If you read this manga online, websites tend to present the one-shot version as "Chapter 0" and would highly recommend those of you interested in reading this to start with that first if you want to compare to the longer manga version. Otherwise, start with Chapter 1 (duh).

I have to say I thoroughly enjoyed this short manga and would say that it is fairly well executed short story. Reading some earlier reviews, I learned that some people are pointing out that it is a rip off of Attack on Titan. While I understand why others may consider it a poor imitation, I have to disagree.

The one-shot holds truer to the thought of an imitation, but if you read the completed manga, Yagi Tomohiro is able to make it his own. Though he keeps the basis of the Iron Knight in a post apocalyptic world, he incorporates his own ideas for the plot well.

Tomohiro also does a phenomenal job on developing Teppei's character! He is able to make the reader truly concerned for Teppei and empathize with his situation. Yagi puts Teppei in a better light as he exhibits Teppei's iron moral (pun intended) in facing each new challenge. At the same time, Yagi doesn't overdo the emphasis on Teppei's role as the hero by clearly showing his weaknesses often. He is misunderstood and beat down often but able to stand right back up and keep going. A great trait for a "strong" hero, but it is appreciated that Teppei's ability to withstand strife is not constantly preached by the mangaka. In doing this, Yagi makes Teppei seem more realistic, showing that he can keep going on his journey the same way that one moves on in life.

I enjoyed the overall simplicity of the art as it was intended to be a light read. I'm not saying that the drawing was rudimentary (quite the opposite), but it was nice to see that it paralleled the idea of the story.

I would recommend this to anyone who appreciates a story that, first of all, concludes, and is in itself an interesting read. I'm not going to label myself as having a refined taste for manga, I'm simply an enthusiast who enjoys manga. The Iron Knight really reminds me of the layout of a video game that I played (I can't remember what it was though). But, if this were the plot of a well executed video game, I would play it.