The year is 2086, and the world is celebrating the twentieth anniversary of the cure for ESV or "the Sleep," a deadly pandemic. Adam Garfield, now ex-Navy, lost his father to ESV and is currently recovering from a bomb detonation in which he lost a leg. Rather than retire at the age of 28, he is instead recruited to join CNAS, an organization within the military that researches ESV. Adam is to be a "Companion" to the genius "Diver" Rune Winter, aka King, who is one of the most successful--if elusive--people to treat ESV patients: he "dives" into their minds (called "limbo") and heals them. However, Adam and Rune quickly realize that there may be more to ESV than meets the eye...

In a story reminiscent of Satoshi Kon's "Paprika," with a gritty USA setting similar to Akimi Yoshida's "Banana Fish," tough bro vibes (and loveable dog) like "Cowboy Bebop," and a dash of Junji Ito's horror, Ai Tanaka weaves an intriguing and intricate world not so different from our own. The premise is interesting, though it may at times brush the limits of the reader's suspension of disbelief. Originally published in Japan in 2017, parts of the series may also feel prophetic, especially to English readers in 2024. Still, readers will be quickly sympathetic to Adam and Rune. Fans of action, (psychological) suspense, and high-tech sci-fi won't be disappointed. This is a series that I will likely read to its conclusion and am definitely looking forward to volume two!

Thank you to NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

(TW: military violence against unarmed POWs, depiction of PTSD, brief body horror, discussion of a pandemic)

I am not really a big mystery comic person, but this one was actually really really good. I enjoyed the pacing. I thought it was fun. It was intriguing is there a mystery part Frenship there’s also the sunshine grump troop as well which I also really enjoyed although not in a romance cents in our friendship. Since I did really enjoy that dynamic between the two main characters the art style I think was very original. Not what are usually read but it was fun and although it was text heavy which is why I dropped it down one star. I thought this was an absolutely stunning book.

Prior to reading this manga I read "Apple Children of Aeon" and really enjoyed it. Seeing that author Ai Tanaka had another series being published I had to give it a read.

This story is about a sleeping sickness that makes a comeback after plaguing the world in the distant future. Petty Officer Adam Garfield is enlisted to help with curing the disease upon awakening after an accident that leaves him without a leg. He and the man who originally "cured" the disease team up to solve the mystery of the resurgence.

I really like the characters, especially Adam. He's a golden retriever of a guy and I enjoy his humor. I also found the story to be engaging and am interested in seeing where it goes.

King in Limbo is super interesting! It's josei and full of mystery and scifi elements. So refreshing. Adam Garfield is our main character and we live in a world where a sleeping disease has ended millions of lives just eight years before. The only way to save the patients is to dive into their memories. Garfield is an an officer who's lost some of his limbs and now needs to retire. But instead he's now part of a diving program with a guy named King, who ended the disease the last time. They try to solve the new disease wave and the setting is so well constructed and awfully realistic too. The manga moves slowly enough to grow the story, which is awesome. The characters have their own personas and we only get what the characters get, so much mysteries left unsolved!

The art is quite stiff, which bothers me a little, but I like the realistic approach and how this actually looks quite Western in many ways. But, since the story is so good, you end up being OK with the art too. I'm also glad this isn't based in Japan, it's refreshing too. So different this one!

I'm glad the publisher decided to release this as an omnibus containing two volumes in one, because there's a lot to unpack for this story. King in Limbo was originally published in 2017, so the fact that there's a global pandemic with sketchy origins and reinfection after a supposed cure hits different in a world after COVID-19. In the great tradition of being drift-compatible from Pacific Rim, the two main characters balance each other out; the author did well to start the story with the guy who has the golden retriever personality (the other guy is like a cat, of course). They're not exactly saving the world, and they're not the only ones who can do what is expected of them, but their unusually high compatibility does set them up to additional pressure to perform. Additional scenes show why it's a bigger, sketchier deal for our second protagonist. The end of Omnibus 1 has a cliffhanger (of course) but by that point the story and characters are sufficiently established. I would like to see how things turn out in the next volumes.

