Grimgar of Fantasy and Ash Volume 3
Rating: 3/5
Buy or Borrow: Buy
Source: Copy courtesy of the publisher!
Eager for a new challenge, Haruhiro's party descends into the Cyrene Mines. However, as they go deeper, Mary is forced to face the ghosts of her past...in more ways than one!
Yep you read that right, the group are heading in to the mines where all of Mary's party members died. I think we all know this isn't going to end well. Things get pretty tense with Ranta as he makes some questionable moves, and Haruhiro's in a crisis about being a leader so....kind of not the right mentality for facing a super dangerous mine.
Despite Ranta's idiotic behaviour throughout a large part of this volume, the group does become closer and we get to know Ranta himself better, and why he does what he does, so it was nice to see them all come together, and while I still think Ranta's an idiot....I do understand him and his decisions.
The group actually looks pretty strong as we come to the end of the volume, having grown closer, and gotten an understanding for each other. Mary's dealt with her past and Haruhiro has a new resolve...finally. I really do want to smack him one sometimes you guys! But the group really bands together and starts to finally look like and come across like a team! The volume has a nice amount of action to keep you occupied, as well as the interesting look at characters. I did like the tension in this volume too as the group where creeping through the mine, and thanks to the first volume, I never assume everything's going to end well!
Grimgar of Fantasy and Ash Vol 2
Rating: 4/5
Buy or Borrow: Buy
Source: Copy courtesy of the publisher!
By hunting goblins to earn money, Haruhiro and his party are doing all they can to survive in an unfamiliar world. But during one of their hunts, Manato, their leader and healer, falls to a goblin's dagger, and with no one to heal him, the group is forced to bury their friend. Now, with no priest and little hope for the future, they must find a way to endure the many trials ahead. Can they really cope with the loss of their most important ally? The desperate struggles continues as a beautiful cold-hearted priest named Mary joins the party!
Okay so...the first volume intrigued me even if it was a little slow, but then it ended like that. I'm not going to spoil it for those of you that haven't read it but those of you that have...you know what I mean.
This volume opens and....I genuinely didn't think they'd do the thing...but they did. Which means this series isn't going to hold back from killing us with feels and being darker when it needs to be. Not to mention bloody too. Basically....this volume proves to us that nothing and no-one is safe.
Volume 2 has a much better pace than the first volume and moves quite quickly. We get a new party member in the form of Mary...or as I like to call her, Scary Mary. This volume is all about getting to know her and her fitting in with our group, as well as the group dealing with the fallout from the last volume.
Everyone levels up a bit in this volume and I feel like the characters start to develop more in this volume. Haru takes charge and gets more confident for example. I have a feeling he has quite the journey ahead of him in terms of character development. The characters really talk and bond in this volume and become stronger for it and there's closure from the last arc before we embark on a new journey towards the end of this volume. Thins are really starting to step up and we've moved up to a harder level as it where...or we will be next volume.
Grimgar has a steady pace that's slowly building up, and I really do like the art for this series. It's well drawn and the characters are kinda cute!
Grimgar of Fantasy and Ash Vol 1
Rating: 3/5
Buy or Borrow: Buy
Source: Copy courtesy of the publisher!
By the time Haruhiro came to, he found himself in a game-like world filled with terrifying monsters. This world is called Grimgar. Armed with no more strength or ability than your average boy, Haruhiro struggles to survive with his fellow party members as they cobble out a mean existence, receiving mediocre pay in return for risking their lives everyday. What kind of future does this harsh, uncaring world have in store for those who are not destined to succeed, who have no prophecy to guide them--who are not heroes...
Okay SO, I gave this volume three stars BUT that's not necessarily a bad thing. I feel like this volume was a wee bit slow, but at the same time, it did intrigue me and it's built the groundwork for the next volume. It's introduced us to the characters and the situation and so on. And like I said...I am intrigued.
I enjoyed the fact that rather than a quick flashback we got an in depth one showing us how they all arrived there, which provided the first point of intrigue as we still don't know the why. I also liked that we got to see how the world works and what it's like and so on. Granted it's a bit slow, but I did find myself slipping in to the world as I read. Getting well acquainted with the world and the setting, I'm hoping, is going to be important. I feel like this volume is also building the anticipation a bit too!
I really liked the characters, they're kind of a bunch of misfits, and I'm a sucker for characters like that! Manato kind of holds them all together, although I did have a mini heart attack at one point because I thought he might be a bit dodgy and not what he seemed but I guess we'll see. Ranto I have to say is a complete moron...bless him. That's the thing...if this where like any other manga, then I'd just think Ranto is a moron for a good chunk of time, but we get to see a different side to him in this volume. I don't really have much of an opinion on the other characters yet to be honest. Haruhiro....I will say I'm intrigued to see what journey he'll take as a character. It could go a couple of ways!
I'm interested to see how all of the characters will grow and change as the story goes on to be honest, particularly the ones that didn't make much of an impression in this first volume. Sorry guys!
Each of the characters is struggling to survive in this new world that they've been thrown in to, and while that's interesting in itself...there was a good portion of this where I wasn't sure where the story was going. It's very....thorough, in its world and characters and so on. Which makes the pace drag a bit. And I'm still not really sure where this is going but I'm definitely intrigued. Especially as this ended on a nice little cliffhanger that could spice things up in the next volume!
Grimgar of Fantasy and Ash might not have been entirely what I was expecting, nor did it have the pace I'm used to in a manga, taking the more slow and steady approach. I feel like this is a good foundation for a series, and there's enough intrigue to make me want to pick up the second volume to get some answers, and to see where this is going to go!
