7 Billion Needles, Volume 1 Paperback – September 28, 2010

I can't exactly remember how I found out about the manga 7 Billion Needles...I believe I read an article somewhere and saw a horror manga series that was "recommended"? That was all I had to know before I ordered volume 1, and pre-ordered the rest that were available. I'm always willing to take a chance on a potentially good horror manga series. I can't find too much information about 7 Billion Needles besides reviews of volume 1 . This may be due to this series being inspired by a novel called Needle. But this first volume left me wanting the rest of my order sooner! It's a great combination of the Horror and Coming of Age genres.The opening was really unique and confusing, and I loved it. I enjoyed watching Hikaru as she tries to piece together these strange events. Hikaru is a well designed main character that is like no other character I've had the pleasure of reading. I've read a lot of series with "lone wolfs" in them before, but the feeling of being unable to communicate with others never felt so genuine in a manga until now. I want to know more about Hikaru and understand the events that resulted in her cutting herself off from others.The art style is realistic (for manga) that is full of detail and really grabs me. The series remind me a bit of Parasyte so far, but the art style of this series is definitely superior when it comes to the designs of its humans. Currently I'm under the impression that this series consists of 4 volumes, because that's all I could pre-order up to and I could only find images of 4 volume covers. The fact that it may be a short series actually attracts me to it even more. As much as I love a long, involved, and detailed series, it's the ones that amaze me in 5 volumes or less that often end up leaving the most impact on me.

I'm not typically a big fan of modern (post-1990's) anime/manga but, after reading a plot synopsis and a couple of other reviews, I decided to give this one a shot. I've been pleasantly surprised. The plot of the first volume is fairly standard manga fare - high school student gains superpowers and struggles with the ramifications of same - but the protagonist falls into none of the usual stereotypes one usually finds in this kind of media, and the action sequences are concise and well-rendered without being gratuitous.I'd recommend 7 Billion Needles to those who are looking for a smart sci-fi/horror manga, with the caveat that it doesn't really start breaking any new ground until the second volume. So long as you enter into it knowing that, you likely won't be disappointed.

Reminds me a little of Miyazaki movies. A fully considered effort! I loved the book's cover design (what prompted me to try it) but found, upon further inspection, that it was also a good read. Very entertaining and engaging. The only thing that disappointed me was finding it difficult to track down the rest of the story (I think it might now be out of print).

Harry Clement Stubbs (May 30, 1922 - October 29, 2003) better known by the pen name Hal Clement, was an American science fiction writer and a leader of the hard science fiction subgenre. His Needle story was published in 1949 in Astounding Science Fiction magazine, and was published as a novel the following year. (http://www.amazon.com/Needle-also-published-Outer-Space/dp/0380006359/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1294535335&sr=1-1) It was followed in 1978 by Through the Eye of a Needle (http://www.amazon.com/Through-Eye-Needle-Hal-Clement/dp/0345258509/ref=sr_1_4_title_1_mm?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1294535081&sr=1-4). Nobuaki Tadano changes the main character from male to female and places her in present day Japan. The artwork is excellent, and the story engaging. Todano adds much to the original story, retaining only Hal Clement's essentials about two aliens who crash to Earth, and must possess human bodies to survive and continue their fight to the death. The internal struggle within the possessed persons is a central element of this story, and while Hal Clements young male character accepts the possession easily, Tadano's female character does not.

Love it!! It was free of marks and scratches and the story itself was amazing I really recommend this awesome manga

Fans of Parasyte will love this title!

Intricate illustrations and bizarre plot. My children enjoyed it and I hope they are not psychologically damaged by this rather sordid book.

This manga is really interesting, cant wait for Vol 2 to get here! Well worth the buy.