Origin vol 1 by boichi

In the near future, Tokyo is the end of the line on a bustling commercially viable railroad connecting Europe to all of Asia, which brings prosperity and crime to the bustling metropolis. Within this city are deadly and advanced robots, some of whom have taken to murdering humans. Origin, however, has taken his father and creator’s last words and made them a personal mantra: lead a good life. Origin has decided that he must hunt down his “siblings” and stop them from killing too many people. But while doing so, he must guard his own identity and not let his coworkers at the most advanced robotics company find out who he is.

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This is an intense manga with some deep things to say about humanity, and it comes at a time when we are all exploring the societal implications of A.I. and the moral implications of using this technology. Boichi has some wonderfully detailed art, which is to be expected from the illustrator who is of Dr. Stone fame, but there are some serious problems with this title. There is a lot of nudity that could be explained away via Origin being unaware or unfazed by anatomy and thus unconcerned with covering the naked bodies the robots he overcomes and captures, but what is inexcusable are the unnecessarily angles of anatomically detailed robot vaginas through underwear or skin tight spandex during fight scenes that are clearly for the benefit of the reader, not the combatants. Boichi seems unable to have a female character on the page without exploiting her. These issues make this title one that would be inappropriate for a school library despite the promise of deeper philosophical discussions that could be had surrounding the broader topic. This may do better in adult libraries where the fan service can be overlooked and the conversations can be centered around humanity, robotics, and A.I.

Sara's Rating: 6/10
Suitability Level: Adult

Publisher: Vertical (Kodansha)
Publication Date: November 21, 2023
ISBN: 9781647292874 (Paperback)

​Tags: Rating: 6/10, Suitability: Adult, Manga, Science Fiction, Survival, ​Kodansha