Levius (レビウス) is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Haruhisa Nakata. The narrative is set in a re-imagined war torn 19th century period where the gladiator like combat sport known as Metalboxing is held, with many of the contestants’ bodies augmented by mechanical parts.
First published by Shogakukan in 2012, the manga completely evaded my radar until recently, when I chanced upon these fantastic cover art for the sequel Levius/est on Amazon Japan. The manga has also been adapted into Netflix series produced by the Japanese animation studio Polygon Pictures, where I worked briefly back in 2008/9.
I’m sure many comic and manga readers have had the experience of been drawn in by the beautiful cover art of some comics, but only to discover that the actual art work contained within bear little or no resemblance to the cover art; quite the disappointing experience. I’m happy to report that Levius’s actual manga art work suffers no such fate, and the preview pages posted on Amazon seem to suggest that the actual content is of pretty high quality as well.
I’m planning to pick up the first 2 tankobon compilations ( here & here ) and will post a review of the art work and manga at a later time if they prove to be of quality and deserving of any recommendation to my readers. Stay tuned.
You might also be interested in these items :
Levius – Haruhisa Nakata Manga Review ( Vol 1 )
Atom The Beginning Manga Cover Art Collection
Slam Dunk Manga New Edition Cover Art – Full Collection
Cover Designs For Japanese Games/Anime/Manga/Novels
Blade Of The Immortal Manga Cover Art Volume 19-29
July 18th, 2021 at 9:22 am
Might check this out… been looking for a new manga to read. Just finished Uzumaki by Junji Ito. Have seen his work? Crazy stuff.
July 19th, 2021 at 3:10 am
Deckard – I’ve reviewed his art book, but I’ve not actually read any of his manga yet – http://halcyonrealms.com/illustration/grotesque-world-junji-ito-art-book-review/
July 19th, 2021 at 1:01 pm
This is lovely cover art indeed. Definitely interested in hearing your views on the manga, assuming their quality deserves the time as you say.
July 19th, 2021 at 7:11 pm
I stumbled upon a couple of panels from „Levius“ a while ago while searching for news on Kishimoto‘s „Samurai 8“ — I guess Google really does work in mysterious ways. XD
Not being able to read Japanese, I was lucky to find a nice hardcover compilation of the first three volumes in the US. These three volumes kind of comprise the first arc of the narrative and are just called „Levius“. The story continues as „Levius/est“ with what I think is a slightly different, more reduced art style. Maybe the creator switched from a monthly to a weekly publication schedule? I don‘t know.
Anyway, I loved the first three volumes. The art ist gorgeous and insanely dynamic. Both the art and the story feel at the same time very „modern“ because of the frequent use of foreground/background blurs like a movie, and traditional in the color choices of the few color pages and the celebration of larger-than-life warrior characters. The world is beatifully designed and the story can take some really gruesome turns. I think it definitely has some Alita vibes in places.
„Levius/est“ took some time to get off the ground but now I love it as much as the first three volumes and can‘t wait for the next volume to come out.
I recommend a certain caution in regards to the anime. I kind of liked it but I don‘t think it does justice to the source material.
July 23rd, 2021 at 1:56 pm
Chris – I’ve ordered a copy of the manga so look out for my review soon !
Fabrizio – Thank you for the detailed review and information on the manga ! I’ve seen neither the anime or the manga, but I have a copy of it on the way and I’m looking forward to reading it. :]