It's been a long time since we've reviewed anything--manga or anime--here at theOtaku.com. But a new manga just released called "Vermonia" and after seeing their banners on our site and downloading the free preview, I requested a copy of volume one from the powers-at-be to share my thoughts.
How does it stack up?
Vermonia can best be described as one part Inuyasha and one part Power Rangers. Instead of an awkward girl ending up in a fantasy world filled with interesting people and monsters you have a group of four skateboarding, band-member teens who end up in said fantasy world. Each teen was chosen at birth and has an animal-like familiar waiting to train them against a much bigger evil. (The catch is that each of the familiars are already captured by the time they arrive!)
I happily breezed through the book's 200 pages in one sitting. It's a light and easy read with an emphasis on action. It's also very apparent from the first volume that they're setting out to create a big world. There's a lot of people, places, and mythology introduced.
My favorite part of the experience was at the very end when the series' next villain is revealed. Rather than having the villain suddenly appear, they recount her tragic backstory first. Makes knowing who to root for a little tough.
If Vermonia sounds to your liking, check out the free preview.
