All You Need Is Kill

[Lots of Spoilers] TL;DR It is definitely worth the read despite being non colored.
EST. read time: 1hr 5m

Story: 9/10
Stories featuring a Predestination paradox concept are not fun to experience, some might even consider them to be worse than experiencing death. In the Manga "All you need is Kill", we follow a Soldier of the "United Defense Force" - a Intercontinental Warfare Alliance comprised of several nations fighting against a common enemy, Mimic. Mimic are a sea urchin-like life form that consume the richness of any environment and leaving behind deserts or swamp like fluids; it isn't revealed in the beginning but as the story progresses it is revealed that the cause of the Predestination paradox is due to the configuration of the intelligent life form. Keiji, who experiences trauma while enduring the effects of the Mimics powers uses the ability to manipulate time to train, learn and adapt among the different iterations or 'loops' in order to find an outcome that determines the shifting force of the battle.

Naturally, humanity's most feared enemy is an enemy that possesses an adaptive cognitive disposition. That being said, in this universe a life form that has the ability to overpower humanity and indiscriminately consume life is frightening. All You Need to Kill explains this concept in only 17 Chapters, although not enough to develop deeper than the surface level, it does end with a BANG. The story line is not complex or utilizes narrative components to enhance the perspective of the story teller but it does an amazing job of revealing detail by detail provoking the reader with new information that wouldn't have been hinted to prior. My main squabble with the story is the ending, the ending is bitter sweet and ends in the style of "There is a lot of work to be done, I'll have to replace Rita in order to relive the horrifying loops" In this case, there is no true ending which leaves many provoking questions unanswered. Overall, such a great execution of the Predestination paradox and butterfly effect.

Art: 6/10
I'm not a fan of Manga primarily because of the outdated anti-mobile layout and especially considering it was made for the intention of being printed. However, besides that the art is consistent and very detailed - Every scene has been planned out and drawn with heavy consideration for light-source. The mobile suits also have great attention to detail even during actions scenes where spikes piercing through the battlefield impale the personnel. The environmental design where the battle occurs looks like a beach frontal assault which is a bad-ass premise for an apocalyptic-dystopian setting. Major Flaw, Manga panel layouts are outdated ~ Manhwa/Webtoon mobile layouts are in-dated.

Character: 8/10
Although the main attention of character development is on Keiji, there is a chapter + half dedicated to re-telling Rita's childhood against the flow of the Mimics and also her previous battle (I assume the blonde guy was also stuck in the loop, and Rita was able to leave the loop because he died - Because of the method he used by talking about random topics and the fact that he had become a powerhouse force against the mimics
which is a VERY rare occurrence) The details of the development in both main characters is surface level but considering the development only occurred in the latter half of the Manga showed how ambitious the premise-setting was.

This is a more satisfying and rewarding style of character development instead of those overused reincarnated characters remembering an entire Martial Arts Nascent Grade Skill Manual and selling pill refining formulas. It also had great pace, not too rushed and not too slow.

Enjoyment: 7/10
Definitely would like this to be adapted into an anime or even extended into a full series of Mobile-supported webmanga. There is a lot of drive for ambition but since this is an older and probably discontinued piece of ancient Manga history it probably won't be getting a reboot.

Making a review on a 17 chapters manga is kind of a challenge, for with the slightest spoil, you end up revealing a significant part of the show. And to me, this manga is best appreciated when knowing nothing of it and discovering its content page by page. A point of view not shared by other reviewers of “All you need is kill” at the moment. As such, if you are satisfied what you will have read in this review, I would like to advise you not to read the other reviews before reading the manga. This may sound terribly arrogant, but I believe I made myself clear enough on why I’m saying this. In fact, you shouldn’t even read this review. Go read the first chapters, it will take the same amount of time as reading this review.

But if you still need more motivation, what can I tell about it? Well, I think that just by stating that this manga shouldn’t be spoiled, it already tells you something. Combine that with the genre tags, and I believe you already have a gist of what’s going on. An action sci-fi military, depicted in a real seinen way, and that cannot suffer from being spoiled. I say real seinen, because it is fairly loose term, is often to describe a shounen content with boobs (more or less). This is not what you will get here.

