Kaina of the Great Snow Sea 1

by Tsutomu Nihei

[Quirky Cat]

Summary:

Kaina and his people do a decent job of surviving high in the trees, seeking out some sort of life in this dying world. Naturally, they’re not all that used to visitors, believing themselves some of the last survivors.

When a visitor does arrive, much to their surprise, Kaina and his people quickly learn how wrong their assumptions are. Not only are there other survivors, but they’ve found a safe place to live.

Review:

I wanted to love Kaina of the Great Snow Sea Vol. 1. The title and cover made it look like this story would be my ally. While I agree it has a lot of potential, it failed to suck me in before I finished the first volume.

The premise is compelling - a small, isolated village doing everything possible to survive. They have every reason to assume they’re the last surviving village, so imagine their surprise to learn that there’s at least one other. Cool, right?

It’s definitely a problem with execution, not premise. The world didn’t feel all that fleshed out despite telling us the stakes (again and again). Likewise, I didn’t feel all that attached to any of the characters, including the titular character.

Overall, I’d say that Kaina of the Great Snow Sea Vol. 1 was worth the read, but it is not a series I’ll be continuing. Great concept and potential but slightly disappointing results.

Highlights:
Fantasy & Sci-Fi
Action Manga
Dying World

Will I continue the series? Nah

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