Ginka to Glüna
Ginka & Glüna

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"Ginka & Glüna" was axed by Shonen Jump before Shinpei Watanabe could truly hit their stride with the series. Taking so long to ramp up absolutely contributed to the downfall of this already unpopular manga. It's clear to see from the series introduction that the author had a plan to flesh out what they introduced over the course of a couple hundred chapters, but the axe was dropped swiftly and deftly.

This is a story about a girl who learns magic from a snowman, who just so happens to be the strongest magician ever. However, this is not his normal body. He has been split apart, ... his body parts spread throughout the world, and the two set off to bring him back to his original form. Of course, we don't get to see the conclusion of this story arc, we barely even get to see the magic system fully develop. However, we do get to see a few examples of the excellent powers many hold, as well as the variance in how magic wielders treat those who do not wield magic. The pacing seems to be a general complaint, but it really doesn't feel all that different from many other weekly manga. The world was interesting, the characters were fun, and the art was a joy to look at. This will all be locked away forever in the vaults of Shonen Jump.

It's hard to tell anyone to read this manga, even though it's enjoyable, but what's the purpose of recommending a manga that had to be rushed into a terrible ending that leaves so many loose threads, so many questions, and so much untapped potential? I hope Watanabe can get another manga, everything I saw from this series makes me believe they can make something better than plenty of what currently shows up weekly in Shonen Jump.

The newest addition in Jump's roster. From its first couple of chapters, the series certainly shows promising potential to become a mainstay. However, the story offers nothing particularly unique that we haven't seen before. To summarize, Both the main characters, Ginka and Gluna, have the end goal of retrieving Ginka's real body. The story takes you to an adventure through the eyes of these two characters, both of which are adept with magic (This story's power system).

In short, the series is like a combination of One Piece's Adventure, Mashle's Comedy and Black Clover's Magic. Though it offers nothing particularly unique, it is worth noting that ... all of the aspects that it replicates have been successful in the past. The story has already begun to build itself up for the long term through the introduction of certain groups and characters, which certainly does invoke my interest. Whether it executes that build up properly remains to be seen.

It will be interesting to see how it goes from here on out. The lack of uniqueness may turn off many but what Ginka and Gluna offers (Adventure, Comedy and Magic) has been popular amongst Shonen Jump fans for a long time so if it continues to execute those genres as good as it has now then it may have a shot at survival.

One thing I have to complain about was the extremely tight-fitted preposition in the early chapters. The pace was pushed too far. Although not as present, I can also feel this happen in all the other chapters too.

That's it.

Other than that, I've really got nothing to complain about. The story is great. The development of the characters was done so well with so little chapters. The main character, Glüna, has perfectly expressed the main character "always positive" attitude without being annoying. She is, by her core, a kind person. She changed Ginka and every other people she meets. Ginka grows so much during the series ... because of her even when he is really old.

The setting is so so so well done. The concept of Verokia as an ancient civilisation that was the birth of magic feels really well done. The Verokian language text is creatively used in the right situations. With more exploration and depth, I'm sure Verokia can feel even greater and more rich with history.

I will say this after reading chapter 27: The main villain has so much potential. He could really be my favourite manga villain ever.

Reading this series has been like watching a good movie. I will still continue to hope for this series to have continuation; be it in the form of manga, novel, or anything. It's potential is that good.

I'm so sad it ended early! The sheer joy of Glüna and the fun design on Ginka made for a nice combo, and the world building was interesting. Cool magic architecture always gets a pass for me, and the art was definitely good enough to show it off! Side characters were fine, totally nothing special, but I wanted to see more from the main duo! Having a character be so powerful just one fragment of him - what was he like before? The intrigue!

Tough break that it barely got a mediocre ending, but still worth reading if you like a joyful, lovely series with some cool ... ideas even if it was cut down too soon.

Fast paced but unique visuals, the stakes raise nearly every chapter and the world is being built organically and well paced, looking forward to more and a possibly anime.
Fans of black clover, maybe mashle a bit anything magic should love this.

The characters are growing but haven’t faced any huge characterization moments yet, I understand jump puts pressure on making a splash first so i hope we’ll get there, plus the cast has changed a bit from first few chapters to now. The main character is fun loving, bubbly and straight forward, but when the going gets tough we see flashbacks to her growth and why ... she isn’t too bothered by the current situation

The art is fantastic and clean, Combat is mostly understanble.

- Overall (5/10):
If you ever asked yourself, what would have been if One Piece had ended within 30 chapters, then Ginka & Glüna will answer this. It has a great world building, epic scenes and good story concept, however, the pacing was so fast it crashed into itself!

- Story (4/10):
Don’t get me wrong, of course the Story is not even close to One Piece, it’s just like every shounen adventure manga ever. A young protagonist (Glüna) meets their strong master (Ginka), who teaches her magic and together they go on an adventure. As the story goes on, the party increases, antagonists will be fought and ... the story develops more and more. But here comes the problem. The story is told so fast right from the start, that it’s hardly enjoyable.

For example:
The story is building up to a strong antagonist, our heroes are preparing for the fight and now you think: “Yes! The next chapter will be epic!”, then you turn the page and the battle is over…
Another example:
After we get a new member, a new goal and dungeon to explore, you may think: “Yes! The next couple of chapters will be epic!”, then you turn the page and see a fast forward to the goal…

And that’s exactly why this manga is so disappointing. You get a good build up, likeable characters, but at the moment when it’s getting interesting, the conclusion arrives immediately and rushes to the next plot point.

- Art (7/10):
On top of that, this fast pacing spoils the art as well. When we arrive at the almost epic scene, the art concept, the character design and the creativity of the fights is really top! But again, it is so fast over, you could have barely enjoyed it. At least the paneling, backgrounds and tones are solid as well.

- Characters (5/10):
Sadly, the same does not go for the characters. At the beginning we get 2 side characters, with a proper introduction and a short development. After their first arc, they’ve gotten put to the bench and are totally forgotten as party members. They are no more than background characters. And as said, antagonists come, are almost immediately defeated and we are rushing forward.

As for the 2 MC’s, Glüna is a fresh female shounen protagonist. Nothing wrong with her, well written, good background story. But she jumps from totally powerless to overpowered as hell within 1 chapter (at the very start).So every dilemma she faces will be shrugged off. She doesn’t get any development except for the first chapter…
Meanwhile Ginka’s role is the funny mysterious master. Like the cool uncle, which makes you laugh and plays with you, but you don’t know if he even has a partner, what he does or what not. He is definitely the stronghold for the story, and gratefully we get his outstanding backstory. 80% of the really good chapters are thanks to him. So without him, the title would not just be “Glüna”, but it would have failed at the beginning.

- Enjoyment (5/10):
Altogether, the rushed pacing destroyed the fun massively. It has some highlights and the world building is interesting, which may be worth a try, but at the end you will be disappointed. At least the final chapters give you some compensation.