Member Reviews

The premise is really interesting (despite me finding it funny because they're literally involving Nikola Tesla in the whole plot), but most of the volume is this forced banter with the two main characters and it's not even remotely funny. Honestly, it was really annoying and took away most of my interest, heck, even the side characters were pissed off, too.

Besides that, the rest of the book was filled with cliche plot points that we've read everywhere. I really wish the author focused more on the plot because it really was interesting and unique enough, and I wanted more of it. I might give the next few volumes a try, depending on how much the author is going to focus on the plot.

Thank you, Netgalley, for providing me with the digital copy for an honest review.

Was this review helpful?

Had to DNF this one and I wish I did not. I spent most of the time trying to understand the character development and story line connection…

Was this review helpful?

This could have been really solid if it had been able to figure out what it was trying to be. If it had been a straight up story about spies on a mission, it would have been good. If it had been a silly manga about incompetent team mates fighting each other, it would have been good. As it is though, it is trying too hard to be both and the silly breaks in which the drawing style gets super ugly for "comedy" just takes you right out of the story.

Was this review helpful?

Botan is a girl whose grandfather raised her to become a ninja. When a mysterious Tesla fragment starts causing issues, she's spiraled into her first mission ever.
The concept is interesting, the ending keeps you wanting more from volume 2. The artwork is beautiful and I found the humor fun. The only problem I had as that I don't feel like I know the characters so well, but I'm sure that will be solved in future volumes.

Was this review helpful?

I am not much for manga but I did enjoy this. This is story line right up my alley. I love stories that talk about Telsa's secret projects. Yes you need to suspend belief but that is almost always true for any Sci-fi/Fantasy story line. I enjoyed the artwork which is usually the hardest part of manga that is the hardest for me to get into.

Four stars because I would be willing to pick up Vol 2 and I really am not a big manga fan.

Thank you to NetGalley, Kodansha Comics, Masafumi Nishida, Tadayoshi Kubo and Sannomiya for the free copy. This was an honest review.

Was this review helpful?

This manga follows a girl named Botan, who has been raised to be a ninja by her grandfather. She gets brought into her first mission when a mysterious Tesla fragment starts causing problems.

The concept for this was interesting, but I didn’t find myself as interested in the execution. The characters didn’t really interest me, and I didn’t find myself enjoying the humor that much. I read a good portion of the manga, but ended up dnfing it because I was not fully enjoying it. Others might enjoy this more, but it was not for me.

Was this review helpful?

I really enjoyed the start of this fun spy series! With a fun artstyle and interesting characters, Tesla Note 1 follows Botan, a spy in training for her entire life whose time has finally come to save the world. After a dimensional rift causes an entire train of people to appear over and crash into city, Botan joins a team of experienced spies to recover the stolen crystal causing the havoc. I loved how brightly each character's personality shone, and though it was tropey at times I always love a good spy novel. Fans of other manga similar to this such as Spy x Family will enjoy this!

Was this review helpful?

Loved Tesla Note 1! I can't wait for the next volumes. Thank you to Netgalley, the Publisher for providing me with an Earc in exchange for an honest review.

Was this review helpful?

There are certain subjects that will always tempt me into picking up a book. One of those subjects is Tesla. Naturally, that meant that I had to give Tesla Note Vol. 1 a chance, because obviously.

Botan Negoro has been training her whole life (literally) to be a government agent. She may only be a high schooler, but she is one of the most elite agents out there, which is good, given the situation at hand.

She's been called in to collect a "Tesla Fragment." These fragments have been scattered throughout the world (sound familiar) by Tesla himself, as he deemed one of his devices too dangerous for the world. Now it's going to be Botan Negoro's job to prevent them from falling into the wrong hands.

I went into Tesla Note Vol. 1 wanting to love it. And to be fair, there's a lot to appreciate about this one. We've got Tesla's brilliance, a strong female lead character, and tons of social commentary (which I always love to see).

Sadly, I didn't end up enjoying Tesla Note Vol. 1 quite as much as I had hoped. I think the biggest problem for me, ironically, is the characters. Or, more accurately, the lack of character development. Though I didn't like the way, the main characters kept sniping at each other either (it was not as charming as it could have been).

A lot of what happens here only works in manga, and I mean that in every way possible. It relies heavily on that charm, which is totally fine. It's a bit out of this world and odd at times, and then at other times, it is working hard to make important points. It would be a jarring transition anywhere else, but here it works.

Was this review helpful?

An interesting manga with a decent comedy and pretty cool story. Also, I just found out that the television anime adaptation has been released.

Was this review helpful?

Rating: 3.75 🌟
First and first, I'd like to express my gratitude to Netgalley and Kodansha Comics for providing me with an e-ARC of this manga.
Altogether, this manga made quite a bit of point.
• Woman power
• Racism
• Migrant workers being judged
• Family bonding
• Child exploitation

Was this review helpful?

Tesla Note 1 is a decent start to a manga. Although it was not enough to pull me in and want to continue, readers who enjoy science fiction might want to start it. There is a heavier focus on plot than characters and their development.

Was this review helpful?

