# Overview Despite the over-saturation at times of traditional shonen in the anime community, Nanatsu No Taizai stood out from the rest. Once the first chapters were released, it felt different - this manga could actually be good, and it was. Much like it's anime adaptation, the first portion of the manga was actually really impressive and while it wasn't quite on the exponential rise as some other manga's, the potential was there for it to be a gem.

Yet it never came to be, it's well documented in the community that for many it was great but it never quite got to the level that many thought it could be. It became a disappointment. Which is a shame in itself because overall it is not a bad manga by any stretch of the imagination. The story line was fantastic, the development of characters throughout the whole manga is really good, the art was nice but you could sense that the manga started to try too much.

What makes a shonen beautiful and memorable is that it is slightly flawed. It is paced to the point where some gaps are left but then covered up with a nice serving of backstory and information at a perfectly placed point in time. Nanatsu No Taizai became an over-seasoned meal, trying too hard to become a "perfect" and "complete" manga. It tried to take several key ideas for what made the classic shonen's so good, the issue is that what makes them brilliant is everything else about them and not just that one component.

What happened was a shame, because this manga started out with the perfect mix of ingredients, but then it became over-seasoned with components which turned this dish into something that it never should have been in the first place, eventually forming into a mish-mash of a manga that completely lost its way.

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Rating: 77

Would I recommend that you give this manga a shot? Yes, I would actually and my rating of 77 reflects that. I hate to use such a lame expression, but if you enjoy a shonen in the more "traditional" sense then it is by no means a bad choice to give it a try.

The story line itself is actually quite good. There are twists and turns, with the overall Nanatsu No Taizai universe expanding to the point of being quite filling - maybe to the point of being overstuffed. I would not suggest overwhelmed with information, but rather this manga seemed to labor on - trying hard to cross every 't' and dot every 'i'. Now that in itself is alright if it is done correctly - and the proper way to do it is over a greater amount of chapters, or with prequels and sequels, but this manga tried to do it all in one. I myself sat there and thought that the story was over - realizing that actually the manga was continuing on and I had a sense of "here we go again". The story is good enough though that it does still keep you intrigued - but it can test your patience at times.

The character development was good. The manga grew it naturally, however there were a few areas where I docked points - one in particular was the approach to the length and amount of backstory. At times you felt bombarded with loads of character development even with the ones where it felt very shonen-esque, but you had to pay attention to it because they were not fillers - it all tied into the story. It's approach could have definitely been better, but because the story progressed so much, the extra narratives were needed and it all felt like a slight overload.

The art I actually enjoyed. It felt slightly unique to me, a bit different but suited to the crazy fantasy world based off of real-life mythological lore. At times it did feel a bit repetitive, especially with the fight scenes and it got to the point where most action - although exciting in story terms - grew a tad dull with the same servings delivered with only subtle tweaks.

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I believe that my 77 rating is accurate. It reflects the point of Nanatsu No Taizai being overall a good read. True it became repetitive and labored but that's because it tried to complete itself - which in essence is a good thing and despite it taking a while it actually did a good job. The 77 reflects a piece which has a good story with twists and turns but starts to become flawed from a starting point which looked so promising.

Is it a must read for you reader? ... I'm on the fence. That's the way the community in general views the manga - several give it incredible ratings, others say it's poor. And that in truth sums up Nanatsu No Taizai. If you like a shonen with a bit of a story, then give it a read - if not, then I'd suggest focusing on something else with 346 chapters.