Asebi to Sora Sekai no Boukensha

Asebi and the Adventurers of Sky World is a manga that had a ton of potential but unfortunately didn't do anything great with it.

The setup for the plot is genuinely interesting: people now live in islands on the clouds, kept in certain areas due to massive flying dragon fish, and an ancient, technologically advanced nation may hold the key to help the situation. The main character is a guard that fights dragon fish and the FMC is an android that is a creation of the technologically advanced race. When I first read it, I thought the story had a lot of Castle in the Sky vibes and could honestly make an even more action packed, adventure filled story than it if it played its cards right, which it doesn't end up doing. The plot itself is mainly just uninteresting, with nothing new or shocking being explored. The world itself is put on the sidelines, so we don't get to hear about much of the lore or history, and the plot gets very rushed towards the end of the story. The plot wasn't the only thing that was plagued with averageness though.

The characters in this manga are also just as bland as the plot. The main character doesn't have any interesting traits that sets him apart from the other typical shounen MC's. He often acts irrationally and is over trusting with people which is overplayed at this point. The FMC doesn't do much better either, with her just being a damsel in distress for at least a third of the story. Every other character is barely explored, with the exception of maybe Gram, who is still a pretty stereotypical archtype in these types of stories. Villains lacked strong motivations overall and seemed evil just for the sake of being evil. So many characters are introduced just to be there for like 3 chapters and never show up again, and every bad situation just happens to figure itself out in the end.

In terms of art, it is definitely different. It has a lot more rounded features than most manga, lending to a kind of interesting experience, but it lacks a lot of pop most of the time.

Overall, this manga just feels like a soft letdown because of how good it could have been. Nothing really happens at all and I felt no emotions towards the plight of any of the characters. Unfortunately the most praise I can give for this manga is that it is a light, non-committal read for those who aren't looking for a deep story or plot to be invested into.

The world is the most interesting part of the work - it is described well, but never in a manner which feels like an infodump. The author describes the sky world just enough to make you curious, making the standard "hero's journey' trope interesting.

The characters are also well-done. Their relationship with each other is portrayed in a somewhat unrealistic manner, but never enough to put me off. I feel like it's a romance which could almost happen in reality.

Additionally, characters develop naturally, and character's issues never feel like the standard "angst".

All-in-all, I am looking forward to seeing more of the world and the characters as this manga continues.

So far this series has been a lot of fun. I am glad to see a new chapter when it becomes available and read it as soon as I can. You follow two protagonists on their journey to search out a lost civilization in a world of floating islands and skyships.

The story is rich and satisfying even if it is a typical "Hero on a quest" type of tale. The world building is great and unfolds quite organically. It neither overloads you with information and lore nor leaves you hanging except where necessary. It tells you what you need to know to understand what is going on without it feeling like a droning narrative.

The art is quite pleasant. It is simple enough that it is easy to follow without having to stop and examine the images. Yet it is consistent and detailed enough to be pleasing.

The characters are mostly pretty common archetypes. However they way they presented feels good. They are introduced at a reasonable pace so you have time to learn about them and their motivations.

I am enjoying it quite a bit. Everything is blended together pretty well to make it a good adventure story.

Overall I rate it 8/10 and will keep following it.