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7 Billion Needles #1

7 Billion Needles, Vol. 1

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THE HUNT IS ON!

Hikaru Takabe may not be the most social of teens. Always sporting her headphones, she gives off an aloof aura that rubs her classmates the wrong way. But her not being part of the crowd takes on a different dimension when she becomes involved in an intergalactic game of cat and mouse.

Inspired by Needle, the Golden Age hard sci-fi classic by the late Hal Clement, Nobuaki Tadano’s debut work brings a unique take on alien invasion up to date and into the maelstrom that is the Japanese high school girl.

7 Billion Needles is emotionally intelligent science fiction in a compact four volumes.

196 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2010

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About the author

Nobuaki Tadano

18 books6 followers
See also: 多田乃伸明

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5 stars
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305 (33%)
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90 (9%)
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 80 reviews
Profile Image for Anonomanga.
6 reviews2 followers
December 28, 2011
So, I was disappointed by this manga to say the least. The premise makes it seem wicked cool, something creative anyone could get into right? Meh..

I'm not sure what I exactly expected from 7 Billion Needles but I know it was more.
I don't think I've ever read a manga book with such a boring, unfullfilling, ineffectual protagonist before. It was as if she grunted through the book, not even knowing why she was there in a comic, and left everything to be desired in a main character. All while exhibiting every characteristic of someone simply filler.

Nothing entertaining or memorable seemed to happen in the volume, either. The art wasn't aesthetically pleasing to me and the conflict was odd and not very engaging. I wish I had something positive to say...
Though this is a short series of books I won't be continuing it.
Maybe I'd have better luck with the novelization?

this review can also be found here on our blog! http://anonomanga.blogspot.com/2011/1...
Profile Image for Mike.
932 reviews44 followers
June 7, 2015
7 Billion Needles was an interesting read for me in several ways. I'm not familiar with the classic novel that inspired this manga, and it was recommended to me by a friend who knows my tastes very well. So I did no "research" at all and started reading knowing absolutely nothing about it.

This is a character driven, imaginative, suspenseful science fiction story. I really liked watching this first volume unfold without having any preconceptions or framework. As I'd recommend trying it the same way I'm going to avoid any plot or premise discussions in this review. Things move at a brisk pace while still having amble depth and development. The characters are engaging and the premise intriguing. There are moments of the grotesque and gruesome, but with purpose and impact to the story.

The art is perfectly matched to the tale being told. Clean and detailed, with careful and unusual use of panel layout, design and negative space at key moments to add to the atmosphere and tension.

A wonderful entry into a genre sometimes underrepresented in manga. Highly recommended.

3/3/14
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Edit 4/19/15: Just as impactful and interesting second read through.
3,182 reviews
March 23, 2019
Hikaru Takabe's body is destroyed and rebuilt by an alien who asks for her help finding a killer.

This manga has a different feel than most I've read. Hikaru is not perky, or friendly, or interesting. She's actually a very boring, very reclusive, teenager. She really just wants to be left alone, headphones on, to make her way through her day. Watching the alien in her body try to get her to give a shit was entertaining. The shape-changing ability of the other alien was well done and, as his body count increases, it's imperative that Hikaru begin to care. I'll be reading more in the series.
Profile Image for Whitney (The Cover Collector).
615 reviews29 followers
April 11, 2021
Parastye rip-off but still fun. Unlike other reviewers, I like the MC. She just lost her parents and has cut herself off from the world, so of course she’s very reluctant to care or make an effort. I think creating her backstory like this makes for a more interesting story. We get to see her come back to the land of the living.
53 reviews
October 17, 2024
Un manga qui ressemble beaucoup à Kiseijuu-Parasite que j'avais adoré 🤩
Profile Image for Jan.
23 reviews3 followers
June 1, 2011
This is a manga inspired from a sci-fi story called 'Needle' by Hal Clement. I've never read it myself but I am enjoying Nobuaki Tadano's interesting interpretation. The basic plot revolves around schoolgirl Hikaru Takabe inadvertently becoming a host to some benevolent alien entity called Horizon that's hunting some malevolent parasite of destruction, Maelstrom. Apparently this has been quite a cat and mouse chase throughout the galaxy and because Maelstrom can also take a host, it's like hunting for a needle in a planet sized haystack.

