Thank you to Netgalley for a copy of this book for an honest review

‘Sayabito: Swords of Destiny volume 1’ has a cool world but I found the story kind of meh… the art work was nice

Rating 2 Stars ⭐️⭐️

It was a bit confusing because there were many complicated words and there was no explanation beforehand, otherwise it was pretty good

This is a really cool world where swords are anthropomorphic and answer to a single master (addo). The two main characters are employeed by the government to make sure that all sayabito are registered and placed where they are needed to help people. Their relationship is very unique and it works well for their jobs.

I don't think that I would continue this series. While it seems interesting and the characters are likeable, it seems much like a "one trick pony". I think I've seen all I need to see. The story is likely to be repetitive where the characters meet addos and sayabito and fix their problems without there being an overarching storyline. Kind of like Scooby Doo. Just a series of mysteries with no end goal in sight. I could be wrong. Overall, liked it (didn't love it) and I think I've got the gist of the whole series.

It started off really good. Great dialog, and pacing. The art is really pretty too despite the lame cover. The world building and plot had me really interested. I was enjoying the friendship between our two main characters. But 30% in we get multiple panels of her books. Which I did not sign up for or want. Completely unnecessary. Can we start putting warnings on books please? Sadly dnf

Kodansha Comics and netgallery gave me this book to review so here are myn thoughts synrhtic people that were made for war are the focus of the Manga typicaly they are female they die without a contact whic it seems to be a mix of darker then black and chobits in this way. tonaly it verries whily it can be very cute then it gets very dark and targic it reminded me of blade runner too i hope metgallery get more to read because i liked it

Sayabito: Swords of Destiny feels like something I've read before. It's not really all that original, but an OK fantasy manga about sayabitos and addos. These are fighting partners and sayabitos are like human weapons in a sense (while not being human per se). Rivia ad Kuifa are such partners and they travel around trying to find lone sayabitos to register in order to save them. Thus we see different situations these two try to solve and help out with. It's hard to say what the real plot is, since the world and story building is somewhat weak and nothing is explained well either. I wish more time was used to create a base for the story instead of countless of fights that you get nothing out of.

The art looks OK, it works with the story line and all. I do enjoy the dark and depressing atmosphere though. I didn't like the humor parts, since they felt superimposed, but otherwise the mood is awesome. It's hard to say where this is going though, and the series is only eight books long, so probably nothing too big is going to happen. Still, a dark short fantasy series is always welcome.

This was a really interesting take on this world! It has a lot of depth to be explored in future volumes. There was a lot of different elements to the story that have a lot of potential! This illustrations are stunning to look at and make the story more engaging!!

Rating probably somewhere between 3/4 stars, it was ok but not one I will be rushing to read the next volume. The art was good but at one point I was confused when a panel had fan service kinda out of the blue- at the beginning (maybe was just me though).

This was a very interesting manga. I thought it had really cool characters. It had a really cool twist and it generally just surprised me and considering I’ve read a lot of books and a lot of manga surprising me doesn’t happen very often, but the characters in this I absolutely adored. I absolutely love the setting and what they were trying to do. I enjoyed the art style the premise of the book I am joyed so many things about this manga that I will definitely be reading more in the future. The two protagonists I absolutely adore. The female lead is called and spoken and the male lead is very much reserves but also very powerful and I think there’s a lot of hidden things in this that support. how good this book is

This is the first volume in the Sayabito story. I enjoyed the art style and loved the concept of the human weapon, even though this isn't anything new, I do enjoy it. The story left me slightly confused at times, but overall it's a good story but it isn't one that I'm rushing to pick up the next volume of.

This is a story about Sayabito and Addos. The Addos are the Sayabito’s masters, who are human weapons made to help during the war. Now after the great war, Rivia and her partner Kuifa search for unregistered Sayabito to protect those remaining and vulnerable.

