A really enjoyable entry into an interesting world! Sometimes, I felt Dante was a little too juvenile, but he has that shonen MC charm at the same time, so it wasn't a massive hurdle to my enjoyment. The plot feels quite different for the genre - there are definitely moments that push the envelope for a shonen!

ARC provided by NetGalley in exchange for a review.

Dante's life on Amigasa seemed normal enough to him, even though everyone around him called him an oddball. But when a chance meeting with a young woman named Aoi changes everything, Dante can no longer sit idly by...unless, of course, he is made to!

This was a very interesting manga. The brief description does a disservice to what exactly is in store when you read this story. This is a very postapocalyptic, humans have been brainwashed kind of deal. It is a very interesting world that I am actually really interested in seeing fleshed out. There were a lot of different elements of the story that reminded me of some other manga so that is kind of how I am going to base my recommendation. If you liked any of the following, you might like this manga: Chainsaw Man, Ajin: Demi-Human, and Pumpkin Scissors. There were definite elements of all three of those series in here and it makes for a very intriguing story all mashed together. I should mention that the gore in here is pretty intense as far as things go, definitely up there with Ajin and Chainsaw man. There are a couple of instances of people basically being ripped to shreds. So take that as either a warning or a preview of what is in here depending on your gore tolerance. I would definitely recommend checking this one out as it feels like there is a lot of potential in the story.

Thanks to Netgalley and Kodansha for the advance copy in exchange for an honest opinion. My opinions are not representative of any groups I am affiliated with.

I really liked Fungus and Iron #1. It took the tropes I've come to expect from dystopia and action manga books and turned them just enough on their head to make something new. The title felt silly at first glance, but it absolutely makes sense in a literal way after reading. My only real gripe is the heavy use of archetyping for character development in this volume, but I definitely can tell this is to give the reader a strong but familiar impression of each character without it taking too much extra space for a first volume. This helped make it the quick read that it is, and it's definitely worth the hour or two you'll spend on it.

Thank you NetGalley and Kodansha for a free advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

Fungus and Iron has one of the most interesting premises I've seen in a while, and I'm glad I had the chance to read it. Set in a dystopian world, Fungus and Iron explores abuse of government power, mortality, and strength in community through the eyes of the meek protagonist, Dante.

I would recommend this title to fans of Golden Kamuy, Parasyte, and Fullmetal Alchemist. This series contains depictions of gore similar to Golden Kamuy, and I would recommend it for mature readers.

Story and Art: Ayaka Katayama
Translation: Jacqueline Fung
Lettering: Darren Smith
Editing: Jordan Reynolds

Ugh, the art style was absolutely amazing, my three-year-old artistic abilities could never. Some of the drawing were truly horrific, though. Gore usually doesn't affect me, like at all. Some of the depictions though, 👀.
(arc from netgalley)

An interesting story about a postapocalyptic world where a fungus has taken over the minds of humans and is forcing them into being emotionless slaves. It's a very violent manga, so if you're squeamish with blood and gore this book isn't for you. The main character is fun and the story is a good mix of silly and serious.