Fortunately, Horizon senses that his quarry is hiding amongst Hikaru's students and he hopes to stop the inevitable bloodbath that always follows Maelstrom's wake with the aid of his host. But as it turns out, painfully apathetic Hikaru really wants nothing to do with it and has absolutely no interest in talking to people let alone saving the world.

Although it's quite short at around 184 pages, I quite like this manga. There's a lot of gore and weird dark humour peppered throughout the story. One of my favourite scenes is Horizon, who can only talk to his host telepathically, wearing down the reluctant teenager by explaining the importance of the mission over and over again while she buries her head against a desk at school because he's driving her nuts.

There's some strong horror elements mainly provided by a rampaging shape-changing Maelstrom who reminds me of John Carpenter's 'The Thing', except with more personality. Needless to say, Maelstrom's somewhat deadpan humour and sarcastic attitude made him my favourite character.

This is a promising start to a short series. It can be a bit pricey for what you're getting, so it pays to shop around if you want to own this but it's only four volumes and it has a very unusual design that appeals to me and my inner completist. I also don't mind that it reads right to left since it's always nice to see the way it was originally intended and doesn't detract from the excellent art work.

Overall, quite an enjoyable little gem.
42 reviews
April 15, 2015
Hikaru is a young girl who has recently just transferred to a new school. Always wearing her headphones and tuning everyone out, she has troubles trying to make new friends. However, one day, on a school field trip a strange incident happens where she finds out there is a alien living inside her! He tells Hikaru that his name is Ciel, and that he is on a hunt for a mass murderer that is putting her world in grave danger. Unable to tell anyone what happened in fear of people thinking that she is crazy, she has no choice but to accept Ciel's requests.

I would recommend this book to any mature teens of either gender who like horror and manga. I do give a warning of extreme gore in this story.

I enjoyed this book so much that I had a hard time trying to stop reading it. The plot was absolutely amazing and the action was exclusive. As well as the characters thoughts and emotions were so well portrayed that I felt that I knew them as real people in real life.
Profile Image for Sean O'Hara.
Author 23 books101 followers
July 8, 2011
Decent enough story, good art -- I especially like that when a character popped up who looked like the protagonist, that wasn't merely bad art but a major plot point.. The only problem is, the main character is introverted and there's no internal dialogue, so she comes off as a cypher.
Profile Image for Mario.
100 reviews
May 11, 2014
This review originally appeared on my blog, Shared Universe Reviews.

7 Billion Needles is a four volume science fiction manga series written and drawn by Nabuaki Tadano. This is his manga debut and it is based on the science fiction story “Needle” by Hal Clement. It’s an impressive debut for Tadano and his art was well utilized in the design of the covers for the four volumes. That’s initially what caught my eye and sparked my interest in this short (by manga standards) story. They did exactly what cover art is supposed to do, it grabbed my attention. I really like that the designer kept the original Japanese lettering in the speech bubbles.


Volume 1:
While on a school trip near the ocean, loner Hikaru, undergoes a transformative event when she encounters an alien life form recently arrived on earth. Before she can even make a guess as to what’s happening, she’s atomized and reconstructed by the alien entity. She remembered nothing of the even and the story quickly cuts to the present day. She’s going about her daily life as if nothing has changed until sometime later when the alien in question reveals itself to her by speaking to her telepathically.

Hikaru is incredibly chocked by this discovery. She’s a social outcast by choice, walking around with her music playing on her headphones in order to block out the world around her. She’s this way because of a personal tragedy. I almost missed this reason for her behavior while reading the first volume and it’s a key element to understanding Hikaru’s character. It helps you to understand and sympathize with her. She’s distant because of the death of her father she’s been this way for years. This alien, calling itself Horizon, is caught in the middle of an inter-galactic game of cat and mouse and forces Hikaru to join him on his mission while he’s on earth. She doesn’t have much of a choice either. When Horizon reconstructed Hikaru’s body, he did so while fusing himself to her, using Hikaru as a host body.