The story has a good concept. Human weapons aren’t surprising but I liked how this story gave them a human appeal. They had emotions. We were able to witness their sadness, their happiness, their longing and desires as well as their sincerity to serve the people. There was also an unexpected twist which was welcoming and had me asking a lot of questions. However, the fan service was unappealing as the characters look like young kids and it made me feel uncomfortable. Honestly speaking, I don’t think anything needs fan service. The story and art should speak for itself.

I enjoyed the relationship between Rivia and Kuifa. They are both opposites to an extent but they ultimately seem to balance each other aside from their differing thoughts. Their chemistry really depicts that they’ve known and understood each other for a long time. There is no romance between them, just platonic friendship and trust.

The artwork was pretty dark in the sense that it uses a lot of shading and coloring. It’s definitely an action art style commonly seen in manga, where details to action scenes and key items are more prevalent than surroundings. I liked the character designs although they were quite simple and somewhat common.

Overall, this was a good read but the unnecessary fanservice was a hindrance. The twist was unexpected and there is the mystery surrounding Rivia and Kuifa’s contact, which makes me lean towards continuing this series.

This was so fun to read! It hits a few heavy marks, but the writing of some of the dialogue and the corresponding scenes were so funny, it all felt very balanced. Emotional, but comedic, and often dramatic. I had a great time with this one! I do wish there was a bit more background, though. I felt like I was thrust into a world I knew nothing about. That being said, I'd read the rest of the series to find out.

hmm, I liked the premise of the story but I couldn't connect at all. So I consider that it is something super personal of mine and not that the story is wrong.

The illustration didn't convince me at all and that was a problem because when I read a comic I like the illustration to connect with me, to like it. And that didn't happen. Afterwards, the story itself is interesting but I couldn't get much more interested in what was happening, like... if I read it right, and if not, nothing happens.

I would like to read it in a few months to see if I am still the same or I can see it in a different way.

Thank you Kodansha Comics for the ARC I read on NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Thanks Netgalley and publisher for this manga.

The storyline was pretty boring after reading the full 5 chapters, the fanservice wasn’t needed especially the pantyshots like I’m getting sick of the same kink trope that manga artists love to imply! Art is nice but that was about it…l

Sayabito are fearsome human weapons who are tightly bonded to the Ado who wield them. With the job of searching for lost sayabito, in order to register and protect them before they wither away - fiery Rivia and her cautious partner Kuifa must encounter friends and foes alike in their journey to completing their mission..

-
Whilst the idea of a humanised weapon itself might not be anything new nor revolutionary, I found myself really enjoying the art-style and general concept. The storyline was entertaining yet emotional, and I honestly flew through the entire volume in one sitting!

I also enjoyed the slight twist when they revealed Rivia and Kuifa's true relationship~

My one complaint really would be the completely unnecessary nudity/service shots. Especially when considering the fact that these characters are all under aged, it just left me feeling rather uncomfortable..


— Thank you Netgalley and Kodansha Comics for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

The concept was interesting and I liked the main twist, it kind of redeemed the story for me. The panty shots and nudity of the FMC was super cringe especially since they're all supposed to be young teens. It was just entirely unnecessary, as well as having her outfit include a mini skirt and high socks when she's a literal weapon and going to be fighting, but that's not very surprising for this type of story. Rivia, Kuifa and Toril were different and interesting enough characters and the artwork was detailed. I would probably read the second one to see what happens next but I just hope there aren't unnecessary fan service shots like there are in this one.

2.5 stars

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advance copy of this title from NetGalley and Kodansha Comics. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

[Thanks to Netgalley and Kodansha for a copy of this manga in exchange for an unbiased review.]

The sayabito are human weapons designed to fight and obey their owners. Now that the war is over, Rivia and her partner Kuifa travel around helping sayabito who have lost the owners that mean everything to them. But, just because the war is over does not a peaceful world make.

Well, once more another series that shouldn’t work manages to work. I do like a surprise like this, but especially in an action-oriented series such as this one, which sometimes has the sensibilities of a mid-90s anime release.

