7 Seeds

I've never written one, but this is going to be a manga review, and what's more, it's an unfinished series - but it's so amazing I really can't help but write about it. It is a survival-themed josei manga in a post-apocalyptic setting, with a driving plotline and careful, thorough character-building, written and illustrated by Tamura Yumi.
This was the first time I thought a manga would be similarly engaging in a novel format, but this definitely would be, not because the art is awful, far from it, but because it has been ingeniously written, it's incredibly gripping and the characters definitely grow on you more and more - and I think this says a lot.

The setting is some time in the future after huge meteors had hit the Earth, thus rendering it uninhabitable for humankind. The Japanese government proposed the 7 Seeds project, in which four (later increased to five) teams of seven healthy and capable people plus their guides are put to cryogenic sleep and are awoken by the computer when outside circumstances are improved enough to live in.

Before I start to gush about just how good this manga is I have to remonstrate that there are certain scientific inaccuracies in the story, the biggest being the passing of time. I am no expert in the matter but I think the portrayed flora and fauna would have taken at least a few million years to develop, no matter the circumstances (bigger-than-humans dragonflies don't evolve in a few generations, that is impossible). But the remaining structures and electrical systems couldn't have been more than a few hundred years old, otherwise they simply wouldn't have worked. I overlooked these things, because they don't really matter as it isn't really a science-fiction manga, or at least the focus is not on that. And various biological processes are portrayed quite realistically, so it isn't terribly inaccurate, and I guess giant carnivores are needed to add a little to the thrilling factor.

Th art is very 90s-ish, but I didn't mind as I really like that style. (I guess it's because I like 90s shoujos very much, there are a lot more intelligent than contemprorary shoujo mangas.) And it's also full of beautiful girls and handsome boys, so read on.

The story itself starts to build up in a slow, careful pace, making us acquainted with the characters while dopping clues about the backstory here and there. It becomes more exciting as the story progresses and we get to know more characters, but even the beginnings are extremely interesting. First we get to know Team Summer B, but the story lingers on them long enough for you to remember them even when the other teams are introduced. Even though there are romantic threads it's clearly not a shoujo manga, and even for a josei it's quite focused on other things, so it's definitely not for just women. It's quite action-packed, and as I mentioned, the setting is thought-out, scary but interesting at the same time.
I've written it would be highly enjoyable as a novel as well, and that's largely because of its clever story-telling, it's better written than lot's of books I've read and liked.

The josei qualities show in the number of well-developped characters (that should be more than 40) with quite a few lead characters - it would actually be impossible to choose a main lead. There is such a variety of intriguing characters that a few will definitely grow on you, depending on your personal preferences (there are going to be spoilers ahead!).

I always tell that the main catch in all stories are the characters for me, and it's no different this time either, even though I'm in love with the storyline as well. But actually characters make the story, and in this manga there are plenty on them. Most of them are determined, and of course, physically able, but even that is to different degrees. And then all of them are different. It's funny how we are first introduced to Team Summer B, in which there is the only character who annoys me to no end, Natsu. She is a weak, introverted and petty girl, but she does improve with time, a lot actually, though I still don't like her (and sadly, usually she is the Team Summer B protagonist). I suppose the main reason is because in her self-pity and lack of opinion she shuts herself in so much that she fails to communicate effectively with her teammates, and she isn't especially honest or determined either - she is really weak in mind, and I tend to dislike such people, even in real life. But all the others make up for her being unbearable (and she does get better). In her team there are the most typical, even shoujo-ish characters; they are supposed to be the outcast team. Even though they are kind of predictable, I really like their reader, Botan-san, the obligatory good-boy Arashi (he is surprisingly strong-willed, and he is also very honest and good-natured), and the comic relief Semimaru (he really reminds me of some other character but I can't really tell whom).

Team Spring is a bit more interesting, and I guess it's no wonder one of my favourite characters is Hana, the Team Spring protagonist. She is an incredibly strong, honest and outspoken person, who does tend to deal with her problems by herself, which proves to be a problem from time to time, and she is also too stubborn. I really like Fujiko, a kind, level-headed girl who wants to be a doctor (I guess she is the most similar to me even though I didn't really want to be a doctor, ever) and Nobita, the 12-year-old boy genius of the team. Then there's Haru, whom I didn't really like in the beginnig because he seemed to be both useless and indifferent, but it really turned out he isn't. He developped a kind of big sister-little brother relationship with Hana, even though they are just a year apart, and I really like their interactions.

The majority of Team Winter is obliterated quite fast, so I can't really say much about them, but the sole survivor, Aramaki, is definitely one of my favourite characters. He is the oldest, bar the guides, as Team Winter awoke a good 15 years earlier than any other team, and thus he is more experienced with the ways of the new world as the others. He is quite laid-back, thanks to all those years he spent alone, but he is passionate about the people he likes. It's really weird, but I liked him together with Hana a lot, even though I'm all for Arashi and Hana reuniting (or let's say if they don't I'll just crawl into a corner and cry).

I won't write much about Team Fall because they are my least favourite, partly because they were introduced in a weird way, being either quite aggressive or being weak-willed. Later their personalities are explored further upon so even I began to understand them, and their way of adapting to the new environment. I guess now I like Ran a bit, though lot's of the others are still a bit forgettable.

The last team introduced is Team Summer A, the team of special lab-children raised and trained for survival in the future, who were put to sleep 17 years before the other teams. They are all extremely capable in various things, but they're also mentally and emotionally scarred, and the majority of them has little social skills or understanding of the outside world of the past. They also have no knowledge of electrical devices and other modern inventions, as such things were not part of their training programme. I really like all of them, though I think Nijiko and Ayu are quite scary (the latter is becoming more humane, as far as the story progressed). My favourite is Ryou, who is quite cold-hearted, but is extremely skillful in survival, and from an outsiders viewpoint, he is also a bit pitiable, because no matter how capable he is, he's just as scarred as the rest of them, or maybe even more. His relationship with Ango is quite interesting, and in recent translated chapters he has become a lot more understanding and compassionate, so I'm starting to like him even more. Oh, and he's handsome, too.

The most engaging thing is to follow all the relationships and interactions these characters have, as it is portrayed in a very realistic way, and that is what makes it so outstanding. The people's relationship with nature and the animals also plays an important part in the story, and all these things make you really immersed in the world of the manga. I'd definitely recommend it for anyone, though I guess only for older or more mature readers, not really for young teens, not because I think it's too scary but because it does take a certain maturity to fully understand and appreciate this splendid work.
The only question remaining is: how the hell did I not find it earlier?