IMPORTANT NOTE:
The English version of 'Seraph of the End - Guren Ichinose: Catastrophe at Sixteen' is in an omnibus format containing two books. This review contains the first novel only. The review for the next novel is coming soon.
The Story
The story is about a young boy from the weakest clan joining a school of the most powerful magic users in the world.
This story is a prequel to my favourite currently running Shounen series, Seraph of the End and it is interesting to see how much is different (and the same) then the original manga series.
The novel goes into detail about things that weren't focused on in the original series which makes the world of Seraph of the End even more interesting.
This might be explained in the later books, but why is Guren's clan hated so much, even though it is implied that they are a branch off the most powerful clan? If they told us, it would make a lot more sense why the main characters are beaten up all the time. But without knowing why, it just makes the beating scenes (especially one of them involving the bodyguards) just there to shock the reader without having any other reason of being there.
The Characters
We get a lot of memorable characters in this novel, from the main protagonist and his love interest, to the side characters.
I especially enjoy how much Guren's bodyguards are willing to sacrifice for him and how Guren tells them that they don't have to do it (in is own, sarcastic way).
The Illustrations
The illustrations in this book is a mixed bag. The character designs look amazing. They are not as good as Black Bullet and the early Sword Art Online novels, but they do stand out.
The backgrounds however are a different story. They are not that great at all! Only one of the illustrations has a lovely looking background, but the rest are either lazily drawn or none existent!
Final Thoughts
Overall, this novel was an amazing and fun read. I was so absorbed in the novel, I read it in one sitting for three hours none-stop. I haven't felt this absorbed in a light novel since Sword Art Online: Aincrad 1.
This novel is simply a masterpiece!
The Story 4.5/5 The Characters 5/5 The Illustrations 4/5
Overall 4.5/5
