Alive: The Final Evolution

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Alive: The Final Evolution

The logo of the series
アライブ 最終 進化的 少年
(Alive - Saishū Shinkateki Shōnen)
Genre Science Fiction, Shōnen, Supernatural, Adventure
Manga
Author Tadashi Kawashima, Adachitoka
Publisher Flag of Japan Kodansha
Demographic Shōnen
Magazine Flag of Japan Monthly Shōnen Magazine
Original run October 2003 – ongoing
Volumes 14

Alive: The Final Evolution (アライブ -最終 進化的 少年- Araibu - Saishū Shinkateki Shōnen?) is a manga written by Tadashi Kawashima and drawn by Adachitoka. The manga was originally published by Kodansha in Japan and is published in English by Del Rey Manga. So far, fourteen novels have been published in Japan, followed by four in America.

Contents

[edit] Plot

A young student named Taisuke stands up for his friend, Hirose, who often seems to be picked on. Besides that, he lives a rather normal life with his childhood friend, Megumi, and his older sister who works as the nurse of the school. Both of his parents were killed in a car accident. But one day, a strange virus starts making people commit suicide during that week. Taisuke witnesses one of these suicides and very oddly is gifted suddenly with a strange ability. He soon finds out that Hirose has left school, and Megumi has been kidnapped. In order to find his friends, Taisuke sets out on a journey. But he encounters people like him, who have abilities, and the mystery of these people and the virus slowly starts to unfold....

[edit] Characters

[edit] Major Characters

[edit] The Group

Taisuke Kanou (叶 太輔 KANŌ Taisuke?)
Taisuke Kanou is the protagonist of the story. He is a very loyal and bold person and would stand up for his friends even though it may cost him his life. Despite this, he is actually plagued by guilt because he believes that he has killed his parents when he accidentally dropped a juice can under the brake pedal of the car his father was driving. Both of his parents were killed in the car accident, but he lived. Ever since then, he was raised by his older sister. He is one of the few people who gained special abilities without after being infected with the virus. He later sets out to find his missing, and much changed friend, Hirose and Megumi, when they both disappear. He meets up with Yuta and Nami, two other people with abilities and encounters many dangers. In the end of part 1 of the manga, it is revealed that Taisuke's ability is actually the ability "to regenerate and exterminate", however Taisuke's manipulability on fire is still remain unexplained. In the second arc, Taisuke was found alive, losing his memory after his fight with Yuichi Hirose.
Yuta Takizawa
Yuta is a young boy who gains his powers after his mother commits suicide in front of him. Taisuke meets Yuta when Yuta tries to force Ryou to stay with him as she had an uncanny resemblance to his deceased mother. After Taisuke saves Yuta from killing himself, he soon joins up with Taisuke to help look for his friends.
His power is isolation, where he can hold an object inside a small space which from the outside seems invisible. He can cut off all signals and air supply which can kill a living creature by suffocation.
Nami Kusunoki
She has the power to freeze the water from anything (ground and air) into whatever shapes she wants, such as projectiles (including wolverine claws). In her past her younger brother, Satoru, was killed in an automobile fire. She seems to be an expert fighter with a grudge against Yuta snd Kanou, with intent to kill. Her younger brother was killed by a female "comrade" right in front of her eyes, on her birthday no less (the woman who killed her brother was driven away in a car with Morio). She hates fire and other people with powers because of that. She tags-along with Yuta and Kanou so that she can kill the woman who killed her brother. She intends to kill them both after she finishes her quest. However, the kindness of Taisuke had change her from a revenger to a kind-hearted person. It is possible that she has feeling for Taisuke as she names him as her reason for living in the second arc.

