People still can’t truly understand what’s going on in this title.
“Adventure-seeker Killy in the Cyber Dungeon quest! Maybe on Earth, Maybe in the Future” is the manga's tagline. Sounds promising, right? Yes, but no. Let us start with a summary of the plot. The main character, Killy, travels through The City and tries to find Net Terminal Genes in order to stop the chaotic expansion of the Megastructure. The Megastructure is a giant construction which covers the entire Earth, Moon and even Jupiter (there is a moment when Killy enters an enormous spherical room the size of Jupiter, and he thinks that this planet disappeared because of The Megastructure). With these Genes, people can connect to the Netsphere, which will stop the expansion. But there is a nuance — there are almost no people. They live in human or subhuman tribes, hiding from the Safeguards (robots that will wipe out the rest of humanity).
We won't spoil anything else, so you can experience Tsutomu Nihei's story for yourself. Let’s talk about the atmosphere. It is terrifying and disturbing, because the world consists of bizarre structures, bizarre creatures, the vibe of loneliness is almost on every page. The author doesn’t want to explain anything — it’s up to you. If you managed to understand what happened between two frames — good job, try to understand the next frames. If not, well, try to think better. And surprisingly, it is not bad. The main character is like us — silent and tries to understand what’s going on. The first chapters have no text at all.
The main character, Killy, may not even be the main character (same for the girl Cibo). The main character is The Megastructure and the world itself. It changes throughout the story, and it is interesting to try to understand its mechanics and bizarre shapes. Nihei was definitely inspired by H.R. Higer, whose role in sci-fi horror is priceless. In almost every chapter we meet someone new (or something) that can be hostile towards us, or friendly.
What else can be said about this title? Fans are still trying to understand the lore, they come up with new ideas about the ending, and they are all different. But almost every fan gives advice — read slowly and very carefully, and if you still don’t understand anything, go read NOiSE (the prequel). Blame! gives you a dark, lonely world that you should understand, and it is an amazing experience, especially if you are tired of usual titles.
People still can’t truly understand what’s going on in this title.
“Adventure-seeker Killy in the Cyber Dungeon quest! Maybe on Earth, Maybe in the Future” is the manga's tagline. Sounds promising, right? Yes, but no. Let us start with a summary of the plot. The main character, Killy, travels through The City and tries to find Net Terminal Genes in order to stop the chaotic expansion of the Megastructure. The Megastructure is a giant construction which covers the entire Earth, Moon and even Jupiter (there is a moment when Killy enters an enormous spherical room the size of Jupiter, and he thinks that this planet disappeared because of The Megastructure). With these Genes, people can connect to the Netsphere, which will stop the expansion. But there is a nuance — there are almost no people. They live in human or subhuman tribes, hiding from the Safeguards (robots that will wipe out the rest of humanity).
We won't spoil anything else, so you can experience Tsutomu Nihei's story for yourself. Let’s talk about the atmosphere. It is terrifying and disturbing, because the world consists of bizarre structures, bizarre creatures, the vibe of loneliness is almost on every page. The author doesn’t want to explain anything — it’s up to you. If you managed to understand what happened between two frames — good job, try to understand the next frames. If not, well, try to think better. And surprisingly, it is not bad. The main character is like us — silent and tries to understand what’s going on. The first chapters have no text at all.
The main character, Killy, may not even be the main character (same for the girl Cibo). The main character is The Megastructure and the world itself. It changes throughout the story, and it is interesting to try to understand its mechanics and bizarre shapes. Nihei was definitely inspired by H.R. Higer, whose role in sci-fi horror is priceless. In almost every chapter we meet someone new (or something) that can be hostile towards us, or friendly.
What else can be said about this title? Fans are still trying to understand the lore, they come up with new ideas about the ending, and they are all different. But almost every fan gives advice — read slowly and very carefully, and if you still don’t understand anything, go read NOiSE (the prequel). Blame! gives you a dark, lonely world that you should understand, and it is an amazing experience, especially if you are tired of usual titles.
