I read the first volume, and thought I'd do a sort of review.
It's by Maki Murakami, published by ADV, and says 13+ on the back.
The plot: a 15-year-old boy who really loves video games gets a mysterious game that shares similarities with the real world, and affects it strangely. (For more information, you can read about it on http://www.Amazon.com or ask questions here.)
Content stuff:
For some reason, blood splurts out of the hero's mouth a lot. Even when he's not really in trouble. Suppose he and his best friend (who happens to be a pretty girl with glasses who loves games almost as much as he does
) are talking. Suppose she hits him on the back in a playful anime manner. Blood spurts out of his mouth. Maybe in the next frame he looks normal again. Anyway, you can get used to it.
In the game, there's a little boy who is sort of the game guide, but also an important piece in the game. At one point in the story, our hero admits that he "likes" the boy. Now, I totally did not take this seriously. I mean,
a) It is a small child, who anyone would think is cute and want to protect in the context.
b) The hero is obviously meant to fall in love with his best friend (the pretty girl), who likes the things he likes, and also seems to like him.
But, after reading the manga, I found out the author did other comics that do have gay stuff in. So, I would definiately want to preview the next manga *really well* before buying it or recommending it. If the author is actually playing it that way... I couldn't recommend it.
One other thing: [spoiler] a female character (enemy) in the game shows up who is semi-nude (like sailor moon where it's not really defined, but still, wearing little clothing). [/spoiler]
Anyway, I've said my piece. Like to hear from anyone else and what they thought, etc.