The other thing you also know is the manga length and its inherent constraints. You know it cannot stray too far from its objectives, and also that with 17 chapters, you won’t have the same depth as a 100 chapters manga. And that’s a fact. You can’t blame the manga for that, the same way you can’t blame a pony for not winning a race against a horse. It’s a bloody pony, what do you expect? That said, I don’t think that “all you need is kill”, which is a pretty terrible title I must say, has much in common with a pony. The annoying thing is that you’re left with the “I want more” feeling, and that’s amplified by the pace choice. But it has its weaknesses too. The story setup and the characters are pretty generic. Could the author have done a better job in that aspect in such a shot amount of time? Maybe.

I believe you now have all the elements to make an informed decision. I’m giving it a 9, which is fairly high, but I find that this manga deserves it, for it does what its design for very well.

Some years ago, I found myself bored and searching for something good to read. While I was looking online for something similar to the "Forever War" and " The groundhog day," I came across this book, which story wonderfully mixes the time loops of "the groundhog day" with the war against some nonhuman beings of the "Forever war". I wasn't really expecting something that great, but I was proven wrong.

The story is really well written; I really enjoy reading it. The main concept of the manga is having a time loop during a battle that is taking place between the human race and some kind of extraterrestrial race. The main character finds himself trapped in this time loop, and starts looking for a way to change his fate. This manga has very little romance. There are some girls, and interactions between them and the main character on the manga, but this manga is centered more on the fight, and survival, so definetly wouldn't read it if I were looking for romance. The conclusion of the story in the book is quite satisfying since it answered every questions and plot holes that might have appeared. Reader is able to understand how the war started, why the time loop, how the main character got trapped in the time loop, and if there are other people experiencing the same thing.

The characters are well design, and they do not disappoint. The main character starts like the typical afraid and shy guy, but shows growth quite immediately. He becomes quite a badass after a couple chapters, and has some kind of darker side that makes him more interesting as the story progresses. The second most important character, who is a girl, is also quite interesting and well develop character. She starts as a role model, and an invincible soldier, "the full metal bitch," who has killed many enemies despite her small figure. As the story progresses these two become a bit close, and help each other to find a way out of the loop and win the battle.

Art is really good, the characters look really nice and the way they were drawn does live up to the description given to them. The exoskeletons and weapons, they use, look quite fantastic as well. Unfortunately , there is just one thing that is not good, and it is the way the extraterrestrial enemies were drawn. When I read the book, I imagine them a bit more humanoid, but the ones from the manga are just some giant spiky balls with teeth.

Overall this manga is quite a good read, the art is quite good, it sure won't disappoint for those who like war and fighting themed mangas.

take a long time reading & enjoying each page !
story :
it's kind of a known story about the humanity fighting against aliens , but the aliens here are Mimics and the humanity are a good training army .
but what make it special is the way things going , and the END was satisfied as much as I expect it to be , even though you can't tell what the next action is .
.
art :
every page is an amazing piece of art , it took me a few minutes to turn the page , the ability of drawing war scenes and the fighting moves makes the pages speak .
.
characters :
even there is tow main characters , but many sided characters took my eye , Rita was unexpected girl , even though she was powerful out side , she's soft inside . Kaiji , the guy made such a great things even that he was powerless , but hard work never let you down.
.
Generally !
I really liked it , and surely will re-read it .

This is the first manga I have read so I thought I'd leave a review for other beginners like myself.

Story (7/10): The story is good but not great, regardless of if you have any form of spoilers it remains predictable throughout the majority of the chapters. However, just because it's predictable doesn't mean it's not enjoyable.

Art (8/10): The art is superb but won't leave you starstruck. Some panels feel illegible at times, mainly the large battle scenes due to the level of detail. Part of me wishes we had more scenery shown to us, but it's also nice that we can form our own individual idea of the battles scenery from personal imagination.

