Alive: The Final Evolution, Vol 3

Rating T+ Genre manga Publisher Del Rey External Links Official Alive Website

If you’re looking for a traditional “bubble gum” manga, then Alive: The Final Evolution will satisfy your taste buds. But first, you have to read volumes one and two. In the previous volumes of Alive a virus takes over the brains of over a thousand people, persuading them to commit suicide. After all of the chaos, a few survivors notice that they’ve gained super hero powers, as well as the power to create illusions. Some of these supernaturals use their powers to hurt others. Taisuke and Yuta are here to save the day and figure out why some of their friends have been kidnapped and why they are hunted down by demented people who want to take over the world.

Volume three opens up with a throw-down between one of the survivors, who happens to be a villain, and a father who is trying to kill his children because he doesn’t want them to continue their lives in a confused society. Taisuke and Yuta try to figure out the difference between what is real and what is an illusion. After watching their parents commit suicide, they continue to search for answers.

The largest chunk of the story revolves around a brother and sister that are running from their psychotic father who is trying to kill them. He believes he is saving them from destruction, but Taisuke and Yuta do everything they can to save themselves. Although Alive appears to be a bubble gum manga in some aspects, the deeper you dig into the story the sicker and more twisted it becomes. There is everything from evil bunnies coming out of the guts of another bunny, climbing ferries wheels, to characters committing suicide. There is also a grand finale at the end, and who doesn’t love those?

The art in alive brings me back to my Pokemon days -- it’s cute, and makes you want to cuddle with the characters because of their big eyes and frail bodies, but Alive shows you that cute characters can be tough, too. Although the art is adorable, it was also disturbing. These loving, innocent characters can turn into frightening beings in a matter of minutes. It was creepy.

One thing that I did enjoy was the translation notes that cleared up the confusing scenes; there were also previews of the next volume which were annoyingly in Japanese. Overall, I feel like this is one of those mangas where you could read the spine in the bookstore, and keep on walking. I didn’t feel like there was anything special about Alive that I haven’’t already seen before.