Edens Zero

Edens Zero just ended, so I thought it'd be good to have a review that covers the entire series, rather than a preliminary one. If you want the quick and simple review, I'll put it this way: Edens Zero is a decent series, but its flaws are significant and it's far from an amazing series; I can only really call it a worthwhile read if you're a fan of Hiro Mashima's other works or if you just want a long-running shounen to read without caring too much about how great it is. Strengths: - The worldbuilding is creative and intriguing. Lots of really cool planets are explored,the powers have lots of variety, and it feels exciting to see Edens Zero's world. - The art, while not generally the most standout, is consistently solid, and if you're like me and tend to have difficulty following action scenes in manga, this series shouldn't be much of a problem for you. Mixed: - Fights can be very clever and exciting at times. Drakken Joe is probably the highlight in that regard. However, there are also plenty of fights that don't really leave much impression, as well as a few that are just... bad. - The storytelling is certainly a mixed bag. On the one hand, the series does a fantastic job of foreshadowing major events. There are also some really interesting ways Mashima uses to bring the story across at times, Xiao Mei being the biggest example. However, the story sometimes gets very convoluted and tries to take on too much, and the pacing gets awkward at some parts of the story. There are also a few specific plot decisions that just don't sit right with me (and many other readers), so the story is full of ups and downs. Weaknesses: - The characters can at times be pretty compelling, but for the most part I would say the cast falls a bit flat. That's a big blow for an adventure story about a spaceship crew exploring the universe. That isn't to say that they are actively BAD, but for most characters I just didn't really care much about them. - This series is really bad with fanservice, and not just in how often it happens. Even for those who don't mind it, you might still find yourself frustrated, as Mashima seems to want it placed in the worst possible scenes. Luckily it does become more reasonable for some of the more serious arcs, but it still comes off as being way overboard. - The ending and final arc as a whole were not the strongest. It isn't the worst final arc I've ever seen, but calling that arc good would be a serious stretch. So as a whole, Edens Zero still strays onto the side of being a good series, but is it good enough to warrant reading 33 volumes? For most people, I would say probably not. I don't regret reading it, and I had a lot of fun with it, but if you do jump into the series, don't go in expecting a masterpiece, because it just isn't that.