This book of alien possession or alien cohabitation is not in the traditional vein of shonen manga. The tone is more serious and it doesn’t preoccupy itself with “kewl” powers and overly deconstructed action sequences. The help Hikaru must offer Horizon is rather simple, investigate any strange occurrences in her community to try and discover the whereabouts of the other alien Horizon is tracking. Doing such a thing is a daunting task for Hikaru who has barely socialized in years. She proves to be up to the task however and the courage she demonstrates in the first half of this story, collected in volumes 1 and 2, is that of making friends and talking to others. That might seem like a completely underwhelming, especially for a science fiction manga that features aliens, but Tadano writes with such confidence and respect for characters and story that make 7 Billion Needles a compelling story about personal growth, evolution, and friendship.

The first volume felt a bit cold and distant but it reflected Hikaru’s feeling towards the outside world. She’s very secluded and introverted. She’s forced to cast her shell once she discovers the presence of Horizon but this is a slow process and it’s a bit slow but the first volume does provide plenty of action and a surprising amount of suspense I was a bit underwhelmed when I finished reading the first volume but the story stuck with me. I finished the book in one sitting and couldn’t keep it out of my head. The next morning I brought the second volume with me for my commute to and from work.


Volume 2:
After Horizon’s face to face confrontation with the other alien, Maelstrom, at the end of the first and the beginning of the second volume, Tadano takes a short break from the science fiction elements and shifts his focus on Hikaru and her past. Again, there is a bit of a slow start but Tadano does most of his storytelling in the first half of the book, leaving the second half free to indulge in the sci-fi elements and the action. By setting the stage in this manner, the writer gives more weight to the action that follows and it’s a good technique, simply one I had to get used to.

Essentially, the second volume confirms that 7 Billion Needles is worth the attention I'm giving it. The first volume was a tried and test science fiction story using new tricks. It was unusual in its execution and surprisingly charming despite the protagonist's aloofness. Tadano also continues to pursue the themes of friendship, personal growth and evolution as well as increasing the tension of the conflict between the two aliens. The volume ends with a spectacular way that doesn't feel cheap. This isn't a twist for the sake of a twist. The revelation feels well deserved and it feels like a natural, if surprising, progression of the events that preceded it.

The art is very pleasant. The characters facial expression and body language is clear. Tadano is as good at drawing charming, quiet and moving pages as he is drawing horrific action that feels visceral and immediate. There is a powerful sense of intimacy to his art that added a lot of weigh to many key scenes in the book. My only criticism is regarding the background and scenery type panels. They’re so incredibly detailed and use a lot of what can only been some sort of computerized technique. They’re nice on their own but when combined with the cleaner, gentler lines used on the characters, it’s jarring. There is a cold and stiff quality to those images and it distracts from the otherwise skilfully rendered characters.

In the second volume, Tadano continues to pursue the themes of friendship, personal growth and evolution as well as increasing the tension of the conflict between the two aliens. The volume ends with a spectacular way that doesn't feel cheap. This isn't a twist for the sake of a twist. The revelation feels well deserved and it feels like a natural, if surprising, progression of the events that preceded it. The first half of 7 Billion Needles is an excellent science fiction story that manages to keep one foot planted in reality which contributes to it being an engaging story. The art is crisp and very detailed, if sometimes a little stiff. Tadano’s debut manga focuses on intelligent storytelling, drama, and conflict instead of shonen style superhuman brawling. This is a manga with heart and an interesting message for 21 century youth. It's also got plasma based aliens and other smart science fiction elements which make for a truly successful story. I look forward to reading the second half.
Profile Image for Dale Jones.
340 reviews33 followers
April 27, 2019
A great mixture of sci-fi and horror.

In this manga, we follow Hikaru Takabe who isn't the most social of teens. She constantly has her headphones on and isn't good with talking with people. She finds out that she is becoming a host to a benevolent alien entity called Horizon that's hunting down a parasite called Maelstrom who could end the world.

