One of the most unique and reviled manga-influenced series of the recent past is Serenity. Even from the Christian community, the response has been mixed at best. Since seeing the series on bookshelves years ago, I’ve always been interested in digging in, though I’ve never wanted to put the bucks down to read a series that might not be so good.
Luckily, Taylor Ramage, editor of Caught Up in the Rush, has recently reviewed several volumes of the series. Though she initially disliked Serenity, she’s warmed to issues following the first one, giving largely positive feedback on volumes 3, 4, and 5.
Taylor’s reviews are linked below:
Serenity vol. 1: An Attempt At Christian Manga
Serenity vol. 3: A Surprising Improvement
Serenity vol. 4: More Improvement All Around
Serenity vol. 5: Okay, Now I Think It’s Good
I have to admit, I stopped around the same volume she did. And I was less than impressed. By all of them. It’s interesting to see a different perspective, and I should go back and take another look at them…. I wonder if my friend still has her copies?
My guess is that it’s about how you approach the story. If you’re going into it like you would a typical manga, with expectations associated with other manga you’ve read, I think we’d all probably be disappointed. If you’re going in looking for something unique and allowing for lower expectations, then you might enjoy it. I dunno – but I’d certainly like to read your reviews of the volumes if you ever reread them. 🙂
First, thanks for the links!
Second, although I ended up enjoying the series by the time I got through all the volumes I had, I still have reservations about actually paying for more. I’ve read the preview pages on Amazon for the rest of the volumes and that’s enough for me unless I somehow get more of them for cheap/free.
Part of what made me enjoy the later volumes is that the first one was just so terrible that I literally had no expectations for the next one I read other than more things to laugh at. Instead, I was pleasantly surprised.
Overall, I think I’m actually tsundere for this series. I don’t think it’s that good, but I secretly love it or something. It’s a very confusing emotion, XD.
No problem!
And yeah, I think we probably all have our “tsundere series,” hehe.
Possibly. Whatever the case, I discovered that my friend no longer has her copies, but my library carries them!