[edit] Comrades

Yuichi Hirose (広瀬 雄一 HIROSE Yūichi?)
Hirose is Taisuke's best friend. He is small and timid for his age and got picked on by bullies. Taisuke and Megumi often helped him out a lot either with bullies or with animals (as seen in the omakes). Although small, he himself is infected with the virus and is given powers. At first he doesn't know how to control them but later learns to control them better. He lives with his mother, who is his last living family member. His mother soon commits suicide due to the virus and he ends up congratulating her on her death due to mind altering by the police inspector.
Hirose is later very changed, probably an effect of the virus, and gains the ability to make anything "disappear" by creating holes. He seems to later resent Taisuke and turns ambitious and rather cruel. He seeks to destroy everyone in the world and be the only person alive on the planet. During his fight with Taisuke at the end of part 1, he was able to fuse with the "Heart of Akura" making him invulnerable to physical attacks.
Shigeki Katsumata
Inspector Katsumata is the lead investigator of Hirose's incident. At first glance he seems to be a kind person who is widely regarded but soon Katsumata reveals he was one of the few who received powers. He had teamed up with Yura and has been recruiting other comrades. He rarely uses his powers and once used them on Hirose to change his thoughts.
His powers include the ability to control other people's minds and to kill with a blink of an eye.
Yura Takumi
Yura is one of the few people who have gain powers from the virus. He is a vicious man who dresses in overalls and often pokes out his tongue before a kill. He has teamed up with Katsumata and often talks about "The value of death" and how "humans are fossils". He kills quite freely and doesn't seem to be bothered about the consequents of his actions.
His powers is the ability of pressurized air that explodes when he wants it.
Morio Kenichirou
Morio is one of the "comrades" of Katsumata. He has the power called kamaitachi, which is the ability use to wind to slice objects. During his first meeting with Taisuke and Yuta he tries to kill them. They manage to fight back and escape and in the process Taisuke burns one side of Morio's face, permanently scarring it.
Kiyomitsu Misaki
Kiyomitsu is an elderly man, born blind; he is not a part of the group following Kano. He is wise and kind, he knows Kanou's future and knows the weight Kanou must bare. His power is "senrigen" or "thousand mile eye". When people touch him he can see their past and future. He tells Kanou that he must choose between a difficult life or death. He sees his power as a curse, never to be used.
Utsunomiya Yoshikatsu
He has the power of "Illusions", he can see a persons thoughts and memories and use them in his illusions,(though he lies and says it is "total Control") Utsunomiya can create them in any space, including Yuta's barrier. He was friends with Katsumata at the police academy and knows much of their goals for revolution. Utsunomiya killed his wife and had the intent of killing his kids too; though he does not and "erases" their memories right before he jumps off of a bridge. He saw his way as the right way (killing his family to protect them from the future of suffering and pain).
Okada Gou
A fat, typical otaku man who is part of "comrades" recruited by Katsumata. Due to his appearance, he alway feels inferior to others, especially those who tease and ridicule him in spot. His power is "Shinigami's Contract", in which the shinigami will kill anyone once that certain person have broken their "injunction" bounded to them beforehand (which usually tricked/swayed by Okada to do so).
Kanon
The "red haired girl" who Nami seek for killing her brother. A carefree, yet insane and immatured girl who kills without second thought mostly for her own amusement. Her power is an "Invisible Bomb" which can denotes almost anything in her range with the control of her palm. She is also somewhat full of herself and tried to kill Ochiai when seeing how she is treated so special by Hirose and others. She was torn apart by the power of the "Heart of Akura" after trying to absorb it.

[edit] Other Important Characters

Yoko Kanou (叶 陽子 KANŌ Yōko?)
Yoko Kanou is Taisuke's older sister. She works at his school as the nurse and often is visited by her brother (mostly because of his fights). After the death of their parents, Yoko had to take care of her brother and had to learn to sew at an early age. She earns the money and pays for her brother's schooling too. She makes Taisuke clean and cook for her as she says that she gets the money so he has to do chores. She is a very confident older sister that trusts her younger brother, even though he later leaves home.
Megumi Ochiai (落合 恵 OCHIAI Megumi?)
Megumi is Taisuke's childhood friend. She has known him since his parent's death and has always been there for him. Megumi is quite loud and is easily angered. She has always looked out for Hirose and Taisuke since an early age. She sometimes comes to confront Taisuke's sister for help. It seems like Megumi likes Taisuke. She is later kidnapped and then loses her memory, though she manages to recover them one by one by remembering Taisuke and Hirose.
Akuro
Appears to be the "master" of the group creating the revolution. He seems to be in two pieces, his heart "the heart of Akuro" is in Hokkaido. His "will" is in the body of an owl which is his own "comrade".

[edit] Minor Characters

Ryou
Ryou was a truck driver that Taisuke encounters after just leaving his home in search for his friends. She has a husband and a daughter that she adores.
Yoshiteru Yoshikatsu
Picks up Kanou and Yuta in his car after running over their bike. He is driving with his sister Rin. They are soon followed by the father who is intent on killing his chldren. Teruyoshi witnessed his mother's "suicide", caused by his father, and saved his sister from him. He tries very hard to protect his oblivious sister from their father.
Rin Yoshikastu
She is Teruyoshi's younger sister. She appears to be a nice child and loves fun and cute things. Teruyoshi saved her from their father after their mother "committed suicide".

[edit] Glossary

The Virus

The virus is the cause of the first week of deaths ("The Nightmare Week") and the basis for the story. The virus is revealed to have arrived from outer space. The virus has three effects:

  • Thoughts and increased motivation of suicide.
  • Power-hunger and a hunger for death.
  • Gain powers without the lust for death.

The last effect is thought to be caused only when the virus fails to take hold of a person completely. These people are often called 'failures'.

Abilities

Out of the millions that contracted the virus there were just a few who survived are those who had secrets and regrets inside their heart, for example Taisuke, as he had caused his parents' death with an indisposed drinking can. Most of them had secrets, regrets or guiltiness in their past, their guiltiness is great, no even the virus could "occupied" their heart and make them commit suicide. The few that got the virus but survived then gained the ability to manipulate the world around them in a supernatural way what is generally called having "Powers". In most cases these powers are used to cause further death and destruction but for 'failures' these powers are used to achieve their own goals. All comrades can also sense the presence of other comrades as one of their abilities. Without explanation or just an element of jokes, Taisuke is the only known comrades that could not do so.

Comrades

The word comrade means something along the lines of 'friend'. Everyone who gained powers is generally considered to be a 'comrade' to any other people with powers and so they all call each other 'comrade'. This removes the need for them to get to know each other as they can assume that their goals are the same.

Nightmare week

Nightmare week was the first week in which the virus started to infect. Millions of people committed suicide and the few that got it and didn't commit suicide became 'comrades'.

[edit] References

Alive: The Final Evolution Manga Profile (HTML). Retrieved on 2008-02-16.

[edit] External links

Languages