if it gets better. Cause again, it's not bad. Just not great. And, you know, I love me some free books. ;) I'll be starting "attack on titan" soon too, so be on the lookout for those reviews!

P.s. I'd love to see a much dark sort of version for this for older teens or even adults. Hint hint, manga authors!!! ;D

[Sheryl Sebesta · Rating 5 out of 5]

As the four +Anima Cooro, Nana, Husky, and Senri travel across Astaria, they happen to stubble across what seems to be wooden boxes. Cooro decides to find out what is inside them. He very quickly discovers bees are in the box which results with him being chased by some not so happy bees. He decides to take off, leaving Husky, Senri, and Nana behind. The bees decide to give up the chase which has lead him to Beena Village. The village owns the beehives, and they ask him to deliver honey to their lady in Beehive Manor. Although they show some peculiar behavior, he does the task anyways. Finally when Senri, Nana, and Husky enter the village, they discover the villagers sent Cooro to deliver since the young master had become a terrifying monster that ate all of the servants. They go to save Cooro, not knowing the danger that was put before him. They happen to save him, and the group decides to go south since summer is soon coming to an end. They come across Rose, a peddler travelling across the mountains with a companion named Margot that also has a donkey. The donkey took a wrong step and needs to be pulled up, so the group helps them pull it up. The donkey is injured, so they help carry Margot's bags. They finally make it after a bit of bird trouble, and they stay at the inn with Rose and Margot for the night.

+Anima, #2 by Natsumi Mukai was a great book. I loved the hilariousness of some scenes, and I especially loved how the book divided in half for the special episodes made before the book was published. The parallel worlds were fun and enjoyable. The only thing I don't like the book is that you can go through it so quickly that it doesn't last as long as you want it. I would recommend this book to all of the Manga lovers and those that love action but also love a bit of humor.

[Mike · Rating 3 out of 5]

So far +Anima is episodic and the stories stand well enough on their own. Still, the first volume introduces all of the main characters so it's best to start reading there.

This is an interesting volume because only half of it continues the series. First we get a two chapter story featuring a mysterious mansion with a bee like owner and unsettling rumors about her son. It's a silly but amusing side adventure for our group. Chapter 3 features some interesting encounters as Cooro and friends travel. It introduces a possible recurring character and provides some hints about Senri's past.

The remaining three chapters in the volume predate +Anima's publication and feature the same characters in kind of a trial run for the manga. The author calls them "parallel stories." The four main characters are here in very similar form visually and in basic premise, but they have somewhat disparate personalities and the animal "powers" manifest differently. The approach and tone for these stories is quite a contrast to the final version. Things are even lighter and sillier in the parallel stories, with each chapter basically being a madcap action/adventure story about our group solving (or causing) some sort of trouble in the search for work and food. Our "heroes" get entangled on opposite sides of a contest between gang factions, assist in a battle against a sea monster, and encounter a man with a particular interest in +Anima, respectively.

On their own they're ok, with the last being the best. There's no real hook or strong characterization though, and what the series became is far superior. It is really nice to have them here though to compare to, as seeing an "in development" version of the concept is pretty cool.

So this volume gives us a decent if tangential follow up to the first volume and a neat peak "behind the scenes." Bring on volume 3.

[Kaylyn D.]

I thought that it was very good and is very fun and pretty magical. The book is about a group of +Anima, Senri, Husky, Cooro, and Nana, who are traveling around their world and finding other +Anima. They get into tons of trouble along the way; for instance, they battle monsters and making trouble trying to get money for food and sometimes a place to stay. Through thick and thin they all stay together and all cause chaos. ~Kaylyn D.

[Brianna · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love these books! They are so adorable and lovable. They are well-thought out and interesting and wonderful. Her characters all seem so real. They all have problems and really specific and personal histories that go back pretty far. Her characters aren't perfect, and she is able to make them come to life and feel like real human beings.
I love the idea behind this manga. I love the idea of being able to transform into an animal and have cool powers and be special. (I wish I could do it. That would be so cool!)
My best friends gave these to me to read. They were the first manga I ever read in my entire life and I didn't get it at first. They had the books and I tried reading it, but I couldn't figure out how to read it backwards, and so the first book they read it out loud to me <3 Aren't they sweet? Anyways, I decided that I wanted to continue reading them online, and I was just planning to just look at +Anima a little bit and I ended up reading like the first 7 books in two days (It would've been sooner except I had school and sleep and whatnot, stupid distractions!)
Senri is my favorite!! He is so adorable! I definitely recommend these books to those who love mangas, and to those who love animals, and to those who love interesting stories. This is a very good series with wonderful writing and amazing art!

[Ravyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm liking this series more and more.
The second volume of the +anima series is just as good as the first book in my opinion, if not better. Once again we are following the adventures of Cooro, Husky, Senri, and Nana as they travel around trying to find a place where they belong. There really isn't much to say about this, but I did enjoy it very much.
There's only two things about this that I didn't like as much. One was that there were only three chapters instead of six, and then the second half of the book was just three short stories about the characters that the author had written before he had started working on the series. The short stories were fine, but I just would have prefered to have had more of the chapters of the normal story. The other thing is just that there were a couple places in the book where I had to reread a couple pages because I realized I didn't know what was going on. The animations were a little unclear in those spots, but after studying the pages for a few moments I was able to get back on track.
Anyway, since I don't want to rush through this series too fast, I am trying to limit myself to one book a week. Unfortunately that means that I will have to wait 6 days before I can pick up the next one, which is sitting on my shelf taunting me. It will be hard, but I must stay strong.