Thank you to NetGalley for a copy in exchange for an honest review. My review will be mainly about the plot and characters rather than the art as the e-book copy I received was not the best quality, and I don't want to hold that against the series itself.

King In Limbo begins with Adam, a soldier who wakes up from a coma with a missing leg. While unable to continue with that line of work, he's offered a new career option as a companion tasked with assisting divers save lives in an emerging epidemic. The sleeping disease from previous years strikes back and is deadlier than ever. What I enjoyed about the manga so far is the budding relationship between Adam and King, his diver partner. While they don't initially start off being the best of friends, their partnership and trust grows over time. With this, I am excited to continue reading and learn about the characters and the disease (and also because I love seeing josei manga published!)

King in Limbo is a gripping tale about two guys and their journey to stop a disease from resurfacing and wiping out the population. I am hesitant to read most sci-fi titles since it isn't my favorite genre. However, these first two volumes had me intrigued to read more. I like the partnership between the main two and how they want the best for each other. I did have technical issues reading this e-arc and I saw that others did as well. If I continue with this, I will purchase a volume to compare. Outside of that, I think the worldbuilding was easy to follow if you are like me and don't read a lot of sci-fi. I would recommend checking out this title if you haven't already it will definitely be worth the read.

Thank you to NetGalley and Kodansha for the e-book copy!

I hesitate to make a judgement call on this because my reading experience has been hampered by the fact that the digital arc kept crashing my Netgalley Shelf app.... What I saw looked intriguing, but at this point I have more questions than answers. I will try to look up individual volumes in the library to make sense of the story once they are available -- or if publisher wants to re-share an omnibus copy as an ARC in a different format that's more accessible, I would be happy to read and review.

This is a really difficult one to review, because the ARC copy was, excuse the swearing, absolute shit. Half the pages were in binary - meaning that it was scanned or saved in such a way that all grey tones were converted into black or white, with huge pixels. The only saving grace was that the lettering was always clearly visible, even when the art was just a big black blob. It was like reading a book where all the words are blurred out except for anything in quotation marks, or an audiobook where everything is mumbled awfully but the speaking roles were clearly enunciated.

I am going to try not to hold the horrible ARC formatting against the book in this review.

Adam is our main character, and we follow him throughout the book. Adam was an soldier that we're introduced to after he wakes up from a coma with a missing leg that he lost in active battle. He seems like a very happy-go-lucky kind of a guy and doesn't really react to the fact that he's missing a limb with any big emotions, and adapts very quickly. I really like that the author chose to have their main character use a wheel-chair, crutches and a prosthetic throughout the book.

At times Adam's expressions were a bit too comedic for the serious tone of the rest of the book - especially since there weren't many jokes to go with the comedic expressions, so it did feel out of place a lot of the time. The story also starts out VERY slow, and it was only around chapter 3 or 4 that I really started to get invested.

The story is set in a future where a mysterious sleeping virus (with some vibes and visuals that felt similar to the Sandman and Minority Report) had once been thought cured but has now come back and is spreading rapidly. King was the one to help stop the virus initially, so in the first half of the book Adam is tasked with convincing King to come back to try and cure this new wave, and the two of them have to go into the minds of people who are struck with this virus to try to bring them out of it. This part of the book has some really cool visuals and horror elements that I really enjoyed, and brought a lot of action to the plot.

Near the end of this volume there's a theory on what causes the sleeping virus, which I found VERY interesting and really enjoyed the concept of, and the book ends on a great cliff-hanger that has me invested in wanting to find out what happens next.

I really enjoyed this! It has an interesting premise and the characters are intriguing. At this point not much has been revealed about Adam and King, but there are recurring hints at their backstories. They're the sort of partners who are complete opposites but they still complement each other and bring different strengths, skills, and perspectives to their work. I like how Adam is pushy and over exuberant with King, while King is like a skittish cat with his hackles up, ready to swipe out. Adam's personality keeps the story of an impending pandemic from becoming too dark. When I finished the second volume in the omnibus I was like "they're going to leave me hanging like that?!" I can't wait to find out what happens next! The art is detailed and realistic and I love the character designs.

