A quick note: should you be interested in picking up this manga after viewing the 2014 anime adaptation, you can expect the same general story with a few very noticeable differences. The adaptation has streamlined and condensed the events depicted in chapters 1 – 26 or so, leaving out several events that are key to the manga. You may be confused if you don't start right at the beginning, which I greatly recommend. Both do certain things better than the other. The manga does include a “chapter 0” that was not adapted; make sure to look out for it!

Tsutomu Nihei's “Knights of Sidonia” is an ongoing space odyssey manga with mecha elements, set in a bleak yet hauntingly beautiful vision of the future. It's an exciting story with a slightly formulaic but overall unpredictable narrative crafted with the utmost attention to small details that make the world feel alive. It is, however, not without its flaws.

Humanity's enemy, the Gauna, are mysterious alien creatures composed of “true bodies” encased in regenerating placenta. A Gauna can shape its placenta into anything it desires, frequently doing so to resemble human beings. Should the placenta be breached and the true body be pierced with a mysterious material called “kabi,” the Gauna will immediately disintegrate. Simple enough.

The titular spacefaring megastructure, Sidonia, at approximately five kilometers wide and 29 kilometers long, has too much bulk to directly combat the Gauna. Instead, it relies on a battalion of humanoid robots that require the manual control of pilots (Sidonia's "knights"). These robots, known as Guardians, engage the Gauna while the ship provides support with an arsenal of doomsday weapons such as energy cannons, mass drivers, anti-planet warheads, and a 28 kilometer railgun that would make Mikoto Misaka proud. The latter are so incredibly destructive that the crew needs to assess the repercussions before firing. When Sidonia does fire, you brace yourself and hold on tight.

To keep the formula fresh, new technology is constantly introduced on the human side while each Gauna the ship encounters is unique in some way. Even fights against hordes of your standard disposable Gauna grunt are made interesting by new weaponry or a drastic change in terrain.

The previously mentioned technological breakthroughs are occasionally the answer to a problem, resulting in several instances of deus ex machina. While Tsutomu still manages to make these situations exciting, I would have much rather seen the obstacle overcome with simple ingenuity. This does, however, positively affect the overall story, as Sidonia gradually transitions from prey to predator. Even then, some tech simply blew me away with how cool it was (one word: Mizuki).

Battles are cleverly depicted from two alternating perspectives: the battlefront itself and Sidonia's bridge. Tsutomu uses the bridge, which is dominated by a massive digital display that monitors ongoing activities, to help us better understand the current situation as well as the tactics and maneuvers (which, might I say, are very interesting) that are being employed by the crew. I've found it to be a very effective system.

Perhaps what I love most about Knights of Sidonia is Tsutomu's vision of the future, where the continued survival of the human race has been put above all else. Humanity has resorted to cloning and genetic modification, creating people that can photosynthesize in order to save food rations and a third gender capable of mating with either sex or asexually. It's dark, it's clever, and it's all firmly rooted in real science. Higgs particles - a form of energy utilized by Sidonia - for example, were discovered by the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN) in 2012.

Tsutomu adds another layer of depth by depicting advanced technology being juxtaposed with slightly more contemporary instruments. Higgs-based weapons, for example, are used in conjunction with both kabi-based weapons and standard, seemingly powder-based munitions reminiscent of our own time. The technology is not perfect, either; Sidonia is not capable of faster than light travel and must make good use of its limited resources.

As the war effort devours the vast majority of these resources, the ship's residential sector has developed into one of the most imaginative places I've seen in fiction: an intricate patchwork city of suspended lodgings, piping, twisting stairwells, and a variety of colorful OSHA violations - all curving around the ship's railgun barrel. I fell in love at first sight.

Prefacing nearly every chapter are full-page images excerpted from the “100 Sights of Sidonia,” a photographic guidebook of the ship mentioned on occasion throughout the story. One of my favorite entries depicts Izana pressing himself/herself against the oldest “converter pipe” on the ship – a massive industrial pipeline designated as sacred by shimenawa (traditional Shinto rice ropes). Other entries include wind tunnels, fish farms, factories, and bathhouses, all of which secure the vastness and diversity of the ship while simultaneously painting a picture of its culture. It's a subtle addition but it adds a lot.

I can't emphasize enough just how well Tsutomu incorporates these subtle details. One particular supporting character, a Guardian pilot by the name of Norio Kunato, is named after edible seaweed (known as “nori” in Japanese, which is notable for its use as a wrap for onigiri and sushi). During Sidonia's millennium adrift, seaweed has “fallen out of production” and has become a precious commodity, rendering the name culturally acceptable. I absolutely love it.

The people who occupy this world sound interesting enough; Knights of Sidonia delivers a cast of mole men, human/bear hybrids, hermaphrodites, clones, androids, immortals, aliens - you name it. Unfortunately, for characters with such interesting backgrounds, the majority seem to fall flat. It's not that they're unlikable - they are and can prove to be quite fun - it's just that their actions have a habit of seeming... two-dimensional. Perhaps the most prominent example is our beloved hero, Nagate Tanikaze.

Throughout the story we might hear that Nagate vocalized his opinions on an important matter, such as demanding the reinforcement of the armor on certain Guardian models, but we never explicitly witness it. What we do see is a young man who likes to eat and is just about as submissive as he is stereotypical and oblivious to his harem, which slowly but surely grows stronger. Again, he never manages to be unlikable per se, yet he can prove to be boring and undergoes practically no character development after the opening chapters, which is a shame.

The other recurring characters manage to be somewhat more lively and, well, more feminine (this includes the hermaphrodite). I find the most interesting ones to be those operating the bridge, especially Yuhata Midorikawa and the mysterious masked captain, Kobayashi. While the horrors of the Gauna and the reality of death almost never act as a catalyst for character development, these characters are noteworthy exceptions.

Ultimately, the strongest character is Sidonia itself.

Sidonia is alive. It's a living, breathing place. It's familiarity and safety. It becomes home; for not just the characters but the reader, and I eagerly await the next chapter that will bring me back.



Tsutomu Nihei's “Knights of Sidonia”

UPDATE 1: July 1st, 2014 (revised for clarity and grammatical errors)
UPDATE 2: July 2nd, 2014 (paranoia)
This review will continue to be revised as more chapters are published.

Story
+ Incredible attention to detail
+ Unpredictable narrative
+ Alternating perspectives during battle
- Deus ex machina

Art
+ A vast, beautiful, and everchanging world to explore
+ Sidonia's 100 Sights

Character
+ Interesting backgrounds
- Two-dimensional mannerisms/idiosyncrasies
- Lack of character development

Enjoyment
+ Incredible world
+ An exciting narrative
- Deadpan hero

Story: 9 | Art: 8 | Character: 7 | Enjoyment: 8
Overall: 8 (very good)

I only hope that you enjoy the manga as much as I have ~