Giganto Makhia
Giganto Maxia

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Ah, Giganto Makhia. Kentaro Miura's first original work in over two decades and ultimate proof that he did not spend his year of Berserk hiatus just lazing around, like so many people seem to accuse him of. The man obviously needed a creative break and created this very short seven chapter manga in the meantime. And you know what? Did a damn fine job with it, too.

Story - 8
Giganto Makhia is a science fiction story set a hundred million years in the future, though to be honest it feels more like a fantasy story, as you wont find any advanced technology or other elements that ... would make it feel more sci-fi here.
The plot follows the two main characters Delos and Prome as they wander through a desert and eventually end up in a village of 'bug people'.
I cant really talk too much about the plot, as it so short, that any more details beyond this basic set-up might be considered spoiler.
Considering how short this manga is, the story does a pretty great job at introducing the main characters, setting up the world and some major factions
and having spot on pacing. The only negative i can think of is, again, the short length and the limitations that come with it, but the fact that i want to see more of this world means the plot did its job quite well.

Characters - 8
The manga focuses mainly on the two main characters Prome, a girl with magic powers, and Delos, a wrestler hired by Prome for an unknown purpose that becomes clearer as the story goes on.
Aside from the two mains, only one side character, another pugilist Delos fights, gets some attention.
Time constraints, once again, limit the character department from developing its full potential, though thankfully the important characters are all almost instantly likable.
Delos is kindhearted, but fierce and calculating once engaged in combat, Prome on the other side is a prime example of how to do a deadpan, mostly emotionless character and not make them boring and unlikable. They have great chemistry together and their interactions are one of the best things about the entire manga.

Art - 10
Kentaro Miura is one of the finest artists working in this medium, period. The art in Giganto Makhia is downright perfect with high levels of detail, creative character and creature designs, fantastic action choreography and an amazing sense of scale when necessary. Its goddamn flawless, i aint got much more to add.

Enjoyment - 8
This is a fantastic little manga and a very fun read, its only drawback being that it feels more like an introduction to a much larger series than a standalone story. Now, as a side note, Miura did say that he would like to continue it at some point, which i personally would love to see, but with his commitments to the Berserk series i doubt this will happen anytime soon (or ever). One can still hope tho, dare i say i almost wish for a another Berserk hiatus so he can squeeze some GM in his work schedule? ... No. No, i shouldnt say that and i wouldnt want that to happen, but you get my point, right? Good manga, good stuff, i dig it, thumbs up. Please dont crucify me for that hiatus joke!

Overall - 8
Recommended for people who like fantasy, action, good art, Kentaro Miura, sick wrestling moves or to those who would like to read an entire manga series while waiting at the dentists office.

It has been proved by the popularity of, for example, Shingeki no Kyojin (Attack on Titan), that stories that usually contain giants make a lot of success. In fact, since ancient Greece, legends of giants always caused curiosity and instant rapport. My story with Giganto Makhia started like that as well.

Kentaro Miura decided to write this one-shot during the hiatus of his best-known manga Bersek, probably to clear his mind, since Bersek is being written since 1989! The story itself mixture Greek mythology with something like a futuristic mode and post-apocalyptic - or as stated in the manga: after the Great Extinction. And if giants ... are already successful, imagine mythological giants in a post-apocalyptic backdrop!

To explain this better before entering the manga storyline, here's a brief description: In Greek mythology, the Giants were a race of great strength and aggression - though not necessarily large - known as Gigantomachia or Giganto Makhia and their battles with the Olympian gods. According to Hesiod, the Giants were the children of Gaia (Earth), born of the blood that fell when Uranus (Heaven) was castrated by Titan son of Cronus.

The story begins with the following words:

" In the distant future, far beyond the present, when the familiar story ends ... And a myth resurfaces. A monstrous legend. And also ... Giant."

Humanity is divided and taken new forms. Then there were humans, who are known as "Hus", and a strange new species that are called "Mus", mutant creatures better adapted to live in isolated places like deserts. Some of them are human crossings ... With insects, for example. Ew, strange, I know... But Miura makes even things like that to have a specific meaning and he also make the art become strangely peculiar.

After the dramatic opening, Miura starts the story in a desert, with the two protagonists interacting suddenly. At first it seems a rather confusing approach, but it does not take long until you can feel relate to both of them and already feel a certain familiarity, even if there is not much explanation about who they are, where they came from and so on. They are Delos, a small, silly, strong, good-hearted man, and Prome, a mysterious girl with supernatural powers that does not seem to fit very well in the definitions of the existing forms of life.

One thing I think is needed to warn you at this point is that in the same way that the story doesn't contain many detailed explanations, names also do not have. So don't get too stressed with names, just keep reading that it will gradually make sense and the direction is then shown.

Continuing: The two wandered in search of a desert tribe, known as "Scraves", men who are half beetles and can control huge insects. Delos and Prome end up being found by Scraves first. Then, the pair are mistaken for spies of the human empire called Olympus and are taken captive to prove innocence through a struggle of Delos with the strongest warrior of the tribe... Prome is tied to die after the supposed defeat of Delos, however, the fight endures quite a lot: that little Hus clashes with the powerful Mus in a interestingly way of fighting, kinda unusual for manga: wrestling style.