Rating: 3.83 leaves out of 5
-Characters: 4/5
-Cover (+art): 2/5
-Story: 4/5
-Writing: 5/5
Genre: Comedy, Scifi
-Comedy: 3/5
-Scifi: 5/5
Type: Manga
Worth?: Yeah

Want to thank Netgalley and publishers for giving me the chance to read this book.

The story was good and I like the aspect of the MC's job. What really threw it off was the art. I don't know if it was just a shitty scan job but at points, and a lot of them at that, it was just too hard to make out.

No! Wait! Two volumes isn't enough!

Thank you NetGalley for this digital volume.

The public has been free of the sleeping sickness for years now. Unfortunately, CNAS has discovered a new scary and more dangerous strain that is popping up. It's up to Adam and Rune to figure this out. Only, what they figure out might be more problematic than they originally thought.

I love this fast-paced, twisty manga! I'm going to go look for more of this!

As always, thank you for the review copy!

Tl;dr version of it is that I LOVED it. We rarely get josei titles licensed, so I am thrilled to read a story that mixes scifi and thriller! Here’s an excerpt from an upcoming review:

“ At first glance, apart from the fictitious disease and the treatment method, the world these characters inhabit isn't at all different from our own. Tanaka doesn't rush to dump every little detail on the reader from the get-go and takes their time to introduce us to the setting. The duo's first dive is a bit heavy on explanation, but I think it's necessary information regarding the dive; what exactly are they searching for in the patient's memories, the do's and don'ts, and the consequences of both the diver's and their companion's actions. ”

“ The idea of entering into someone else's mind is nothing new, not only in science fiction but in anime or manga as well. However, I found the way it's handled, the intricacies of the process of diving, and Rune's talent and approach smart and thought-provoking. Tanaka places its theme in the center of a web woven by military, medicine, and politicians together. ”

I was a little unsure of this at first as it started kinda slow but I'm glad I pushed through. I really liked Adam and his funny and light personality through all the trauma he is going through and putting him King definitely made for a great dichotomy.
I will say that while I absolutely adored the character the story could get a bit exposition heavy in place. I feel like Tanaka felt like he needed to explain everything about his world all at once and it made the story drag in places. There is definitely things we could have learned in later volumes. Overall though this is a really cool concept and the character work really well. I definitely want to read the next volumes and see where the story goes.

In the year 2086, eight years have passed since the sickness known as "the Sleep" ended millions of lives. Now, after a dangerous procedure that involves diving into patients' memories has ended the pandemic, scientists are discovering that the sleeping sickness has returned.. and the new strain is harder to cure than before

-

Wowie! First manga of the year definitely decided to pop off! Couldn't put it down for the life of me
(You know it's a good series when you get the urge to excitedly retell the plot to your siblings)

I didn't anticipate just how dark the story would get, what with the government and army's involvement, but the similarities with the COVID-19 pandemic was honestly a bit disconcerting at times.. It's wild to think that this came out in 2017, just a few years before a real pandemic hit :/

The story itself is definitely well written and thought out but I wasn't a huge fan of the art-style since it became hard to read/understand at times. I'm not sure if that's simply because of the ARC I was reading, but it definitely took away from the enjoyment a little (and gave me a headache to decipher..)
However, I think the story would translate really well into an animated series, and I'm looking forward to continuing the manga in the future!

Please be sure to check out the trigger warnings before reading!


— Thank you to Netgalley and Kondansha Comics for providing the eARC for review. All opinions are my own

‘King in Limbo Omnibus 1 (vol 1-2)’ was ok I would definitely be interested in seeing where this series goes, the illustrations were good and it was overall a great read.