Yeah, there’s a lot of silly SD gags and a couple of prominent panty shots of a young girl, stuff that we’ve seen far less of as the genre has evolved beyond that or at least come up with far more interesting ways to present lascivious intent on the part of the author.

And by the time you get that reveal where it turns out that who owns who is not what you thought, you could easily peg this as classic shonen junk and toss it to one side, rolling your eyes as you mutter about the whole slave thing yet again.

Of course, that isn’t <I>exactly</I> what happens.

No, there’s another twist to the narrative that turns the first one on its head, one I fully admit that I did not see it coming, and it makes Rivia and Kuifa far more interesting and compelling than their genre would suggest.

And beneath that veneer of action and goofy humour, the heart of this notion of needing to serve somebody and the consequences of treating a humanoid with feelings like a thing beats very strong and gets explored in great detail.

Basically, if you’re going to throw the same tropes at me that I’ve seen over and over, subverting some and then giving an undercurrent of loss and a desire to help and some philosophical questions to the rest is absolutely the way to go.

Rivia and Kuifa are a really strong double act. She’s the fiery one, as befits the genre, but he’s not just the overly cautious wimp. Kuifa is actually quite clever and he often engineers the happiest parts of the endings by virtue of being shrewd.

Maybe the next one won’t grab me like this at all, maybe it will, but I will be there for it. All I can say is that I didn’t think I was going to get much of anything from this and it turned out to be a lot more interesting than it initially appeared.

4 stars - does dumb stuff, but it can be very smart about it and the balance there was enough to make me happy with how the volume went.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for an advanced copy in exchange for my honest review!

I actually ended up enjoying this manga volume more than I thought it would. The general vibe of this manga reminds me of FullMetal Alchemist in an odd way. It might be the whole "kids/teenagers that work for the government" plot point, but I don't think it's just that. The concept of a human weapon is not new, nor is a small girl being a weapon. But something about this series is so interesting, these concepts don't feel boring. I did enjoy the dynamic between Rivia and Kuifa. The way they work together is interesting, and the reveal about them even more so. I also felt like this would have been popular in the late 2000s, so I looked it up, and apparently, this series first came out in 2010 in Japan. So some plot and design decisions make a bit more sense. I did also enjoy the art, the action scenes are wonderfully done. The only thing I found myself frowning at was the handful of random panty shots. Again, the concept of a weapon that is also a girl fights in a mini skirt isn't new. But it's a bit awkward when you get flashed with panty shots from a character that looks like she's roughly 13 years old. There are only two of those shots, and I can't tell if it was meant to be fan service or just what looked the best action-wise. But seriously, you couldn't have put her in some biker shorts or solid color tights? In spite of this, I'm looking forward to the second volume!

Sayabito reminds me of the classic Soul Eater series, if Soul and Maka were both weapons bound to each other, with the purpose of "registering" other human weapons to the government for their protection (as far as we know in book one). I enjoy the dynamic between the two main characters, and the handful of missions that were portrayed in this volume had decent story arcs. I look forward to book 2.

Premise is, in short, the two on the cover go from place to place investigating reports of "Sayabito" aka living weapons who are unregistered to find out what their deal is and get them registered.

I'm going to say.......... that honestly as a long long time anime/manga/game fan I am so tired of the trope of the young-looking small girl being A Weapon, especially when said weapon has a tiny short skirt and panty shots (and full nudity). I'm tired!!

Also I feel like if you want to be like, "no you can't use this (other woman) as your toy you have to let her be free!" (VALID) having the tiny girl weapon proclaim this almost feels invalidating of the actual good message here. I'm just worn out personally honestly.

But I'm glad there's no romance when we're introduced to these dependent creatures of Sayabito (apparently you lose your sense of self when your "Addo" aka master dies........ also ALL of the Sayabito we meet in this book are, of course, women........)

Well, I read the whole thing and I won't pick up volume 2. Thank you, however, to Netgalley and Kodansha for the eARC even though this wasn't for me!