Galaxias

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Whenever a new manga appears, it can be hard to pick it up for several reasons. For most people, time is the main factor. Whether it's school, work, or some other daily life stressor, some things keep us occupied long enough to go days, weeks, months, and sometimes years without reading. Another reason is that nothing is original. Everything has been done before. Why read something you've read tens, maybe even hundreds, of times before?

When opening Galaxias, you'd probably ask that question. I did. I was looking for THAT moment. The moment that any reader of a new series experiences that makes them say, ... "Yeah, I think I'm going to like this." For me, it took five chapters. Not to say that the first four were boring. Quite the contrary. It takes a little bit to hook me in, is all.

I got into the series after I watched a YouTube video comparing it to One Piece "but with dragons." Outside of being an adventure story, I don't see the One Piece influence. Instead, Fairy Tail came to my mind. However, it does give you the same feeling that One Piece does--that sense of warmth, comfort, and thrill from the characters and the world.

Funny enough, Galaxias's first chapter asks the same question about originality. In this story, a famous adventurer named Yuri Holst has done more or less everything imaginable. Jio, a young woman from a small island, dreams of going on a worldwide adventure. She meets a young man with a tail who has lost his memories. The two have one thing in common--they have a connection to Yuri Holst. Jio names the young man Neraid, and the two journey to find Yuri Holst.

What is unique about Galaxias is that it can go anywhere story-wise. It's an action, adventure, mystery with a fantasy backdrop. Currently, the power system lies in individuals known as "Dragon Folk." They are humans(?) with cool-looking tails and special abilities such as combustion creation, shapeshifting, and stone manipulation, to name a few. The fight scenes are well-choreographed; the comedy is solid. There's room for some great worldbuilding as well. As for the story's pace, Ao Hatesaka quickly found a sweet spot. There are already payoffs from previous chapter setups while forming new questions. It's a fun series with a lot of potential, and it is worth your time and attention.

Wealth. Fame. Power. The man who had everything in this world... the World's Greatest Adventurer, Yuri Holst. The great discoveries he made have removed the point of adventures! Or did they?
Eager to still experience her first adventure, Jio, a young girl from a small village, seeks to go on an adventure in an already discovered world. Together with her new friend, Neraid, a dragonfolk who has just lost all his memories, they set out in pursuit of their dreams.

The way this was phrased was completely intentional. This story feels like One Piece in a good way but very quickly subverts all your expectations.

*Story*

The manga may ... not have a creative premise but strikes a perfect balance between worldbuilding, lore-dumping, and not being too excessive. Within 23 chapters, you are introduced to many new, different, interesting, relatively lore-heavy places and given a lot of information about broader geography and political intrigue. The situation with Yuri Holst is perfect material for theories. As they have only just begun their journey, it is highly likely the actual end-of-series goal is still hidden, and this is fitting for the self-discovery plot.

The best part is that this story is not all rainbows and butterflies despite the many jokes and gags.
This story delivers genuine stakes: villains can’t be reasoned with, powers aren’t granted by friendship alone.
The main character does not accept every offer naively and stays true to her morals.
Errors have consequences, like in the very first and the most recent arc.
> 10/10 so far

*Art*

No real explanation needed: fighting scenes are easy to read and look great, locations are drawn with a lot of detail, emotions are conveyed very convincingly, etc.
> 10/10

*Characters*

Character introductions are very well done and get the point across very clearly while still being interesting. Character dynamics and parallels are also very well done, and they are littered all over the story.
The main cast is lovable from the first chapter onward, but nothing too special — they fall into their tropes so far. Side characters are cute, funny, and interesting, but again, nothing too special.

The antagonists, however, are great — from their designs to their actual character, everything is great:
They are different. There are dubious villains, just evil villains, villains by accident, a guy just doing his job, majesty in person, a crazy grandma who is not actually a villain, etc.
> 9/10

Overall
> 10/10