The plot that follows from there is good enough to keep the attention at reading. Wouldn't be fun to tell all the details, mainly because it is a one-shot. So, try to give it a chance!

What I feel that is relevant to comment is: In general, the manga is very well done, well designed (Miura is mainly known for his mastery of the art of drawing), well thought out even for a one-shot, where the plot is always fast. But it was exciting to read some parts of the story like the way that Delos reacted in front of confrontational situations, making him kinda like the perfect and typical example of a true hero. Not the "perfect" hero that often is used, and that means that perfection is not always free of flaws or even aesthetic perfection. There is a logical explanation for kinda everything in the manga, including Delos's way of act, so it's nice to see that there is a deconstruction of the completely-perfect-heroism that we often see in mangas, comic books and even movies. Interestingly, Delos would be the classic Japanese hero style: strong, pure and honorable.

The development of the plot in the manga will always be surprising enough and always giving a positive and impactful shot at the reader, as is the custom of the Miura. Giganto Makhia has however a much lighter and less dense plot that Bersek and even reaches funny parts that are always given by the pair of protagonists. Still, we can not help but notice the social discussion between the lines and of course, the struggles that are at least energizing.

My criticism with the manga is that it has ecchi/loli content... Honestly...I don't like it. But... Wel... What can I do? Manga's creators can be strange people in the end anyway... Many times the key to this problem is to simply ignore. For some people this is not really important, for some this is only funny and for some this is kinda sick. It's up to you to decide.

Finally, I think it is really easy to buy and read Giganto Makhia, since it is a one-shot. I highly recommend this reading to Bersek fans, even if, somehow, the climate is quite different. Still, the influences of previous Miura's work are visible, especially in monsters in battle and the satisfaction of seeing a manga that is a pleasure to read! And it's great that he can also join many readers who have not heard of the author yet to know his amazing style and narrative feature.

My conclusion is that Giganto Makhia is really a manga who worth. The work makes you reflect on many things and has really great characters and a nice art.

So, going to rating:

Story is great, but not very my style. Still, I must admit that deserves a 9. I had a great time reading it.

Art also deserves a 9. Miura like strong traits and sometimes it get scary... I prefer lighter shades. But even being a bit "rough", I think he knows how to work. Prome were sooooo cute I couldn't resist.

Characters definitely deserve 10. I just loved the personality of Delos and I think he ended up becoming one of my favorite heros.

Had a nice enjoyment, but again, it was a bit scary and I like cuter things when reading manga. So, 9.

Overall, couldn't give nothing but Great! (:

This is some radical buddhism "all lives matter" nonsense with Miura's attempting a strange mix of western political correctness with power of friendship and Lolis (to pay for the manly manga he did with Buronson I guess). Besides all the positive reviews which I believe are based on just being fan of Miura's work (more specifically, Berserk), there are plenty of issues in this manga that need to be addressed.

Story:

"Don't be mean to mass murderers and rapists - punishing criminals will make you sad.
Just pretend nothing happened, acting is bad, except Loli Ex Machina can solve everything with the power of friendship and golden shower."
-Some ... weird pseudo moralist trend going on in manga lately.

There is no story to be qualified, it's a religious/political NPC mindset "all lives matter" in manga format. A human warrior and a kind of android Loli who follows him are captured by an humanoid tribe who suffer from the evil of "Human Imperialism", some type of victimization rhetoric. Miura makes some strange Black and White cliché of civilization bad vs tribal good (as if tribes before empires never plundered, raped and enslaved one-another as history proves, just muh evil civilized humans). There's no interesting, morally grayer depiction of human kinds like he does in Berserk - and then we just skip to have it all washed out later with zero consequences using the power of friendship.

There's no conclusion. The "ending" is some Gainax Ending that is the terror of any anime/manga fans who had experiences with bad endings, and can cause chills down the spine of Berserk fans if you stop to think that Miura could have done this to Berserk. At least we know from his final interview there WOULD be at least 2 main battles against the evildoers and the main characters wouldn't just hide their heads in the sand and become farmers because muh conflict bad.

Who needs to develop a reason for an ending when you can simply wash away all the negative parts in a convenient holier than thou false moralism and Deus ex machina.

Miura was probably worried of how much depth and political incorrectness he has put in the Conviction Arc of Berserk, and seems to have attempted to repent his imperialist manliness in this weird single.

Characters:
They're cute. The main characters are chubby versions of Roderick, ep. 252, and Schierke, ep. 184 (or Chitchi, ep. 329), from Berserk. Their interaction sums up in making pee jokes and being the saviors the "oppressed minority bugs", "we are your White saviors".

Art:
The art style follows the Millennium Empire Arc of Berserk without great improvements. Even if it was the best of Miura's art style, it would not save the fishy nature of this manga, and it feels like the art is too good for a story that doesn't live up to it.

Enjoyment:
People who read it and gave a blind eye for its defects (or at least tried to ignore the political cringe) were probably desperate for more Berserk chapters or just more Miura's creations in general.