Japanese: アライブ 最終進化的少年
English: Alive - The Final Evolution
Synonyms: Alive - Last Evolutionary Boy
Type: Manga
Volumes: 21
Chapters: 83
Status: Completed
Published: Oct 2003 to Feb 6, 2010
Genres: Adventure, Sci-Fi, Shounen, Supernatural
Authors: Kawashima Tadashi (Story), Adachitoka (Art)
Serialization: Shounen Magazine (Monthly)
Synopsis: Taisuke Kanou is your average 16-year-old student. He has two close friends, Hirose and Megumi. Hirose has trouble with bullies, but Taisuke is always there to defend him, even though he just winds up getting beaten instead of Hirose. During class one day, Taisuke is hit by something unworldly and for that split second, he sees a vision of the universe. As he's walking home from school, he sees a girl fall and die in front of him, but his first thought is jealousy. He later finds out that the strange sensation that hit him is spreading throughout Japan. Those who are struck by it either commit suicide or "evolve," but the comrades that evolve usually have dark intentions for the rest of the world.
Groups Scanlating
Ala Atra
Ala Atra Scans
Dynasty Scans
For The Halibut
Franky House
Twilight Dreams Scans
kono-basho
Hasta Traduction Team
Licensed in English
Kodansha Comics (8 volumes, digital - dropped)
Source: MAL Manga Info, Baka updates
Side notes: Today I've been sad picking up mangas with quite dark atmosphere and catastrophes although I started with witches and magic the turn was made at some point as I followed the red thread through MAL's manga recommendations list. o.o Still as it goes this manga also falls to the later category of darker toned mangas. The reviews are mostly giving nine or ten to ten for this manga. One of the reviews that I stopped to read gave it seven points which piqued my interest. The reader had a total change of heart in the middle of the manga that only can mean that if you get that far (around volumes 10-11) you might get to experience the same.^-^
Good things mentioned: The story gives variety of point of views alongside the the main character, good character development and growth and its more than average shounen manga.
Bad things: Slow starter, plot wise it takes time before something really good starts to be seen, art also gets better slowly, the ending of the story is a bit confusing.
Still it's somewhat discouraging to notice that the official English translation was dropped same with the anime after Gonzo's delisting from the Tokyo Stock Exchange. I myself don't have big everlasting memories for this manga 'cause it's been pretty long time since I run through it but my initial score for it was 8 so it's not bad manga to read.^-^
Main characters
Taisuke Kanou (叶 太輔)
A teenage boy who is bold, confident and who is not afraid to stick up for his friends. Under his out-going and confident personality, he lives with guilt because he feels it was his fault that his parents died. Since his parents death, he has been raised and looked after by his older sister. He's one of the few people who is unaffected by the virus and is the protagonist of the story.
A juice box which Taisuke had dropped as a young child, had jammed the brakes of the car and inadvertently caused the car accident that killed his parents. After the death of his parents, he was raised by his older sister Yoko Kanou. He is one of the few people who gain a special ability after being infected with Akur. He sets out to find his missing friends, Hirose and Megumi, when they disappear. He meets up with Yuta and Nami, two other people with abilities. At the end of part 1 of the manga, it's revealed that Taisuke's ability is actually the ability "to regenerate and exterminate"; however Taisuke's ability to create fire remains unexplained. In the second arc, Taisuke, saved by the Tezuka Family, has lost his memory of his fight with Yuichi Hirose. He vaguely remembers Nami and Yuta yet regains his memory soon after his sister arrives. With Taisuke's memory returned, Yukie Tesuka asks him to retrieve the "Heart of Akuro" before returning home. The "Heart of Akuro" seems to be in some sort of military research facility with soldiers guarding the place. Taisuke proceeds into the base with Ray Tezuka and Nami but are intercepted by D4. The team, wounded by rubber bullets from the D4, is captured. Taisuke melts his handcuffs and escapes. D4 tries to shoot him again with rubber bullets but they are melted by a special ability. They proceed to find the "Heart of Akuro". The rock (a fusion of Hirose and the "Heart of Akuro") reacts with Taisuke. As he approaches the rock, it uses Hirose's ability and creates holes injuring and killing some of the soldiers. He is stopped by Aoi Tezuka when she warns him that all ability users will die after touching the "Heart of Akuro". The plan fails but everyone successfully escapes. Taisuke goes to stay at Nami's house as he doesn't want to return home until he has dealt with Hirose. He is determined to kill Hirose, stating that he isn't the same as before. Taisuke receives a message from Michele—a paper with a flower that he once gave Megumi before his fight with Hirose. Taisuke is satisfied with her being safe, not knowing that she is in the hands of Shigeki Katsumata.
