A band of misfits tries to make a living in the most realistic take on fantasy gaming; because it isn’t a game and when you’re dead, it’s all over!
Creative Staff
Original Story: Ao Jyumonji
Art: Mutsumi Okubashi
Translation: Caleb Cook
What They Say
By the time Haruhiro comes to, he finds himself in a gamelike world filled with terrifying monsters.
This world is called Grimgar. Armed with no more strength or ability than your average boy, Haruhiro and his fellow party members struggle to survive as they cobble out a mean existence, receiving mediocre pay in return for risking their lives everyday.
What kind of future does this harsh, uncaring world have in store for those who are not destined to succeed, who have no prophecy to guide them, who are not heroes…?
The Review! (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers):
Technical:
The front cover has an awkward-looking Haruhiro, which should be a hint at the mediocre art for this book. There are two color pages to start the book and then an afterward by the mangaka. The printing is good with solid blacks and good alignment. Other than that, nothing much in the “extras” category. The translation reads well.
As a fan of the anime, I find Okubashi’s art to be disappointing. Backgrounds are virtually non-existent and the facial proportions of most character depictions are often awkward and out of proportion. Even the depiction of Haruhiro’s hand on the front cover looks goofy. Overall, just seems like a poor decision by the Japanese publisher for this manga release of the original light novel series.
Content:
Haruhiro awakes in a dark room with a group of strangers. He has no idea how he got there or why.
At first glance, not a completely unique setup as many stories start with an amnesiac protagonist. However, what is unique is the world the strangers find themselves in after leaving their space. They find a fantastical world like something out of a video game. This world lacks technology, has classes like common villagers and adventurers broken down into mages, priests, warriors, hunters, and thieves. As Haruhiro and the strangers get a crash course in their new settings, they are given the choice to become commoners reliant on daily labor for a living or a chance at riches by becoming soldiers responsible for killing monsters in the wilds around their new town.
This angle is unique compared to the tired genre of getting stuck inside a game people are playing. The downfall of most of those series is that the characters are already strong with lots of powers and treasure by the time they are trapped inside their game. Grimgar of Fantasy and Ash isn’t a game, none of the characters know anything about their world, and all the characters are as week as you would expect of someone that walked off the street and began training to become a soldier. This angle is where this series shines.
There were enough strangers that awoke in their strange cavern together to form to parties of adventures. They receive a quick breakdown of how they get paid, get their signing bonus, and break into two groups. Haruhiro ends up in a group of misfits, which doesn’t bode well for his life longevity. Nonetheless, they try to make the best of their situation and they all choose a different warrior-type class so they don’t overlap each other. After a week of separate training, the group comes back together to head into the forest and test their newfound skills against goblins.
The very first goblin they come across isn’t much of a monster, but even his weak self proves almost enough to be unbeatable for Haruhiro and his companions! Is there any hope for this band of misfits?
In Summary:
Grimgar of Fantasy and Ash has a great premise with a variety of characters that grows on the reader. I was first exposed to this series via the anime adaptation of the original light novels, so I had high hopes for this manga adaptation. So far, I am a little disappointed with Okubashi’s interpretation of this series. The story didn’t jump out and grab me in this first volume like the anime managed to do. This first volume of the manga seemed almost rushed with major developments at the ending and almost no development of character interactions leading up to it. However, given how much I thoroughly enjoyed the anime series, I hope to see this manga go further than the anime managed to do in twelve episodes.
Content Grade: B-
Art Grade: C-
Packaging Grade: B+
Text/Translation Grade: A
Age Rating: Older Teen
Released By: Yen Press
Release Date: June 20, 2017
MSRP: $13.00
