One might glance at the cover of "Not Lives" and think it was a manga that involved dating sims more than it actually does. Believe me; that's what I thought when I first picked the first volume up at a certain bookstore back in 2016. Although the actual content of the manga wasn't exactly what I expected, I did enjoy it enough to buy the second volume later on. For some reason, however, I ended up stopping collecting the volumes there, and I never got around to reading the rest of the series....until now. I mean, just like how a lot of gamers like to 100% their favorite games, I've got to 100% a manga that I at least thought was decent, right? Anyway, I bought the last eight volumes and read the entire thing from the beginning. Now that I've cleared this manga, what do I think of it? Let's find out!

Not Lives primarily follows Shigeru Mikami, a high school student with a deep love and appreciation for video games. He doesn't like just playing games, however; he has developed quite a few games of his own, even a mobile game that his childhood friend had been playing without even knowing he made it. One day, while gathering research materials for a dating sim he was requested to develop, he stumbles onto a disc for a game called "Not Alive". One finger press to the middle of the disc later, he has taken control of a girl named Kyouka Amamiya, an avatar in a mysterious real-life fighting game. From there, Shigeru and Kyouka must work together to clear the game....which turns out to be a real fight for survival.

At the start, Not Lives seems like the kind of manga that would follow a specific formula. Shigeru and Kyouka get challenged to a fight, they win, and onto the next. However, sooner rather than later, the story starts getting into longer story arcs that actually introduce player-avatar teams that aren't just there to be an enemy to the main duo. Unfortunately, the supporting characters aren't too memorable either way, and although they seem like they'd serve a real purpose to the story, they aren't utilized to their fullest potential. It's even worse for characters that aren't a part of the game, such as Shigeru's aforementioned childhood friend, Itsuki; not having her somehow get caught up in Not Alive was a mountain of wasted potential, and her obvious crush on Shigeru never got properly explored, either.

What does get explored quite a bit, though, is the relationship between Shigeru and Kyouka, as well as their own characters. Okay, maybe not so much for Shigeru, but that doesn't stop him from being a very likable character; I really enjoyed his determination and his passion for games. Kyouka is, by far, the character who gets the most development; we get to see what her family life is like, her skillset in and out of battle, and bits and pieces of her backstory. In the end, there is a major reveal about who Kyouka really is, and while it definitely took me off-guard, I can at least say that it was properly foreshadowed. The relationship that forms between Shigeru and Kyouka, while not particularly substantial, was ultimately very sweet.

The battles in Not Lives are very fast-paced and well-drawn, although it can be a little hard to follow for those who are not seasoned action manga readers. The way the battles are drawn definitely adds to how fun they are to read through. Something that particularly interests me about these battles - well, the first two real battles, specifically - is how the defeated avatars are removed from the game; the way those scenes are drawn really utilize the medium of manga that the story is being told from. Another thing about the art that I liked is the character designs; Wataru Karasuma really has a talent for drawing cute girls and not-too-bad-looking guys. Yeah, that's all I really have to say about the art.

Overall, Not Lives isn't a game-changer of a manga, but it's a fun read nonetheless. I recommend it for anyone in the mood for a manga that gives off the same energy of fighting games. At the very least, you should read it for the bonus chapters at the end of some volumes, which pay homage to beloved titles in a way that a manga with a true love for video games can!