Volume Count: 9 Volumes
No. 6: Shion has been sheltered all his life in the utopian city he knows as No. 6. After several wars broke out, the destruction to the Earth became apparent and so the people created six perfect cities where everyone’s needs are met. However one day Shion ends up seeing a heavy downpour outside his window and cries out loud.
Shion didn’t expect it, but someone heard his call and used the opportunity to break into his house. The mysterious boy, who only answers to the name of Rat (Nezumi), was mildly injured and Shion couldn’t help but try to aid him. Upon finding out that Rat was a runaway fugitive, Shion allowed him to stay at his house. The next day, Rat disappeared and Shion never heard from him again.
Four years has past since Shion has opened the window that fateful rainy day, and not a day goes by where he regrets his actions. Ever since the higher-ups have heard of Shion’s deceit, they’ve taken away all his special privileges and relocated him far away from his old home. Through all the new adjustments and changes, Shion decides he wouldn’t have changed his actions if he was able to relive that day long ago.
Shion has been reminded of Rat (Nezumi) a lot recently. It isn’t until one day, when his co-worker drops dead right in front of him, that Shion suspects something going awry in the city. However before he could ponder anymore on the subject, Shion is suddenly arrested, only to be saved and to come face-to-face with Rat (Nezumi) again. Together, the two of them get to the bottom of what’s growing behind the walls of No. 6.
Review: I LOVED THIS SERIES SO MUCH!
Usually I read a lot of shoujo, so when I first came upon this book on my Goodreads I didn’t think I’d enjoy it. But I still managed to save it for later. Then when I went to the library, I saw that they had the first four volumes and I said to myself, “I’m totally getting this! No one will stop me!” (I change my mind fast.) The rest skyrocketed from there.
The first two books were likable. There were some parts (mainly maturity content or character/world building wise) that needed some fixing up, but overall it wasn’t too bad. Then I read volume three, four, then five; I was slowly growing addicted to the story and wanted more!
Sadly 5-9 weren’t available for me in print, so I had to result to reading them somewhere else. The transition changed my opinions a bit, I had to get accustomed to Rat being called “Nezumi” and Dogkeeper “Inukashi”. (Even though that’s there actual names. :3 ) But that was really it for any changes about how I felt about the story.
I really enjoyed the straight plot. I’m used to slice of life genres where the plot isn’t very clear, and you just have to hang on to character growth. I loved how there was a motive for the characters, even if it was just subplot, I grew excited with every turn of the page.
I DIDN’T EXPECT THIS TO GO FROM HAPPY TO DEPRESSING! I mean, it’s a dytopian book, things will happen. Lots and lots of bloody things will happen. But I didn’t expect to have imagine the physcological and behavioral aspect that these characters are going through.
I couldn’t help but understand all the stress weighing Shion down. At first, it was very sudden, I noticed a change in his character where he wasn’t tuned into his emotions. (It reminded me of Mare from Glass Sword and Katniss from Mockingjay when this occurred. Both characters undergo traumatic experiences and are no longer the same character they were in the previous books.) I thought this change in behavior was way too sudden, it happened all in the span of one chapter. Shion doesn’t quite recover, and I don’t blame him; then more traumatic events that start to unfold, and I saw his character gradually start to snap. So to shorten, one event was able to immobilize Shion’s behavior, but it doesn’t set in until more things started to happen. This added to the realization of how “inhuman” people were treating their citizens of No. 6 and how it made Shion’s older version of himself crack. (I don’t like characters changing this way, it’s so sad to watch!)
Greatfully, if I haven’t spoiled it for you already, I won’t spoil the story anymore.
The world building got better over time. At first, all the information was dumped onto you like a sack of potatoes, but the story was able to refrain from revealing too much. So nothing is fully revealed until the very end, and you are able to enjoy the mysteries of the series even when you think it’s over.
You don’t only get to learn what Shion was thinking, you also get to be inside Rat’s head (and sometimes the Dogkeeper). However Rat’s thoughts are only filled with Shion, so no matter what, Shion is still the main character.
I really enjoyed the chapters where they took a break from what Shion and Rat were doing, to see how Shion’s mother Karan was up to. She also had her own problems, and has the inside story of the strange developments occurring in No. 6. So you can oppose me, but her chapters were definitely needed, only in order to see what Shion and Rat don’t already know. (I also really liked Karan’s chapters, just for the sake of it.)
The art was another aspect that drew me in. It’s so very detailed, and I enjoyed looking at the art style!! There’s an anime out there, but the art style doesn’t do the manga justice. (Not that there is anything wrong with it, it’s just different from what I’m used to.)
Also before I wrap this up, I couldn’t quite ship Rat and Shion. I did at first, but it went away fast because their relationship was the kind that worked either romantically or as friends. (I believe the correct term for this is bromance.) So if you do ship them, that’s totally fine, I once did too. (But we all know that I’ll ship them again when I watch the anime; yeah, that’s probably going to happen…)
Overall, I RECOMMEND THIS~!
Rating: ❄❄❄❄❄
More: Thank you so much for reading! I hope you liked this post. If you did, then please hit that Like button below, or help a girl out and Follow my site! The light novels of this series came out first, then the anime and the manga second. (I can’t tell which came first, the manga was published as the episodes were being made. I think.) Please visit the artist’s Goodreads, Hinoki Kino, here. Also to visit the story’s author, Atsuko Asano, here. That’s all for now, I’ll swing by later!
icebreaker694 
Leave a comment