What I loved about this was Hikaru Takabe. We share a lot of similarities. So it was cool to see an introverted teen who doesn't like people. I like the relationship she has Horizon. This constant nagging creature in her body is annoying and a terrifying thing. The art is great. There are scenes that are grotesque, bloody, and made me want to look away. I'm interested to see how this continues.
Profile Image for Elizabeth Sullivan.
182 reviews7 followers
May 8, 2017
Maelstrom is a creature that causes it's host to go on a mass killing spree. If the host dies, it simply finds another. Can Hikaru and the entity calling itself Horizon (for her benefit) find and kill it before it destroys the world?
I don't know, because it's only the first book.That said, if it sounds even somewhat interesting, I'd suggest checking it out. Also she communicates with Horizon in public by writing things down, which is an idea I like a lot. Oh, and Maelstrom is a creepy monster dino, so there's that. It does end on one heck of a cliffhanger though, so if you're smart (unlike me) it might be a good idea to get the second book as well.
209 reviews
July 8, 2024
Reviewing Vol 1-4.

This was a solid sci-fi/horror manga that was very reminiscent of Parasyte which sort of works against it here.
The story is fine and a relatively quick read. There is some wild body horror in this and the main character is worth rooting for, but besides that there wasn't a whole lot in this that was great. Not bad by any means but if you're looking for alien invasion/body horror manga then Parasyte is the way to go.
Profile Image for David Doel.
2,429 reviews6 followers
April 6, 2023
At the beginning, I didn't expect to like this but it grew on me. I haven't read the Hal Clement original, so I don't know how true to the story this is. The school setting is typical of manga and the sci-fi adds an interesting twist. Volume 1 appears to be a complete story. I only have one more volume (there are two volumes I do not have).
Profile Image for Bryn.
2,185 reviews37 followers
not-finishing
August 13, 2023
I gave this a good try but it just isn't for me -- at the point that I realised I was reading for the wrong things (our heroine making friends and gossiping) which are just there to up the horror/angst, I realised I should give it up and go read some good shoujo instead! Bonus is that I owned it on paper, so that means more free shelf space, yay! [Aug 2023]
Profile Image for Kathy Beavers.
3 reviews1 follower
January 20, 2024
Hikaru takabe, an orphan being raised by her aunt, is a bit of a recluse until meeting a celestial being Horizon. It helps her come out of her shell and make a couple of friends in the process of trying to find the evil creature Maelstrom which was the fall of the dinosaurs. Picked this up on a whim and Im glad I did.
Profile Image for Aubrey Hahesy.
24 reviews
Read
February 19, 2025
DNF: the cover and name really intrigued me but this just bored me so much and I only got halfway through. The main character I got excited to learn more about but her character is flat. The enemy is flat. The art style sometimes leaves you questioning what is happening. The story is too fast paced and also to slow.
All the way around it just needs some work.
Profile Image for Wendy.
4 reviews
December 7, 2019
I really liked how it incorporated theories about history into its unique sci-fi theme. Hikaru Takabe was a really brave character and I loved how it showed her social situations colliding with her monstrous situations Her friends Saya and Nao were also pretty cool.
Profile Image for Mariano.
738 reviews13 followers
October 16, 2023
Mas o menos. Se nota que es un primer trabajo porque el dibujo y la narración son medio flojos por momentos, pero hace bien en levantar la acción en la segunda mitad del tomo. Termina lo suficientemente interesante como para chequear el vol 2. El rotulado es muy malo, eso sí.
Profile Image for Ken.
106 reviews4 followers
August 7, 2017
A bit closer to a 3.5. This is an interesting one, with a mix of adventure and horror. I can see it going in a lot of different directions after this first volume.
Profile Image for Tar Buendía.
1,283 reviews80 followers
May 28, 2018
No es mi manga favorito pero es lo suficientemente entretenido y, ya que es de la biblioteca, probablemente seguiré por curiosidad.
Profile Image for twilightsprincess.
130 reviews8 followers
January 1, 2020
2回目読んでまだ大好きだよ~ スタイルとか話とか好きだ。
This is my second time reading this and I still love it. The style, the story, I really like this series.
Profile Image for eHawk.
499 reviews6 followers
January 11, 2020
I have a hard time when I dislike the main character. Not sure if there build up here is interesting or too convoluted.
Profile Image for Bear Mcbearington.
189 reviews3 followers
June 17, 2021
Some good horror/sci-fi. I really regret not grabbing all for volumes at the same time. Also, look at that dope cover.
Profile Image for Hope.
3 reviews
July 3, 2024
Very easy to get drawn in with.... Loved the story
Displaying 1 - 30 of 80 reviews

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