Aliens Area

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This review is subject to change (if the potential isn't properly utilized).

I've rated this manga quite highly, especially for one with only, what, 12 chapters? I'll try to keep this short and sweet. There are a few reasons why:

- I see a significant amount of potential. Much like the better of its predecessors, Aliens Area establishes early a cool power system, which at this point seems pretty easy to comprehend, which leaves a wide array of powers for the future, wacky stuff like teleporting, and enabling zero gravity within a field
- The episodic format is a really useful tool to establish our characters, and actually ... make us care about them, as well as bulld out our world
- On that note, I enjoy when a series takes the time to flesh out the world it exists in, and I actually am enjoying the pacing
- I'm impartial to the kind of rough art style this series seems to have

So I see potential. I'd recommend a read, especially with how new/short it is. We'll see if it utilizes that potential, or squanders it.

Aliens Area likens itself to a Men in Black inspired alien detective story, with the superpowered twist of the protagonist having alien abilities. On paper this manga seemed like a wonderful addition to Weekly Shonen Jump, with its unique art style and memorable first few chapters, but in reality it squandered ample opportunity to build its world and explore its themes at a slower pace.

There isn't much to say about the manga as a whole, but that isn't necessarily a bad thing. What Aliens Area does well is both fun and interesting, but it often feels inorganic and rushed. I truly think with some attention ... to detail, and more time to flesh out what it was trying to show, this would've been a pretty fun read with plenty of science fiction to make any nerd happy. It just couldn't strike a great balance between detective noir and alien fighting secret agents. The power system never feels properly explained, but seemed like an interesting take on one, albeit riddled with atypical Shonen troupes.

I would recommend this if you're a fan of sci-fi and shorter reads, as this clocks in at 21 chapters, as it was at least an interesting idea with great illustrations.

Aliens Area falls into 'that' category of Shonen series... Where initial idea shows potential, but it falls apart when developed.
Which kind of reflects with the fact it got axed. Even the whole setup showed influence of other series, so despite having fresh spark on the paper, in reality it seemed like we haven't seen anything new. It's a mixture of good elements from other mangas, but with a slight lack of enthusiasm behind it. Or rather, it was difficult to get attached to characters, plot or "world building" (power system, mechanics, etc.) from a get-go.

Plot on its own is dabbling on borderline of ... those detective noir novels (of course, painted by Shonen tropes) and sadly it never kicked off in that direction. For this kind of themes, story is heavily driven by characters, who came out slightly flat and emotionless (aside our mc, who had initially had it plenty of, but it got lost along the way). Heck, most important factor for enjoyment of such stories is villain... but at the end,one can only feel disappointment over who villain is or represents. To be fair, author hadn't had much space to develop more than this, given that this manga is only 20 chapters long.

On the other hand, art elevated the quality of this manga and, with some editorial aid in terms of writing, author could make something more impactful in future.

It's short manga. It's ok for an rainy afternoon read, to kill some time. But there are better picks for that elsewhere.