Manga: Clockwork Planet 10

Clockwork Planet Vol 10 
Rating: 3/5
Buy or Borrow: Buy
Source: Copy courtesy of the publisher in exchange for an honest review! 

Naoto, Marie, and the crew are tangled up in the politics of the ruthless, violent city of Shangri-La. But when Second Upsilon gets down to business, they realize what's more important than turf wars and governments: Doing whatever they want! The two young geniuses and their mechanical comrades stir up wild mayhem and just might save the whole world while they're at it, too! 

The final volume of Clockwork Planet has rolled around and we see everything come to a conclusion after a fair bit of tension. People are after Marie, there's twists with Halter and Vermouth and what they're really after, and of course there's the big final showdown. 

I have to say I was a little bit disappointed with this final volume. On the one hand, yaaay Anchor's fixed! On the other hand, Temp shows up to fight Ryuzu and Vermouth joins in and then you have Marie having a fight of her own and it was supposed to be epic...but I feel like the fight with Temp was a bit anti-climatic in the end, and was over quite fast. I know this is the final volume, but it felt a bit rushed to me. As was Kiu's end, to be honest. 

While this volume does wrap up a lot of things quite neatly, I do still have a couple of questions so I can't decide how satisfied I am with the ending for this. 

Manga: Clockwork Planet 9

Clockwork Planet Vol 9 
Rating: 4/5
Buy or Borrow: Buy
Source: Copy courtesy of the publisher! 

Naoto and his crew continue their deep descent into the dark world of Shangri-La, where crime, betrayal, and peril run rampant. The two geniuses, Naoto and Marie, attract evil forces in the hellish underbelly of society, and their fates slowly become locked together like rusted cogs. Shangri-La runs on death, and its strongest leader wants Halter to execute a tricky tradeoff, but will the decision Halter makes be the right one...? And when an unfamiliar face from the Initial-Y series appears, RyuZU might be in trouble! 

This volume is off to a rather ominous start....I have to say I was in two minds about the whole thing. It's been a while since the last volume, and my memory isn't that great but I was questioning if what I was seeing was really happening!? I was kinda hoping it was just a ruse but...well. 

I liked seeing Marie have a bit of a vulnerable moment when she had her crisis of confidence thanks to the old clockmaker man calling her an amateur. Of course Naoto gets on with him like a house on fire. 

Poor old Halter meanwhile, gets dragged in to an uncomfortable situation. I wasn't sure what he'd do, but I was waiting for him to have a way out of it...things are definitely going to kick off amongst our little group next volume! As it is, we see our little group splinter in this volume as certain things have to be done to save the Shangri-La grid. 

Aside from the crisis our characters are facing we also get to meet Kiu...the leader of Arsenal who is 100% off his rocker. He oddly reminded me a bit of the Joker but not as good. 

We end the volume on quite a dire note, with Naoto dealing with a literal mad man and the final few pages herald a new character...Temp. Temp is another initial Y series and she's a bit....clumsy. She could make things very interesting once again. Don't get me wrong, I feel like things have picked up again and gotten more intriguing with this volume and the plotting and betrayals, but throwing in another initial Y series should further liven things up! 

Manga: Clockwork Planet 8

Clockwork Planet Vol 8
Rating: 3/5
Buy or Borrow: Buy
Source: Copy courtesy of the publisher! 

The conspiracy plot in Tokyo comes to a conclusion, and Naoto and the crew make their way to crime-ridden Shangri-La on a bold new adventure! Though the world is shrouded in constant mystery, Naoto's incredible hearing skills, combined with Marie's genius engineering, will help lead them to the truth beneath the surface. 

The beginning of this volume see's Naoto and Marie come to an understanding as she finally figured out how his brain works, and how he thinks, before things get a bit trippy. I'm not going to lie...it was incredibly weird and I was more than a bit confused, but Marie seems to understand so I guess it's all good? 

The current Tokyo story arc we've been reading about also comes to an end, and it's all wrapped up rather nicely...until the shady character of "Omega" makes his presence known. It would appear he's been pulling the strings, and I assume he's the Big Bad they have to take down overall, but for now he just pops in to say hi. 

We move on from that story arc and our group of criminals heads to Shangri-la after being unable to reach Paris. While things seem good and under control on the surface, there are threads of betrayal being woven in already. 

I feel like this volume was a bit confusing at one point, and then not all that much happens, we set a few things up like Omega and the betrayal...or betrayals as the case may be, and then we're pretty much done for the volume. Naoto's pervy-ness is beginning to grate on me a little bit too but I guess that's just par for the course with this series. 

Manga: Clockwork Planet 7

Clockwork Planet Vol 7
Rating: 4/5
Buy or Borrow: Buy
Source: Copy courtesy of the publisher! 

Amid all the conspiracies and plots, the government is forced to come to a stalemate. When threats from mysterious parties and all-powerful weapons seem impossible to overcome, the leader of the military coup starts calling the shots. What's more, the leader's intent behind the coup is more dangerous to humanity than any could have imagined. Japan's national crisis has hit its peak, and Naoto and his friends stand at the core! 

