Survival games have been very popular in recent years. We're sure you've heard of The Hunger Games, the Maze or more recently Squid Game. Survival games also have their place in manga, with Darwin's Game for example. This time, we will tackle a series a little out of the usual patterns with Battle Game in 5 seconds.
Battle game in 5 seconds
Battle game in 5 seconds is a shonen by Harawata Saizo and Miyako Kashiwa. Currently, 18 volumes are available in Japan. In France, 15 volumes have been published (in progress) by Doki Doki. Volume 16 is scheduled for November 17, 2021. An anime, adapted from the manga, is also available on ADN and crunchyroll. The season has 12 episodes.
Akira is a high school student with a passion for video games who has fallen into the clutches of a mysterious organization. He and his companions in misfortune are now the participants in a game of a new kind. Removed from the civil registers, they become subjects of experimentation and they will discover, each in turn, devastating powers. Akira is determined to use these new abilities to destroy the organization that is holding them captive. His weapons: a power that no one expects and an extraordinary sense of strategy. But beware, for all participants, danger can occur at any time… Prepare! Fight in 5, 4, 3…
https://youtu.be/KjwILxtgtwE
An original survival game?
As in many series of the genre, our protagonists were kidnapped. And of course, it is impossible for them to escape, handcuffs in support. However, this series is not only a horror/horror series, it also addresses the theme of the supernatural. Indeed, magic is at the very heart of the story. A mixture that goes well. It turns out that each character has a power of its own. When they arrived, the latter was unknown to them. But shortly after, a first experiment is organized, the opportunity to discover what power they inherited. It is quite nice to see a survival game approached differently. Indeed, in most series, realism is present, and participants must manage according to their natural abilities (strength, intelligence, logic, …). In this manga, in addition to natural abilities, a power has been added and allows the user to enjoy additional strength. However, are all powers equal? Are some participants disadvantaged in view of the power acquired? Few powers have been shown to us in this first volume but it seems that some, although powerful, is quite complicated to use. On the graphics side, we must admit that the boxes are pleasant to discover. Violence and blood are represented without it becoming gore.
A suspense very present
This first volume lays the foundations of the scenario. Indeed, few explanations are given to the participants upon their arrival. All they know is that they were probably injured before being taken to this secret location. They also know that in the eyes of the rest of the world, they are dead and have inherited a mysterious power. It is quite little when you discover the situation in which they find themselves. However, many questions come to mind from the first pages. Who is this mysterious organization? Were the participants really chosen at random? What is their real purpose? What future holds for the participants since officially they are dead? One can also wonder what fate is reserved for the loser. Will they be entitled to another chance or is death assured?
Characters shrouded in mystery
Moreover, the scenario is not the only element on which the suspense hangs. Indeed, the same goes for the characters. On the organizers' side, we "met" Mion very briefly during a magic show and Yan. The character of Mion seems to be contrasted. Indeed, a face that could be described as sweet and cute, with replicas ending in hearts, quickly gives way to a woman using violence with pleasure. Nothing better than a character with two faces you will tell us, but again, many questions arise. And this is also the case for the other participants, especially for Shiroyanagi Akira, the main character. At the beginning of the volume, when the organizer proposes to answer the questions, nothing more natural than the "existential" questions are asked, "Who? Why? Where? ». But for Akira, it seems that his first concern is "what is my power?" For him, it would seem that this is more of a game than a dangerous situation. This character seems to have a lot of potential, we hope that it will be exploited to its maximum. Another character is also introduced quite quickly, Amagake Yuri. This is another participant, having her room next to Akira's. Of course, participants cannot communicate with each other.We also notice very quickly that Mion seems to have a special interest in Akira. Why does she focus on him? Who is he really?All these unanswered questions arouse our curiosity and make us want to discover the second volume with haste. This first volume of Battle game in 5 seconds is very interesting. Indeed, one wonders how the scenario will evolve. Will this series succeed in standing out from other survival games?
