is an Action fantasy, Survival horror manga by Yoshinobu Yamada. The manga began serialization in Weekly Shōnen Magazine

Weekly Shonen Magazine

, also known as Shōnen Magazine, is a shōnen manga magazine published by Kodansha, first published on 17 March 1959. Despite some unusual censorship policies , it's mainly read by an older audience, with a large portion of its readership falling under the male high school or college...

 in 2008 and as of September 2011, the manga has been published in 13 collected volumes by Kodansha

Kodansha

, the largest Japanese publisher, produces the manga magazines Nakayoshi, Afternoon, Evening, and Weekly Shonen Magazine, as well as more literary magazines such as Gunzō, Shūkan Gendai, and the Japanese dictionary Nihongo Daijiten. The company has its headquarters in Bunkyō, Tokyo...

. On December 12, 2010, Kodansha Comics USA announced they have licensed the manga in English for North America. The manga follows a group of teenage survivors of a plane crash who find themselves in a mysterious island inhabited by extinct prehistoric creatures and plants.

Plot

Akira Sengoku and his class had just finished their School Trip vacation at Guam

Guam

Guam is an organized, unincorporated territory of the United States located in the western Pacific Ocean. It is one of five U.S. territories with an established civilian government. Guam is listed as one of 16 Non-Self-Governing Territories by the Special Committee on Decolonization of the United...

 and are on their way back home to Japan along with other passengers which include other classes from their school. But their trip takes an unexpected turn when their plane hits a freak turbulence and crashes. After recovering from being unconscious, Akira learns from his friends that they are on a mysterious island filled with extinct prehistoric creatures and plants. With nowhere to go, Akira leads a small group of survivors to find others like them and find shelter so they may find a way to go home and learn the mysteries of the island. However, not only will they have to face the dangerous Fauna and Flora but other human survivors who have gone mad.

Characters

Akira Sengoku

The main protagonist of the story. While not very smart, Akira is a quicker learner and is very courageous and daring when he tries to save his friends. Despite being consider the class clown, Akira's courage and belief in doing the right thing has made many admire him that they appoint him as their leader.

Rion Akagami

Akira's childhood friend. Strong and beautiful, Rion has known Akira since they were children and it is used to his playfulness. She began to have feelings for Akira but refuses to admit it.

Shirou Mariya

A teenage prodigy who carries a laptop which contain facts about prehistoric fauna and flora. He was ranked first in his class for eight years running. Thanks to his encyclopedias, intelligence and wit, he is the group's strategist when he helps Akira in his plans.

Kouhei Arita

Akira's best friend before the crash. A likeable, popular boy at their school, Kouhei originally lead a large group of survivors but slowly leads a path of murder and paranoia after accidentally killing the pilot.

Kanako Oomori

An air stewardess who joins Akira's group. She is very knowledgeable in First Aid.

Kouichi Yarai

A troublemaker who unknown to his classmates is a genius and skilled fighter. Kouichi tries to find the secret behind the island and has his own small group of survivors.

Kazuma Zaji

A tanned skin teenager. While perverted, Kazuma has a strong loyalty to his friends whom he considers like his own family.

Miina Isurugi (The Fake)

A mischievous, crossdressing boy who disguises himself as Miina Isurugi, the granddaughter of billionaire Yoshimi Isurugi and heir to the Isurugi Conglomerate. Despite being a boy, everyone mostly refers to him as a "she". Akira and his group first meet "her" after being brought to "her" camp where she rules a group of defenseless men with three Yakuza

Yakuza

, also known as , are members of traditional organized crime syndicates in Japan. The Japanese police, and media by request of the police, call them bōryokudan , literally "violence group", while the yakuza call themselves "ninkyō dantai" , "chivalrous organizations". The yakuza are notoriously...

 gangsters as her bodyguards and enforcers. In truth, Miina is using the Yakuza to rule the camp but to protect "herself" as Miina had witness the men in her camp raped and accidentally killed a woman named Towa, an air stewardess and colleague of Kanako. Miina the Fake would not meet the real Miina until after Akira's group gathered more survivors.

Volume list

Reception

Katherine Dacey of The Manga Critic reviewed the first manga volume saying while she disliked the characters for "doing and saying things that defy common sense", she praised the author for "populating the island with scary-looking monsters and staging thrilling action sequences that temporarily erase the memory of the clumsy dialogue and panty shots". Brigid Alverson of MTV Geek reviewed the first manga volume concluding "The story has been told before, and Cage of Eden is no literary or philosophical masterpiece, but taken on its own terms as an action-suspense story, it delivers the goods and leaves the reader wanting more.

Rebecca Silverman of Anime News Network

Anime News Network

Anime News Network is an anime industry news website that reports on the status of anime, manga, Japanese popular music and other otaku-related culture within North America, Australia and Japan. Additionally, it sometimes features similar happenings throughout the Anglosphere and elsewhere in the...

 enjoyed the first manga volume and gave it a B, saying, "Despite its slow start, Cage of Eden becomes deeply engrossing, so that once a certain point is reached, it is nearly impossible to put down."

External links

• Official Website at Kodansha
  Kodansha
  , the largest Japanese publisher, produces the manga magazines Nakayoshi, Afternoon, Evening, and Weekly Shonen Magazine, as well as more literary magazines such as Gunzō, Shūkan Gendai, and the Japanese dictionary Nihongo Daijiten. The company has its headquarters in Bunkyō, Tokyo...