The latest volume of Clockwork Planet is action packed from the start, I loved how the whole attack was drawn, with Naoto and his phases and so on, and the contrast between Ryuzu and Anchor as they attack. Vermouth fully has me cackling too. Volume 7 has a completely hilarious opening chapter! 

The volume is moving things along when it comes to the plot, we have Halter making his return finally, and Marie appears to maybe have a cool power? Or is she just a genius? Or both? Who knows. But Naoto and co swiftly enter the palace and we meet HRH Hoshi. They finally introduce themselves as basically the second Y and present themselves as an enemy to all of Japan, therefore giving the army something to work together on and forget the infighting. 

However, our bad guy is fully gunning for Naoto. He's revealed to be Hirayama and we get a load of backstory on him and what his issue is. Not only that but things are looking pretty dire towards the end of the volume and Anchor runs off to try and save the day while Marie and Naoto have a bit of a bicker. 

Volume 7 brings in a new character who's going to be interesting for sure, and I'm intrigued to see what part they're going to play. The world itself is expanded upon, and we get a lot of backstory and motivations for other characters that we've been curious about. I'm still not entirely sure where this story is going as a whole, but the current arc is definitely shaping up to be pretty epic! 

Manga: Clockwork Planet 6

Clockwork Planet Vol 6
Rating: 4/5
Buy or Borrow: Buy
Source: Copy courtesy of the publisher! 

Naoto's a high school dropout and brilliant amateur tinkerer. He lives in a world that has been so over-exploited that the entire surface has become one vast machine. When a box crashes into his home containing a female automaton, it's a harbinger of change that will rock the entire globe, and give Naoto his chance to be a hero.

Yu is busy gathering information for Marie, and thanks to him we see just how useless the politicians are as the volume opens. The electromagnetic weapon has magnetised everything, putting Halter and Ryuzu out of commission, although Anchor appears to be unscathed. 

While stile being a wee bit cringey at points, Naoto shows real determination this volume as he doesn't give up and pushes forward with a plan when Marie loses it slightly. He has his moments, when he's intelligent and kind of heroic and full of determination and fighting spirit, but then he's a cringey pain right after and it's like...why dude!? 

Marie has a small inner crisis but is back to her badass self using her genius to attempt to fix Ryuzu. I loved seeing her be so relatable and authentic and overcome it and push on. Vermouth gets an interesting makeover and I was excited to see more of him, he's an interesting and hilarious addition to the group and he's going to be quite the asset when it comes to fighting! 

The series takes a more serious turn as we see the political struggle/the struggle for power amongst the various different government figures. Someone's pulling the strings and the different factions are fighting amongst themselves as the weapon just chills out, ready to be used. The stakes are getting higher, especially as Marie and co fully embrace their role as terrorists in order to try and fix things and stop the coup. 

The mysterious girl from the last volume is revealed to be Houko, the Princess who has a connection to Marie somehow. I'm intrigued by her as she seems quite intelligent and astute when it comes to the situation and she won't take any crap from anyone. I'm actually looking forward to seeing more of her and how she knows Marie! 

Halter is still down for the count, but our group mount their most daring attack yet as they go all out to do what's right. I have so many questions still, but the story is moving at a nice pace with more plot threads and intrigues being woven throughout. It gets more serious and high stakes as it goes on and things are really hotting up now!  

Manga: Clockwork Planet 5

Clockwork Planet Vol 5
Rating: 4/5
Buy or Borrow: Buy
Source: Copy courtesy of the publisher! 

Even though AnchoR is RyuZU's little sister, her immense power poses a threat to Naoto and the crew. When the two siblings confront each other, an explosive battle ensues that bends time and space! Even RyuZU's Imaginary Time and her unique power, Mute Scream, may not be able to best an automaton built to destroy. Meanwhile, in Akihabara, a massive weapon appears, leaving the city's armed forces at a loss. If Grid Akihabara falls, all of Japan may be in danger. Can Naoto handle a weapon strong enough to break the entire Clockwork Planet?

I am forever blown away by the full colour pages at the beginning of these volumes! They're so well coloured and drawn and aaaahhh! This volume starts off tense, with the big showdown between RyuZU and AnchoR, and we get a nice action filled start! I have to say, I really, really love how the battle was drawn, and how RyuZU's power was drawn too! It was incredibly well done. 

We get to know AnchoR as she joins our team officially once everything calms down, and we get another new character too in the form of Vermouth...you may remember him from one of the other volumes. Of course, he's missing his body now and only has his head but at least he's still alive and kicking...sort of. He should be a fun presence and should shake the team up a bit, changing the dynamic and providing some of the banter. 

Once the big showdown is over....there's a hint it might calm down. But it's not all over yet, something bigger is coming. A giant electro magnetic weapon breaks through to the surface and it's shady operator thinks Naoto is Y. I'm kind of inclined to agree with him to be honest. I'm not sure what his ultimate plan is but he's the bad guy right now! 