This manga has a really unique idea and a great art style, that I really enjoyed. The character design is fun and the pacing fast, but I couldn't really connect with anything and the world building happened a bit too quickly for me. I still recommend to check it out, especially over the anime, cause after seeing how low quality that was, the manga really blew me away.

Was this review helpful?

Nikolai Tesla was a man beyond his time. Many of his inventions were the envy of Thomas Edison, to the point where the two found themselves in heated competition. But where many of Edison’s inventions are still in use today, some of Tesla’s are still considered too complicated to initiate today. Worse, some were dangerous enough to bend the fabric of time & space. In Tesla Note, a group of agents attempts to keep those dangerous ones in check, albeit with two of their top members wise-cracking it all the way through.

Our main heroes of Tesla Note are high schooler Botan Negoro and Agent Kuruma, who start things off on a shaky note. Kuruma can’t understand why someone so young is tasked to retrieve something as dangerous as the Tesla Fragments. But it’s on Botan’s first mission where Kuruma sees the potential in the young girl. However, it doesn’t help when Botan constantly rubs her potential in his face, especially with one of the smuggest faces you’ll ever come across in manga.

The danger these Tesla Fragments holds is showcased in the damage that it causes. Trains, cars, and other vehicles are mangled to bits, with the people inside melted along the walls. But as there are always people craving chaos, a committee known as “Little House” attempts to steal these fragments for their own personal gains. And if they get a hand on the one known as the Tesla Note, well, let’s just say it could be Game Over for Planet Earth!

There’s a solid storytelling beat that runs through Tesla Note, thanks in part to the dual writing skills of Masafumi NIshisa and Tadayoshi Kubo. The two of them are able to bring a great comedic vibe to Botan and Kuruma’s chemistry, while at the same time showcase the seriousness of the mission. But the manga is at its strongest when Kouta Sannomiya’s illustration skills are at work.

Right at the get-go, the fight scene between Botan and the mystery assailants is filled with amazing detail and style. How kicks and punches are connected here are drawn in ways that make it look like a choreographic scene rotoscoped. At its most gruesome, the art can be disturbing, as evident by the melting bodies onboard the crashed vehicles. Yet nothing will make you snicker more than Botan’s meme-like smile, which somehow looks like something straight out of Cyanide & Happiness!

Within the fights and faces of Tesla Note is the heart of the story, as Botan and Kuruma race against time to find a fragment. It leads towards a boy and his widowed father, whose bad ways are due to the racism these two face often in their country. Botan connects with the boy, as both had lost a mother in mysterious ways. Thankfully, the sadder elements don’t hold back from the fun and excitement that this series wants to deliver.

Volume One of Tesla Note sets itself up well, thanks to some memorable characters and beautiful action. While it can suffer from a little Rush Hour Syndrome, it nevertheless has enough of a drive to make it stand out from a few of the other spy series out there. Hopefully if it keeps its imagination flowing, Tesla Note can succeed in the authors’ mission to deliver one exciting ride throughout Botan and Kuruma’s journey. (Just don’t watch the recent anime adaptation of it. I’m sure Sannomiya’s crying somewhere after what Studio Gambit did to their baby!)

Was this review helpful?

**ARC provided by NetGalley for honest Review**

Tesla Note 1 by Story by Masafumi Nishida, Tadayoshi Kubo, Art by Kota Sannomiya was a refreshing sci-fi spy action manga about a high schooler who has been trained in ninja skills and now has to join a spy team to save the world. It was very different from what I usually read and a little dark for me, but the plot and characters were interesting, so I'm willing to continue the series if I get the opportunity.

Was this review helpful?

When vehicles start teleporting and causing mass destruction and chaos, two young special agents are tasked with investigating the potential misuse of Tesla Shards, which were created and hidden by Nikola Tesla. Botan has been preparing for field service since she was a young girl, but she's a new agent to the field. Kuruma is more experienced in field work, but is full of himself and his abilities. Their working relationship follows the tropes of many unlikely partner dynamics.

Was this review helpful?

This was a great first volume of this manga. We follow Botan Negoro, who is a high school student that is also a top secret government agent trained to be an expert of the Tesla Fragments. Along with her partner, Kuruma, they travel the world in search of the Tesla Fragments.

Overall, I think that this was a good start to this manga. The artwork is really nice and I'm excited to see where the story goes after this first volume.

Was this review helpful?

Thank you to NetGalley and Kodansha for a free advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

Tesla Note 1 felt a little one-note to me. Although the action scenes were fun, I couldn't quite immerse myself in the story because of the quick pacing and some tired tropes. However, I might give Volume 2 a try since I would like to see if things pick up.

Was this review helpful?

First of all I would like to say thank you to the publisher, the author and net galley for allowing me access to an advance reader copy of this book.

I usually don’t read much manga because I prefer to have a thoroughly written out story but this was well rounded the characters were great. I love the animation the front cover was absolutely gorgeous and I think just the relationship between two main characters is absolutely gorgeous

Was this review helpful?

The premise of this series is pretty unique, with a nice blend of modern sci-fi and action comedy. I did find that the beginning of the story was a bit rushed, as we kind of just jump into the story without much background information. I am interested to see where this story goes however, and I'll be keeping an eye out for it in the future!

Was this review helpful?