Post — Aaron Ngo

Major Spoilers are included in this manga review. Please read with caution.

After discovering volumes 1 and 2 at Barnes & Noble, I chose to make Fate / Grand Order: mortalis stella my first manga read of January 2021. I was pretty excited to read physical manga again. I also felt that “must read it” feeling. After reading 1,000 chapters of One Piece from October 28, 2020 to December 24, 2020, I have been feeling low on-and-off levels of reading fatigue. Reading this manga was a great reminder on why I enjoy Fate and the mobile app game. The manga was also a straight retelling of what occurred in the movie, Fate / Grand Order: First Order.

Synopsis: The Chaldea Security Organization is a group made up of high-level mages and brilliant scientists dedicated to preserving mankind’s history. One day, the organization learns the timeline had been changed and mankind is now set to become extinct by the end of 2016. After a horrific accident, one Master, Ritsuka, and one Demi-Servant, Mash are left humankind’s last hope. Do they have what it takes to save the future?

The first volume covers the entirety of the story’s Prologue, but it was rushed even faster. The characters felt underdeveloped, plot points were rushed from one point to the next without giving any of them time to breathe, and the main relationship between Ritsuka and Mash was rushed as well.

Shiramine did the artwork for the manga, which was consistent all the way through. I did enjoy looking at the unique character designs of Ritsuka, Mash, and the other characters as well. The backgrounds were drawn too plain at times, but the plot’s breakneck pacing could have affected that aspect due to how fast everything was moving. To be frank, y’all would be better off trying to watch the movie. The action sequences in this manga aren’t drawn the greatest, and the ones that do look good come off as boring sometimes.

Fate is a better anime experience.

For those interested in my thoughts about Fate / Grand Order: First Order, the movie review link is here.

Thanks everyone for reading this manga review! I appreciate the support!!! I’ll be reading my FGO Volume 2 book next, and then My Hero Academia Volume 26 afterward. I’m slowly making my way back to “keeping it reading!”

See you all next time!

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