Creative Staff
Story: Olympus Knights
Art: Pinakes
Translation/Adaptation: Sheldon Drzka
What They Say
The battle between Inaho and Femieanne continues – But victory may hinge on the appearance of a Martian sky carrier helmed by none other than Slaine Troyard! And at the conclusion of this encounter, what fate is in store for those caught in the cross fire of an interplanetary war? Find out in the third volume of the hit mecha series Aldnoah.Zero!
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers):
Following the anime storyline nearly to perfection, the third volume of Aldnoah.Zero doesn’t hesitate and plunges into the battle of Inaho with Femianne. Slaine and Inaho make a temporary truce for completely different reasons. Inaho’s only goal is to be reunited with the princess, while Inaho continues to defend his family, friends and all of Earth.
With quick teamwork, Inaho and Slaine take care of Femianne, but this is not the end of their struggles. Their shaky truce crumbles when Slaine declares Inaho his enemy when Inaho dodges Slaine’s questions about the princess. Slaine returns back to the Martians and receives a beating for his questionable motives. Inaho returns to find that his group has found a Martian battleship, the Deucalion, which the princess revealed her identity to awaken the Aldnoah drive.
Slaine’s story continues when his persecutor learns the truth that the princess is alive. He takes mercy on him only to be annihilated by Saazbaum, who is behind the princess’ assassination attempt. He warily stays with Saazbaum.
In Inaho’s camp, refugee Rayet doesn’t even try to hide her hatred for Martians. This includes the princess on board. She is consumed with rage towards the Martians, which brings the book to a close when she attacks the princess in the showers choking her. The Aldnoah drives goes offline putting everyone in danger.
In Summary
Generally, you hear the book is always better than the movie. This is often said about manga and anime. The manga, which comes first, has more details and scenes than an anime can allow. In this case, it’s the opposite. The anime came first with the manga following.
It’s one of the rare cases I’d say the anime is better than the manga. Aldnoah.Zero is paced so well in the anime, that the manga simply doesn’t have the immense effect that the anime does. The energy is lost due to intensity of the anime. It’s something that is felt missing in the manga.
However, that doesn’t mean this manga is bad. In fact, it’s very enjoyable to read a familiar and loved story. Aldnoah.Zero is a good story period. Even if mecha isn’t your thing, you’ll more than likely this one. If you haven’t seen the anime, read the manga first. It will suck you in and you’ll love the anime even more.
Content Grade: B+
Art Grade: B+
Packaging Grade: B
Text/Translation Grade: B+
Age Rating: Teen
Released By: Yen Press
Release Date: May 24th, 2016
MSRP: $13 USD