Nami Kusunoki (楠 奈美)
Manga debut - Chapter 12 "The Obvious Thing"
Nami Kusunoki has the power to freeze water to form any shape she chooses, usually forming it into claws to augment her martial arts, and launching them like bullets to pierce and freeze her targets.
She originally hated Comrades, especially those with fire-based abilities, but after spending time with Taisuke, her grudge begins to dissipate.
Her little brother Satoru was burned alive before her eyes by Kanon's ability and that was the reason Nami hated Comrades in the first place.
It's possible that she has some feelings for Taisuke as she names him as her reason for living in the second arc.
Yuta Takizawa
Yuta is one of the "comrades". His power is to create an isolated space, in which nothing can either go in or out, including air. The first time it is seen used in the manga he uses it to isolate a whole parking lot, where he forces Taisuke to kill him to save all the people inside. Taisuke refuses to do so. when Yuta after that tries to commit suicide, Taisuke stops him. after that incident Yuta decides to travel with Taisuke to the north to save Hirose and Megumi.
Hirose Yuichi (広瀬 雄)
Yuichi Hirose is Taisuke's best friend. He is small and timid for his age and is picked on by bullies. Taisuke and Megumi often help him out with bullies and animals, as seen in the omakes. Although small, he himself is infected with the virus and is given powers. He lives with last living family member, his mother. His mother soon commits suicide due to the virus and he ends up congratulating her on her death due to mind altering by a police inspector. Hirose gains the power to make anything "disappear" by creating holes (this ability is known as void). He later resents Taisuke and becomes ambitious and cruel.
After gaining his power, with Katsumata's mind alterations, Hirose personality changed to a destructive and ruthless sociopath, and he murdered many people. After absorbing the Heart, Hirose revealed that he desired to kill every other life form on Earth, making a world for himself, but currently his goal is unclear. When he absorbed the Heart, his void increases greatly, and his body becomes intangible due to being the void itself.
Megumi Ochiai (落合 恵)
Megumi Ochiai is Taisuke's childhood friend. She has known him since his parent's death and has always been there for him. Megumi is quite loud and is easily angered. She has always looked out for Hirose and Taisuke since an early age and sometimes comes to asks Taisuke's sister for help. Megumi seems to like Taisuke. She is later kidnapped and loses her memory. She manages to recover her memory one by one after seeing Taisuke again, but is later captured by Katsumata once more.
Supporting
Youko Kanou (叶 陽子)
Yoko Kanō is Taisuke's older sister. She works at his school as the nurse and often treats her brother, mostly because of his fights. After the death of their parents, Yoko has to take care of her brother. She earns the money and pays for her brother's schooling. She makes Taisuke clean and cook for her as she says that she gets the money so he has to do chores. She is a very confident older sister that trusts her younger brother.
Aoi Tezuka (手塚 杏)
Aoi is the fourth member of the Tezuka family and is 10 years old. She transfers into Yuta's class and is seated next to him, later becoming pen-pals with Kurumi, a girl who bullied her out of jealousy over Yuta. She has developed a strong attachment to Taisuke during the two-year timeskip. She is also a power user, which apparently allows her to run quickly and resistant from getting hurt from long falls. Growing tired of being left behind she demands to be part of the team.
Shigeki Katsumata
Inspector Katsumata is the lead investigator of Hirose's incident. At first glance he seems to be a kind person who is widely regarded but he too is one of the few who received powers. He teams up with Yura and starts recruiting other comrades. He rarely uses his powers but has used them once on Hirose to manipulate his thoughts. After his plan to control Hirose fails, he decides to retreat and capture Megumi.
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