Value (9/10): Not something mentioned often but is important to note. As a new manga reader I do not wish to spend a fortune right off the boat. Therefore this manga in particular is perfect for new readers due to it's low price in conjunction to the amount of pages you receive of such solid quality.

Overall (8/10): Overall a very enjoyable read and I highly recommend!

I read the translated (in english) version by Viz media, so this review is based on that version.
First of all I didn't know this was going to be a Hollywood movie when I started but found out when I was about 1/3rd through (otherwise I might have read some other "Haikasoru" novel).
If you have read the synopsis you know this is gonna be sci-fi time loop story, you know there is going to be action, and you definitely know this book is heavily video game influenced.
And you would be write on all accounts, this is a book where a private called "Keiji" is caught in a time loop after dying and fights the same losing battle against aliens everyday. There is a female soldier from America (so cliche) who is the best warrior for humankind and she kinds of helps the protagonist to understand whats happening, in between there is a bit of background on the enemy, a bit of world building and a touch of romance thrown in.
As it goes it is a kind of story where you always kind of see where the plot is going, yet you are satisfied with the overall result, the progress is quite predictable yet the end is likeable.
My main gripe with this short and fast paced novel is that there is not enough action as was advertised my the synopsis or as was necessary (or may be just not for my liking, but I got this to read action like video games and I didn't get much of that). On the other hand the character building is quite nicely done especially for the main character who progresses through the same trial over and over again to maturity.
All in all it was a short and average read which would have scored a bit higher by me if I had more world building or action or if some of the side characters were not so generic.
My final score is 3 out of 5 stars.

All You Need Is Kill is a built with a great premise. Humans are locked in a losing battle with aliens, when one soldier- a weakling called Keiji- 'dies'. But then he wakes up to find himself in a time loop.
When this was adapted into the American Film it was called 'Groundhog Day with Aliens' which was such a baffling comparison that I ended up watching the film in the cinema. If you did watch "Edge of Tomorrow" then I can see that mistake being made- the film way basically that. But the manga builds an empire on this premise. Without the westernisation of the story All You Need Is Kill is a gore filled tragedy. The main character finds himself faced with his mortality and facing the understanding that no matter how perfect a soldier he becomes he will never be able to face the insurmountable odds. This isn't an allegory for war- it is war and it's painful, cruel and sad.
The Story: 7/10
Keiji Kiriya is a new soldier in the United Defense Force, an army armed with exo-skeletons who fight an invading alien species called the Mimics. Unprepared for the horrors awaiting him he is pushed out onto the battle field, dying in his first battle after killing a Mimic that is different in appearance to the others. Then he wakes up. Then dies again. Again and again, he is brutally killed and resurected all the while he gains skill. A female soldier named Rita- renowned for being the best a soldier can be, is revealed to have faced an identical fate. Through each loop he trains, gains access to her weapon until she recognises, in one loop, the situation he is in- realising she needs to help him.
The Art: 9/10
Art in manga means very little to me these days, One Punch Man and Mob Psycho both show art doesn't have much effect on the experience. However All You Need Is Kill have some stunning panels. When I saw the Aliens on the battle field, the detail was so incredible I felt sickened but in awe. The image of Keiji in his exoskeleton on the battle field- covered in blood and out of breath shocked me in it power. The expressions can be janky at times, sometimes even a bit generic, but the use of expression to show Keiji losing his will to live is almost makes up for that in my mind.
The Characters: 9/10
How do you design a character who constantly dies, no matter how well he does? How do you make his personality develop, or regress? The character development of Keiji from a terrified boy, to a man miserable with existence and unable to stand living, to a soldier with honour and pride is so well done that you never stop and say "Well that was a jump". Every character in this develops, even when they never have more than a day to do so. However the main emphasis of character is put upon Keiji and Rita. Is this a bad thing? Not at all, rather it allows us to explore the unique horror of a situation where you are trapped alone with a fate worse than death. Keiji's character arc watched him face insurmountable odds, he looks into the void and he hates what he sees.
All You Need Is Kill is honestly one of the saddest things I've read- dealing with issues such a self-worth, sacrifice and mortality. Very much worth the read four years on.