Rating 4 Stars

Actual Rating 3.5

I am so intrigued by this. I really liked the idea of a sleeping disease/pandemic and the sci-fi nature of the treatment.

However, I do not really understand the cause and why this is happening. I feel like they want me to suspend too much reality to enjoy the story.

I also was expecting more explanation because this is an omnibus edition. We got 2 volumes, but I still feel like we could have had more.

I did like the more suspenseful and horror elements here, so I am curious as to what will happen next.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for providing the E-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

** I WAS GIVEN THIS BOOK FOR MY READING PLEASURE **
Copy received through Netgalley

~

King in Limbo, Omnibus 1
by Ai Tanaka

★★★☆☆
336 Pages

Content Warning: mentions of pandemic, death, grief, PTSD, gore, violence, amputation, disability, kidnap of a child, threat of death to a child, military warzone, blackmail, medical experimentation


King in Limbo is an interesting concept that just didn't come together, for me.

The story is interesting: a sleeping pandemic that locks people in their worst memory until their brain literally can't take it any longer. The story taking place in 2086 allows for a lot of back history for this sickness, which was a great idea. And the fact this was written pre-COVID kind of made it feel prophetic while a little creepy, which was a good mood for the serious plotline.

In terms of characters, Adam Garfield is a Petty Officer who was recently injured on duty, in a coma for two weeks, and woke up with one leg amputated below the knee. Now, this was a great choice for character development and realistic portrayal of a disability, but as a disabled person myself, I felt that his amputation was used as a tool rather than a genuine disability – and the speed with which he was provided a prosthetic, and then didn't need it in the dream-world of his work only added to my discomfort in how that was handled.

King was a mystery right from the start, and while he's the key to curing the sleeping disease, he discovers that there may be more to this recent wave than expected. For me, he remained a mystery right to the end of this omnibus. He wasn't a likeable character, but I believed his presentation more than the always-affable Adam.

The art on the cover was part of the reason I signed up to read it, but that is the only place and time that the art looks that way. Inside, the art is very...sketchy. It's not as well rounded, it's not consistent, and there are times when it switches to an almost comedic style of art that doesn't work in such a serious book, handling such serious topics. At some points, the art looked like it had been badly photocopied, with patches missing or lines appearing in random places. Like static on the page.

Another issue I had was the serious topic part – it felt heavy, and there was zero warning about the contents of the story. I did not expect to see military personnel releasing captive POW's, just so they could shoot them for fun. In fact, this will probably be triggering for a lot of people, as various wars in our history actually did this, just think Killing Fields. The fact that it lasted for a few pages, was very detailed and vivid, only made it worse.

Overall, I feel like the potential for a great story was there, but the grainy, sketchy artwork was hard on my eyes, and the storyline was so heavy that I never really had a moment to process what was going on. It was very fast-paced, though oddly the world still felt under-developed. Maybe that will come in future volumes, but I don't think I'm going to keep reading.

For fans of sc-fi who-dun-its and conspiracy theory stories.

I enjoyed this, but felt that it would translate better into another format, like anime. At times, I found it difficult to follow the conversation, especially when examining the back story. Perhaps in a future volume, Tanaka has a time line of events for readers to match up with what information we have. That was my only complaint. Otherwise, I agree with the "suspenseful, complex" vibes this gives off. I was left eagerly turning each page.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the eARC. The above is my honest review.

Eight years ago an illness called "The Sleep" was conquered. Individuals called Dives would enter the memories of the victims and erase the plague. It was a harrowing time and the world was glad the plague had ended. Except now it's coming back.....and it's worse.

This is a plot-driven manga focusing on two characters: Adam Garfield, a soldier who recently lost a leg, and "King", the man who ended the plague eight years prior.

The story and art move along at a crisp place and there are many twists and turns in the plot. This volume is setting up the rest of the series, so there are still questions to be answered. The pacing is a little off in the middle, and the character development is exposition-based. It's a good read, but not a great one.

I am interested to see where the series goes. I think there's some potential.