If you are going into the manga thinking that the well thought out and brilliantly executed game of chess from the first arc is going to carry over throughout the series, you’ll be disappointed. After the first arc, there is a change of focus, from an engaging game of cat and mouse to an apocalyptic survival horror story. After all, the circumstances have changed. The children no longer have a cozy shelter and need to learn to fight for themselves.

As the story progresses, the explanation of the monsters that govern this world does not get too complicated, which is where other mangas go wrong. It’s plausible and easy to understand. The art is fantastic, the action is engaging and the plot remains clear an easy to follow, but it doesn’t shy away from killing or severely injuring any of the characters, so don’t get too attached. ;)

There is one more thing I have to add, but keep in mind that this is my personal opinion, yours may vary. The many fight scenes are extremely long, spamming chapters, desperately trying to keep you engaged. They’re promising a false sense of security, only to take it back in minutes. This, to me, feels like too much. I would have enjoyed the manga, perhaps, a little more if it didn’t spend so much time on this rollercoaster of emotions.

Overall, the manga is fantastic. Despite, its flaws, it takes you on this thrilling world changing adventure. It is a story about friendship, about determination and logic and implies that sometimes, the most certain path is not the best one. You have to trust yourself and just take a leap of faith. And it also makes you think of the way we consume meat and other animal products these days and just how inhumane it is.