[kuristina- tabreez · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cooro and the gang travel to a village that is governed by a noble that resembles that of a bee. They call her Lady Beena, and all the villagers are terrified of what she hides inside of her mansion... When they send unsuspecting Cooro up to her doorstep to deliver the two jars of honey that they are supposed to take to her every other week, will Cooro become a victim of Lady Beena's terrible secret, like all of the missing servants..?!


I believe that the first time I read this I would have given it a 4 out of 5 star rating, but as I read it now it just isn't that good to me anymore. Especially the "parallel" chapters. I don't want to say but I will... I HATED THOSE CHAPTERS. THEY SUCKED. I really hate those kind of stupid set ups. I am so glad Natsumi Mukai-sensei went with what she has as the originally published story now. AND I REALLY DON'T WANT TO SEE ANY MORE "PARALLEL" CHAPTERS. And it's not like I can say that I finished the book without reading those... It'll bug me forever... ( >3>;)

[Rhapsody · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was expecting more of a main plot by now, but it's still pretty episodic. In chapters 1 and 2, they come to a town that makes honey. Cooro is asked to deliver honey to the castle. The villagers seem relieved that he's going instead of them, because the young master is a monstrous +anima who's apparently completely transformed. A woman who turns out to be his mother is caring for him, but we learn at the end the creature, which is actually harmless, isn't the young master at all. In chapter 3, the group has temporarily split up and reunites on opposite sides of some kind of primitive gang war. In chapter 4, they go on a ship to hunt a sea monster. And in chapter 5, while the three pretend to be bandits so that Cooro can be paid for "rescuing" travelers, Cooro is drawn in by someone who is fixated on +anima.

I liked the last chapter the most. I'm sort of skimming this though, it's not that engaging.

[Leila Anani · Rating 3 out of 5]

This 2nd volume of +anima is very episodic, our cast of Cooro (crow hybrid) Husky (merman), Senri (bear hybrid) and Nana (bat hybrid) continue on their adventures. In the first story they encounter a village dependent on bees where the lord of the manor has transformed into a giant bee. In desert rose we meet a cat +anima merchant and then the final 3 chapters are a sort of parallel universe - random stories featuring the same characters which the artist created before turning +anima into a series.

This volume is pretty pointless in that we don't really get any plot or character development. Their wanderings are aimless. Saying that the characters are strong, the artwork's lovely and the stories are fun... just not great.

This reminded me of Saiyuki but without the bite and of course the reason behind the journey... I hope that's something that picks up in later volumes.

still +anima is definitely worth checking out if only for the artwork which is great.

[Kingston R 1 Rains · Rating 5 out of 5]

The +Anima are shunned by everyone still. Then they end up in a field filled with sheep. Then they see a strange figure standing there. Just looking at them with no movement at all, just there look at Cooro and husky. they looked at his hand and there was four sword like blades coming out of his hand. They freak out after the figure vanish into thin air. They run into a village that owed the field. Cooro and husky later meet the figure. His name is Nana. He too is a +Anima. He has a bear and with sharp, long finger nails. He guards the fields at night to make sure nothing happens to the sheep. The village tricks Cooro and Husky to use their animal powers to do chores as you can say for the village.
I liked The book cause I've felt what Cooro and Husky felt when they saw Nana standing there. I love it because you never know whats going to happen next.

[Sandra (Page by Page) · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is where the conflict slowly arisen. The +Anima people, in having the animals body part, are expected to be tougher, so 'normal' people tend to care less to them. They're not really bother about their safety when they ask +Anima to do something. But, +Anima is a human being too, they're just different from the majority. And it's not like being a +Anima is something people can achieve intentionally, it's very much like a race. So, yeah people, this manga brings you racist awareness (in my opinion, of course).

I like the parallel stories on the end. Not so parallel though, I still could accept it as their actual stories during their journey. Still loving it. Adorable!

[Sarah Maddaford · Rating 3 out of 5]

A little bit of violence, but nothing too horrible. No language or sexuality that I can remember. It was pretty good just like the last one. I was less impressed by the chapters the author said were written before serialization, but the characters weren't quite the same. The bat-girl is still a bit annoying and the bear-guy is still too mysterious for his own good, but it was an enjoyable read. I definitely want to read the next one if I can find it.

[Katy Kat McKatums · Rating 2 out of 5]

This might be because I didn't read the first one (which is usually against my code, but I got this at Goodwill and couldn't resist reading it) but I didn't enjoy this very much. It was just... meh. It was kind of like the author tried too hard to make it cute and not hard enough to make the characters likeable or the plot good. Keep in mind this is my opinion from reading only the second book.

I did really like Senri, though. X3

[Amanda · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another fine but not super stellar volume. We're still solidly in one shot land without any trace of a larger plot. It's a fun light read, but so far there hasn't been much that has stood out. This volume only really has three chapters of the ongoing story and then three "parallel world" stories, so that might explain why this one felt even lighter than the previous volume. Still cute and interesting enough for me to check out the next volume, so we'll see where things go from here.

[Bri · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book swept me away to this other wonderful world. The setting was brilliantly set. I could totally see it in my mind. But the characters were definitely my favorite part. They are all so colorful, interesting, exciting, and hilarious. The main character is just perfect. The plot moved fast enough that I couldn't stop reading lest I miss something, but the author still took the time to flesh out the details. The details are what really make or break a story.

[M. Illum · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the second book of the + Anima series. In this book The group meets another + anime, Rose. She is a cat + anime. The group let her travel with them for a while. they also run into more trouble when Cooro, helps a man to fly up the mountain to take medicean to a farm to help some goats. Cooro is a bird + anime. He is the one who gets in the most trouble in the whole group.