Saigami vol 1 by seny

Ayumi has a troubled home life - her dad left long ago and her mom neglects her in favor of alcohol. When she receives a letter from her dad about meeting one night, she jumps at the chance to find out why he left. Instead, she finds herself transported to a magical fantasy world with dragons and astral sorcerers known as Saigami. She immediately meets Sean, a noble-born from the Zenosa Clan of dragon-rearers who is also a Saigami. Along with Sean’s friend Reyji, the three travel to Zaosz, the capital and seat of The Saigami Order, hoping to find some answers about how she came into this world. Along the way, Ayumi discovers she has the power of a Flame Saigami, which means she now has to prove herself to The Order in a matter of a few weeks, or risk being destroyed.

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I really enjoyed the characterization work Seny builds for Ayumi at the beginning because it's immediately understandable why she isn’t distressed to be in a brand new world. So many isekai start off with the person being pulled into a new world and the characters just start being part of the world and not worried about trying to get home. Ayumi is trying to find a way home but also a way to survive in this new world, and possibly a place to fit in that she's never felt before. This longing is a powerful motivator and a great execution of the isekai trope. One thing I didn't like was the narration. Ayumi narrates the story from the vantage of having already gone through this story. It starts off with giving us thoughts and inner monologue, which is helpful, but then it switches to "little did I know then" type of interjections with less helpful insights. 

The art is really pleasing. Ayumi is normally proportioned, and neither Reyji nor Sean are drawn as over-the-top muscular men. They are all believably 16 years old. The beginning starts off with pretty vague sketches of the backgrounds, but by halfway through, it seems that Seny spent more time detailing where the characters were. The capital city is beautifully detailed and complex.

Sara's Rating: 9/10
Suitability Level: Grades 7-12

Publisher: Saturday-AM (Rockport Publishing)
Publication Date: June 7, 2022​
ISBN: 9780760376850 (Paperback)

​Tags: Rating: 9/10, Suitability: Middle School, Suitability: High School, Manga, Action Adventure, Isekai, Magic, Fantasy, Saturday AM