In this episode we enter the long, dark, desolate corridors of BLAME! It’s a manga written by Tsutomu Nihei and for this review I read the Master Edition. However, I haven’t been able to finish the series yet, so this episode only covers the first three volumes out of six. (tankobon release is 10 volumes).

It’s a manga that combines two of my favourite things — science fiction and seinen. There’s even a whole lot of psychological horror and I can’t wait to get into it with you.

Story

BLAME! is a cyberpunk story set in a post-apocalyptic world that has gone mad with disease. Humanity is seemingly on the brink of extinction, with many genetically altered. Our hero Kyrii is a loner and silent protagonist with a voice that he prefers not to use much.

He travels The City, a cyber megalopolis that has outgrown our world and spans an extremely vast distance beyond. It is ever expanding thanks to mindless machines called Builders, whose sole purpose is to keep building. These automatons share the world with humans, cybernetic Silicon Life and the enigmatic Safeguards.

Facing peril after peril, Kyrii rises up The City's innumerable layers to find humans with a thing called the Net Terminal Gene. It is some sort of genetic marker from the world’s past that served as a man-machine interface which allowed humanity to access a super internet called the Netsphere.

This is another story about the perils of AI and technology but from a relatively different perspective. Imagine if you invest in the best security for your home and then one day lock yourself out. That’s more or less what has happened here. Only this time, the Netsphere is connected to The City, its systems and even the Builders. This means The City will continue to expand forever, man becomes an endangered animal and no more internet.

Now normally, I wouldn’t give you guys this much information upfront, but the thing about BLAME! Volume one is that it willingly provides very little information. You learn what’s going on mostly from the deep and complex panels of art that chronicle Kyrii’s journey. The dialogue in that first 400-page book is less than any first issue of any comic book I’ve ever read. But rest assured, there is a story here and it’s a deep one if you give it a chance.

Along the way, Kyrii meets a host of characters, like CIBO the scientist, Sute the Electro-Fisher and Sanakan the meek. Some of them join him on his quest while the majority die quick and miserable deaths. 

Reading List

If you're a fan of BLAME! then you should check out other works by Nihei-san.

BLAME! - https://amzn.to/3ygEhdZ

NOiSE - https://amzn.to/3CgxWAy

If you've heard me gush and still don't think BLAME! is for you, then give another one of its spinoffs a chance, or Appleseed by Masamune Shirow.

BLAME! Academy and So On Vol. 1 - https://amzn.to/3T2tFr8

Appleseed Vol. 1 - https://amzn.to/3rADNfd

Credits

I hope you enjoyed this episode of Lyfeblerd. If you did, please review and rate on iTunes and anywhere else you listen to podcasts. Using the links provided to purchase any of the books mentioned during the show will greatly help us keep the lights on, so thanks in advance. 

The theme song is called Dreams, provided by Argofox and created by Rewayde. 

See you on the next layer. 

Hosted on Acast. See