(I'm going to try to blog the first Saturday every month, and talk about something that's been pretty important to me in that time. Happy New Year!)
Recommended Thing of the Month: 7 Seeds, Yumi Tamura
In the years before a giant meteor wipes out all human life on the surface of the Earth, five groups of seven youths, along with an adult guide, were placed in cryostasis as part of a project called 'The Seven Seeds'. Seven supply depots were built under the 'Seven Fuji' to aid in their survival in the world they were to wake in. But with a still-unsteady climate, natural disasters aplenty and evolved wildlife to contend with, it seems their chances of survival are slim.
This is the first manga that made me cry. The hardships all the characters go through are, admittedly, rather unrelatable, since I've never been and hopefully never will be in an apocalypse situation, but I can relate to them all the same as, despite everything, they still have normal problems to contend with alongside that of survival in a world that still hasn't settled into a steady climate yet. I guess I'm just fascinated by 'after the end' stories like this one; of people's struggle to survive when everything they've ever known is gone.
The only character I don't really like that much in 7 Seeds is Natsu, who reminds me too much of me: she finds it difficult to speak up about things, relies on people noticing when something is wrong and is pretty useless about 80% of the time she's featured in a chapter/arc. I am hoping she improves as a person over the course of the story, but in all 30 odd chapters I've read of it so far (I'm on a re-read, but it's been ages) the only thing she's managed to do off her own bat is make a basket.
The saddest stories I've read in this manga so far are those of Aramaki and the Ryugu Shelter. I don't want to go into too much detail, but I nearly cried reading the Ryugu arc, and I definitely did when I read Aramaki's story. I'm definitely looking forward to reading the rest, and the newer chapters that I've never read before. If you're a fan of tales like '2012', 'The Day After Tomorrow' and such, then this manga is definitely right up your alley!
