Ilegenes: Track of a Black Gleam

イルゲネス～黒耀の軌跡～

7.89(3K votes)

Ranked #1172Popularity #2780

chapters

volumes

Status

Finished

Published

Oct 15, 2007 to Jul 15, 2010

Authors:Kuwabara, Mizuna, Ishizue, Kachiru

Drama

Worth Reading? — Global Verdict

9.5/10

Average Review Score

100%

Recommend It

Reviews Worldwide

International Reviews

blossomdeath

Recommended

Ilegenes dynamically blends the concepts of politics, power, scientific cloning and genetic engineering geared towards a darker path of human nature (in a psychological way). Coupled with friendship and brotherly romance, the manga distinguishes itself from other series of a similar genre by pausing at the appropriate spots instead of trying too hard. I love the unique aspects of the plot, the charisma of Fon and the seemingly frivolous yet caring personality of Jacques. The interaction between Fon and Jacques is the manga’s major selling point – yes, readers can simply assume there is definitely some extraordinary brotherhood between these two yet at thesame time, it is not the boys romance we are talking about here. The concept of finding one’s true self, believing and doing what is right even in the face of adversities are strongly exhibited throughout the series. The decisions and reactions of the characters grip at your heart and to a certain extent, make readers put themselves into the shoes of the characters and ponder what they would have done if they were in the same position. After completing this series I just wish it could have been longer. Ilegenes is a manga that will stay in your hearts even long after you have finished reading. It also makes one question the political state of his country. PS: I couldn’t satiate my curiosity about the story’s aftermath and have started to move on to the novel version, which setting takes place 13 years after the series in the manga.

13 found helpfulMar 30, 2013

Community Discussion

Synopsis

Ilegenes—an island globally recognized for its innovation in science and technology—has monopolized the world of genetic engineering. Behind closed doors, the country invests its resources in the black market, proliferating a breeding ground for cloning and illegal profiting. Due to Ilegenes' fall from grace and unrepentant nature, the island is notoriously nicknamed after a notable research project, the "Genetic Sodom." Fon Fortinbras Littenber, a diligent student representative of Ilegenes Military Academy, is the adopted son of Doctor Michael Littenber, a well-known expert in brain research and the founder of the Genetic Sodom. Due to his parents' dreadful death, Fon seeks to avenge them by annihilating the black market. Although he desires an uninterrupted life in school, he grows close to his roommate Jacques "Jake" Berne—an outgoing 22-year-old man who holds suspicions of Fon's character. As they carry on with school, Fon must find a way to survive his academic environment while remaining true to a vow he made long ago. [Written by MAL Rewrite]

Illegenes: The Genetic Sodom is a masterfully written manga about genetic engineering and cloning and the issues it holds, it’s a manga that questions what happens when man plays god and ultimately what makes a human - human. In the tradition of the best sci-fi, this manga makes us think about the deep questions of humanity and it is driven both by plot and a strong character. On a rogue island where genetic engineering takes places against the rest of world community and it is thus called the genetic Sodom because it violates the rules of both God and man.This place controls the black market on genetic engineering and cloning and people thus made are sold as slaves, pleasure and body parts. It is on this island that our mc Fon Fortinbras attends an elite military academy as the top honor student, think of this as West Point or Sandhurst, or Saint-Cyr meets Joseph Mengele. However Fon plans using this position to take revenge on his parents killed by those running the black market and being inside to bring down the black market. However there are a lot of mysteries behind everything going on that Fon must unravel. It also brings to mind questions of what insanity when living in an insane world, or what happens to a good person who must enter an evil environment. Fon sometimes seems like Hamlet. This is ongoing and I’m trying not to spoiler anything in this. The art is beautiful at times and gory at times while remaining clean-lined and well drawn. This is a mature manga because of the themes, and parts might be quite disturbing to some readers. Some readers might not like the shounen-ai tone to it as it is set in an all male military school; the cast is handsome European elites; but this is Not a yaoi, it’s a josei actually. One criticism is that it can get a bit heavy on the existential angst at times. This manga is ongoing; I wanted to write this to draw attention to this manga which should be better known as it’s a hidden gem. Although it is still ongoing and cannot be fully rated in all areas, personally for me it’s a 10 thus far.

katie_knight

Recommended

The manga "Ilegenes" has the best story line ...the fact that i am writing this review despite being supper lazy is because its simply the best manga. The story.. the art ... character design every thing stands out.. i am surprised that it still haven't debuted as anime ... the psychological plot is awesome moreover its kind of a reminder to modern science that what will happen if they keep on experimenting on humans and genes. If anyone have watched/ read bakuman anime /manga then it might remind you of the story style of ashirogi muto sensei well actually i said that because if they werereal i would've been a huge fan of their manga :D There is somewhat of a bromance in it too or should i say its more like jacques (supporting character) consider Fon (main character ) as his little bro because of the age difference and as he also have many siblings but overall i bet this manga wont disappoint you Also the manga story is advancing with the title : "Ilegenes - Giyoku no Koukyoukyoku " ... i highly recommend this manga ^^

5 found helpfulFeb 21, 2015

Trivialmadness

Recommended

I once heard that fate is something you live and destiny is something you make for yourself. What if you have been living a lie thinking you're creating your own destiny but actually have just lived the inevitable fate? *A spoiler free review* This is the first prequel to the original Genetic Sodom Ilegenes light novels. Set in a bio punk setting with some dystopia feeling, Kokuyou no Kiseki is a solemn, unassuming and almost bleak drama mystery. And I liked it far more than I thought I would. So what is it all about? Seeing the cover, I though this would be one of those depressing storiesabout pretty boys snuggling cutely in a miserable world. What I found instead was a well-made story about genetic advancement and it's impact to the value of humanity. It's also a story about friendship, but most of all it's a character arc about self-discovery, a personal journey of our protagonist Fon. The story seemingly starts as a boarding school type of story about life in a military academy and feuds between it's low-borne and high-borne students, but it soon turns more into a low-key revenge thriller. There's mysteries surrounding the world and characters, and while they are not that hard to figure out, they give the story a distinct, uncertain feeling. Corruption and ethical conflicts also give their own dark flavor to taste and ponder. I won't lie, most of the characters are kinda forgettable. This is mainly Fon's story and we get to spend most of our time with him and peel the layers off the mysteries the same time he does. Because I could understand what he thinks and feels, I genuinely became to like him. However, my favorite character among all was Jacques with his irresistible laid-back attitude and somewhat mysterious presence. The art is sadly not made by the a-mazing Nanae Chrono who made the illustration for the light novels but it's fine and fitting. The art is clean and simple with few grey tones and the focus on the characters over backgrounds. The faces are easily distinguishable and expressive and you can almost tell the significance of the character by how detailed they are. The important scenes are more vivid and thought out and chapter covers are especially beautiful. We like to think that we do everything for our own reasons. This story delves into that and raises questions about acting because of your own volition versus acting upon someone else's wishes when the goal is still the same. Also, are we allowed to change the views about ourselves and the world around us? Can we decide what is a life worth living for someone else? Thought-provoking in it's own silent way, this is a story that sticks to you. It's not entirely intact, but the world is intriguing and I'd like to read more about it in the future. TL;DR Refreshingly low-key and approachable, Ilegenes: Path of Obsidian is a simple yet absorbing mystery drama about genetic manipulation, human rights and revenge. While being targeted to shoujo demographic, I'd gladly recommend this well-made story to other audience as well, especially to the fans of philosophical stories and bio punk.

4 found helpfulJan 20, 2019