No. 6, Volume One

About six months ago, I decided to watch the No. 6 anime. At first, I wasn’t sure what to think of the show. But as I began to watch it, I fell in love with Rat and Shion. I always love to see two polar opposites characters find a friend in each other like none other. Shion and Safu are friends who live in Chronos, in other words, No. 6. They’re both intelligent and have the potential to become geniuses in this supposed utopia. But Shion gives everything up to help protect a wounded boy named Rat, literally saving Rat’s life from the Bureau of Public Security. Shion doesn’t regret his decision but is stripped of his privileges. I love the part where Rat falls asleep with his arms wrapped around Shion’s body when they are 12. Four years later, Safu tries to dig deeper into why Shion lives in Lost Town. Shion can’t talk because he doesn’t want to give Rat up. While Shion says goodbye to Safu, Shion learns that Rat is back in the city. Good thing, too, because Shion gets arrested for suspicion of murder. Rat pays his debt by saving Shion’s life. Rat and Shion escape to the West Block, Rat’s current home. Shion doesn’t get to enjoy the “beauty” of West Block, not before he gets attacked by a parasitic bee. Rat has no choice but to save Shion again. In the process, Rat’s hatred toward No. 6 shows clear through as he declares how he’ll cut out the infection of No. 6. Atsuko Asano’s and Hinoki Kino’s tag-team on this manga is fantastic. They do a great job creating the building blocks for Rat’s and Shion’s relationship. I would recommend this book to anyone who loves to read manga. I can’t wait for the second book.