Pacing, characterization, art, and plot development all show great promise so far, judging by this first volume of the series. I'm rather attached to the protagonists, and even to some of the people they have to hunt. I feel sympathy for one protagonst's concern for the other and for some of his targets as well; I feel sympathy for some of the evident "alien perspective on a familiar world" confusion of the other protagonist as well. I find some of the supporting characters quite relatable as well, and appreciate the way the writer humanizes the victims of the plague even as they become horrifying monstrosities inimical to human life around them. The art is some of the best I've seen in manga, the world is richly textured in its cultural detail and beautifully rendered on the page, and the institutions of the world present a strong sense of versimilitude that helps suck me into the story's events. The only slightly jarring aspect that seems to wedge a cartoonish manga trope into the story is the slightly overwrought character of a sort of lower-ranked contemporary of the (apparently) primary protagonist.

I eagerly look forward to reading the next volume. ( )