Sep 1, 2013
The Ever 17 manga is an adaptation of a visual novel developed by KID under the same title. Ever 17 is the second installment of the Infinity series released by KID (Kindle Imagine Develop) on 2002 and is still one of the most highly regarded titles.
The scenario writers Takumi Nakazawa and Kotaro Uchikoshi have a signature style of storytelling that utilizes a medium’s uniqueness (visual novel’s Infinity series and Zero Escape series for the Nintendo DS). The exploitation of visual novel mechanics in Ever 17 is an integral part of what makes it one of the greatest stories ever told in the medium. For that
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reason any serious adaptation of it will almost surely fail; this manga is no exception. This review will mainly feature a comparison between the visual novel and the manga. There will be minor spoilers.
Story (5/10): The first 13 chapters are loosely based on Tsugumi’s good end. The introductory parts of the manga is somewhat faithful to the original. From there, many manga-only shounen-esque elements and odd fanservice scenes were added. Events from Sora and You’s routes were also present; giving it an almost harem feel. The mystery elements were poor presented and have become secondary to the romance. The fast pace create jarring transitions between suspense and comedy.
After the main events with the heroines the plot is completely modified and simplified. The manga skips a large portion of the visual novel and heads straight towards the last segment. While the last portion is somewhat close to the original, needless to say it did not deliver the same amount of impact. Finally we get to the ending, and understand the reason for this adaptation is just to say “read the visual novel”.
Characters (4/10): The blazing fast pace does not allow much room for character development. The choice to mix in a bit from each heroine’s arcs did not help. The result is minimal character development across the board. The only redeeming quality is that there is a focus on the main pair; the key factor for emotional impact.
Art (5/10): Nothing special, the manga rendition of the visual novel CGs is in no way an improvement.
Enjoyment (5/10): As a fan of the visual novel I found the early parts of the manga to be enjoyable due to the new content. The rest of it is ultimately disappointing.
Overall (5/10): This adaptation attempts to pose questions and draw readers to read the visual novel. The problem is that the questions are poorly posed and it is doubtful if any readers would want to read the visual novel after reading the manga first. Still, its short length and fast pace combined with decent comedy and suspense should be able to keep one reading till the end.
Reviewer’s Rating: 5
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