"Destroy all humankind. They can't be regenerated", is a manga that takes place in the 1990s where the central theme behind the manga is a popular card game that took the 90s and 00s by storm, Magic: The Gathering. A game which I played a ton with my friends when I was a very young boy myself, and a game I cherished back in the day.
This manga is also created by Katsura Ise and Takuma Yokota, the combo that created one of my favorite manga of all time, Onanie Master Kurosawa. Hell, Takuma Yokota also created Chikan Otoko by himself, another one of my favorites, so clearly I have had experience and trust with their successful works from the past, so when I saw that they did a magic surrounding Magic, I immediately stopped what I was doing and read this till I caught up. And by the time I did, despite its few number of chapters released, I was amazed.
I won't review it like I did my other reviews in the past (on MyAnimeList) due to the lack of chapters, but I just want to talk a few things about why I absolutely love and cherish this manga.
This manga focuses on the two main characters of the story, Hajime (a lovable but very shy geek) and Sawatari (a girl who's confident and smart, but also has a hidden side to her that she loves) and how their bond with each other develops over time with the power of Magic... the game.
I love their characters. Their individual personalities are incredibly likable and charming, but they truly shine whenever they are together. Whether they're playing against each other as rivals or supporting/helping each other improve not only as players but also as people in general, they both have amazing chemistry that just drew me into the manga.
The manga focuses a lot on them and whilst there are side characters who may not have been the best written, they still have likable personalities that contrast well with the main duo and overall, creates a great atmosphere to enjoy.
I've always admired Takuma Yokota's artwork. From the incredibly rough, sketchy yet charismatic and unorthodox drawings for Chikan Otoko, to a gritty yet intense artstyle integrated in Onanie Master Kurosawa, his designs always have clicked for me. And this was no exception.
It's much cleaner and more refined than his previous works, with looking much less rough around the edges as his other works, but it still gives off so much charm and personality here too (especially for the character designs). He manages to keep the drawings simple yet refined, and complimented the 90s setting very well in my opinion (whilst modernizing and refreshing his style to fit the new age of manga).
The Magic games here aren't just presented like its a full on battle manga, but it's presented in a way that it mixes the intensity and passion of Magic players with the fun and relaxing atmosphere of the general setting itself in the 90s. It makes it not only easier for people who aren't Magic fans to get into, but also gives the manga more layers to it that make it so much fun to read. If I just wanted to see Magic only, I would just play it myself. But by using it smartly and not forcing the battles down our throats and mixing it with light-hearted romance, it creates such an engaging atmosphere. It has its intense moments, and its light-hearted moments and both harmonize superbly. I recommended it to some of my friends in real life who weren't even into Magic since I couldn't stop talking about this manga to them, and even they managed to get into it due to the chemistry of the characters themselves and were charmed by the battles too after.
Overall, this manga is excellent. One of my favorites I've come across that started in the past couple years, and it's definitely worth an attempt. Whether you love Magic or whether you want a nice, simple romance/slice of life with engaging characters. There's so much charm that the potential is high for it to be one of the best in my opinion.
For me as a Magic fan myself from when I was young, the mixture of amazing characters, an interesting setting and narrative, and pure hype from nostalgia just creates a wonderful experience.
I can't wait for more chapters to be released in due time but till then, hope this review convinced some of you to give it a chance.
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