We close the volume with the weapon undefeated and everyone in peril because it has the power to completely wipe Japan off the grid. The government are scrambling with no idea what to do and there's a mysterious new girl who seems to know Marie in the palace. Now that we have AnchoR on our team, I feel like things are about to shift up a gear again. With each new arc things take a step up and get more and more high stakes. More elements and dangers are being brought in, along with plot threads and intricacies and conspiracies and so on. Not to mention the hints about Y! I'm forever trying to work things out and failing epically! 

This volume has a nice pace to it, and provides us with plenty more intrigues and another potential new showdown! So far, there's never a dull moment with this series! 

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Manga: Clockwork Planet Volume 4

Clockwork Planet Vol 4
Rating: 4/5
Buy or Borrow: Buy
Source: Copy courtesy of the publisher! 

Naoto's a high school dropout and brilliant amateur tinkerer. He lives in a world that has been so over-exploited that the entire surface has become one vast machine. When a box crashes into his home containing a female automaton, it's a harbinger of change that will rock the entire globe, and give Naoto his chance to be a hero.

Sooo the last volume of Clockwork Planet left us on a cliffhanger, which was cruel...but I'm not going to lie to you guys...this volume does it again. I feel like it's kinda less cruel if you've watched the anime but still! 

There's plenty of action to kick this volume off, and Marie's dealing with the consequences of her face-off with AnchoR. She goes after grid Mei after hearing some intelligence reports that the armed forces might be planning to purge Tokyo next. Meanwhile Naoto meets with an old engineer who says something rather interesting. I mean...I've been suspecting things and it's nice to have a character be doing it too! 

Marie goes a liiiittle bit dark in this volume, but very badass. She has some struggles to overcome with, as well as losing hope. But she pulls it back, and she really is one of my favourite characters, if not my ultimate favourite character, of this series. Naoto in the manga is less irritating than he was in the anime, once we reached this point in the anime he was really beginning to set my teeth on edge. I mean....there's still time for him to start being irritating but the manga is way better than the anime so I'm holding out hope!

There's some great story progression and we get a nice little plot thread to keep us going. We go deeper in to the plot too as we see the repercussions from the Kyoto plot twine with this new plot thread. I mean, we basically see the bigger picture a little bit rather than the little section the story's in. This volume has a really nice pace to it as well. 

There's plenty of entertainment not just with the plot and the action, but with the banter between our little group. It cracks me up and it's nice to see them getting closer and bonding, as they decided to make themselves in to terrorists to save the planet. As you do. There's a war brewing but Naoto and Marie have a plan...the big show down's about to happen...and then cliffhanger. So next volume we have a fair bit to look forward to, and I'm intrigued to see how the plot's going to branch out. And if Naoto is going to start bugging me. 

Manga: Clockwork Planet Vol 3

Clockwork Planet Vol 3
Rating: 4/5
Buy or Borrow: Buy
Source: Copy courtesy of the publisher!

After Naoto, RyuZU, Marie, and Halter’s mission to save Kyoto succeeded, the group must lie low. Branded as terrorists and with Marie presumed dead, the new allies decide to gather more information while acting out the daily lives of high school students—something Marie isn’t used to! While undercover, Marie receives valuable information through a coded message: The government is still abusing core parts to endanger civilians. Meanwhile, RyuZU wishes to find her little “sister,” AnchoR, but when the fellow automaton appears, is she a friend or foe?

So, I've been watching the anime of this, and I've not really been loving it. I couldn't wait for it to end to be honest. The manga however, is very good! It's so much better than the anime, so if you watched the anime and weren't that impressed...give the manga a try! I've been looking forward to each new volume and with this one, things are picking up even more! 

We spend a bit more time at the high school in this volume, than we do in the anime, with Marie fitting right on in..or not as the case may be! I actually enjoyed that part of the arc and I hope we get some more scenes there because they crack me up. It's definitely more extended than I remember the anime being so it's nice to see some fresh new scenes. 

We get Saionji, who's a new character as far as I'm aware...the anime kind of blurs in to meh for me. I'm wondering if Saionji is on to Marie or not, but he was only in it for a little bit...I thought he was a bit of a prat but I'd be intrigued if he popped up again to see what role he'll play in the story if any. It seemed like he might have a part to play but we'll see. 

I love how fonts are used with speech in this manga, I'm not going to lie. RyuZU has a very mechanical/computer kind of font and Saionji has a flowery one to match his attempts at flirting with Marie. You get such a sense of tone and how the voice would sound from it, it really adds to the reading experience. 

I really love Vermouth! And I'm loving RyuZU more and more, she cracks me up. Marie is still my total favourite though, I love her! She makes me chuckle and she's so intelligent and badass. Naoto isn't as irritating as in the anime, and is more bearable in the manga, but I still haven't warmed up to him 100%. I think next volume will make or break this series for me. 

In this volume we get more of the history of the Clockwork Planet which I really loved, I want to know so much more about it and I've been itching for this kind of material, I hope we'll get more and more as the volumes go on! 

Clockwork Planet is much better than the anime by far, and the manga always gives me a chuckle. Particularly the interactions between everyone in the group! I really love how it's drawn among various other little touches, and I'm liking the pace it has so far. I'm still intrigued, and I'm excited to see where this is going to go next, and how much more it'll differ from the anime!