What is the manga about?
An empty, abandoned spaceship drifts in the endless void of space, nothing disturbs it, nobody pays attention to it… until it’s infiltrated by three wreck scavengers. They’re looking for forgotten riches and unknown bounties but only find a travel journal and a boarding pass.
This ship was called “The Leviathan” and used to make commercial flights between earth and its different space colonies before it mysteriously disappeared. What happened to it? Where are all the passengers that were on it? Those are the two questions that drive the story forward. In the very first chapter we find out, the ship was hit
...
by a meteor shower and only a small part of it was left intact, that part contained 43 people. Two of them are teachers, the rest are middle school children. One of those kids is Kazuma, the author of the journal.
The Good.
The strongest part of the manga, and yet its biggest flaw, is the battle royal genre the narrative is confined in. Soon after the meteor shower, we find out breathable air will run out in about 50 hours. The only way to survive the lack of oxygen is to seal yourself in a biostasis-pod, of which there is only one on the entire ship.
The story being on an active timer transforms what could be a drawn out and confusing space themed version of Lord of the Flies, into a tight, captivating “what if” scenario. Will the teachers guide the kids through this difficult situation? Will the kids obey? Will things turn to violence? How will the lone survivor be chosen? Who will be the one to make it out? All these questions are answered in some pretty absurd and amusing ways that fit incredibly well in only 3 volumes. The manga takes about two hours to get through. That’s what makes the experience worth reading, it’s short and entertaining by nature.
There is always something happening. The kids are exploring the cold, empty hallways the ship is comprised of. Learning of the many secrets the space holds. Forming and destroying different relationships. Processing and adapting to the insane situation. And just when things get a little stale and predictable, we switch perspective, and we fast forward in time to the wreck scavengers. I bet you forgot about them. From time to time we check on them and what they’ve discovered throughout the story. And just like that, the genre converts from a battle royal horror to a thriller mystery.
Creeping through the now long abandoned structure, they’re exploring remnants of what we, the readers, are actively experiencing in the present, since the manga mainly follows the children. This leads to constant discovery, interactivity, and contrast between the two sides of the Leviathan, which makes sure to keep you glued to the page for the entirety of those two hours.
The Bad.
There is a ceiling. The battle royal genre is inherently a little awkward and requires the author to restrain his story and characters with arbitrary rules. This is a fight every manga in this genre fights. Some choose to sink in the nonsense and bad writing. Others try to subvert our expectation by allowing the characters to overcome the arbitrary rules. Leviathan’s answer is to not spend that much time on it. If we take the core pillars of the story and divide them by how many pages they utilize, between character dynamics, tension building, world building, and battle royal shenanigans, the last one would take up only about 20% to 30%.
Even if not a majority, that’s still a high percentage of the manga that is “just okay” at best.
Everyone apart from the two main characters is introduced and exists in a messy and unpolished way. There isn’t enough time given to them to make anybody a real part of the story. We pay attention to them for a little bit, and then they’re forgotten. To add insult to injury, none of that attention on them is for us to explore their thoughts or dive deeper into them as personalities. It’s there so the author can use them as tools of violence. Which is fine… but doesn’t invoke anything more than “fine.”
The Conclusion.
In the past few months I’ve gotten, in a very casual way, into reading sci-fi short stories. From Robert A. Heinlein to the latest issues of Clarkesworld, it’s been a fun and enriching experience. There is something really special about sharing a small part, a tiny glimpse of a distant world, and letting it exist on its own. I couldn’t resist comparing this manga to the new medium I’ve dove into. There are some short stories that have really stayed with me and resurface in my mind on a semi-regular basis. There are a couple that I’ve mostly disliked. And there are the ones that I found very entertaining but never thought about again. Leviathan falls into the last group.
The general vibe I’m leaving you with is - the title really is a great read. If you have an evening to yourself but don’t feel like diving into a complicated narrative, read it, you will have a good time. I don’t really do ratings, the 5 is just because MAL doesn't allow you to post a review without adding a rating.
As always, if you enjoyed reading this, you’ll probably enjoy the video I made on the manga as well. The link to that is in my profile.
An Extra.
The author that wrote and illustrated Leviathan is Kuroi Shiro. One of the one-shots he’s made and I’ve thoroughly enjoyed reading is called The Lunar Library. A short 17-page sci-fi story, set in the endless archives humanity has left behind on the moon. Stunning world-building, great pacing, intuitive story. I know Mr. Shiro has it in him and that, if given the chance, he will make an amazing manga. I’m hoping that happens, and if it does, I’ll be here, ready to read it.
 Alternative TitlesJapanese: LEVIATHAN InformationType: Doujinshi
Volumes: 1
Chapters: Unknown
Status: Finished
Published: Aug 25, 2019
Serialization:
None Authors:
Hiramatsu, Kannosuke (Story & Art) Statistics Ranked: #43792 2 based on the top manga page. Please note that 'R18+' titles are excluded. Popularity: #5823
Members: 4,369
Favorites: 47 | Reviews
Filtered Results: 3 / 6
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Jul 20, 2026
What is the manga about?
An empty, abandoned spaceship drifts in the endless void of space, nothing disturbs it, nobody pays attention to it… until it’s infiltrated by three wreck scavengers. They’re looking for forgotten riches and unknown bounties but only find a travel journal and a boarding pass. This ship was called “The Leviathan” and used to make commercial flights between earth and its different space colonies before it mysteriously disappeared. What happened to it? Where are all the passengers that were on it? Those are the two questions that drive the story forward. In the very first chapter we find out, the ship was hit ... 
Jun 3, 2024
The premise of the manga is interesting, although the interest of it is diluted a bit as soon as the plot advances for a simple reason: simplicity.
Everything happens too fast, it's as if someone yell "i choose violence" and all hell broke loose for everyone just like that. The work consists of a total of three volumes (although only one appears here in MAL). The plot is a sort of "Lord of the Flies", there are touches of all the themes in novel: morality, civility, leadership, society, innocence lost and duality of human nature. But at the end it fells flat in a sort of ... 
Jul 18, 2024
Review referred to the series (3 volumes, not the one-shot).
I give it a 7 just because the first 2 volumes, of the 3, are really good in my opinion. The art-style is really good too. So, as I already stated, the first 2 volumes are great, with the 3rd one though there's a big downfall. Japanese authors tend to exaggerate, to overdo with things. Most of the times what you need to do, to make a good story, is to be as minimalistic as possible (because the more the details the harder to link them all together) and if this one was the case the manga ... |
