By: Hiroyuki Asada
Rating: ★★☆☆☆
Series: テガミバチ / Tegami Bachi (#1)
Summary: A New York Times best-selling sci-fi fantasy series with heart.
Amberground is locked in darkness. A man-made star casts only a dim light over the land. The pitch-black wilderness is infested with Gaichuu—colossal insects with metal exoskeletons. The Gaichuu make travel between the cities of Amberground extremely dangerous. But thankfully the Letter Bees, a brave corps of messengers, risk their lives in order to keep the hearts of Amberground connected.
Gauche Suede is on his last delivery before a big promotion. In the outskirts of Yodaka, the darkest area of Amberground, Gauche is surprised to find that the package is a young boy named Lag Seeing. Lag had been traumatized by his mother's abduction and is due to be delivered to his aunt. In this remote area rife with Gaichuu, Lag and Gauche face a dangerous journey that inspires Lag to become a Letter Bee.
Review: Amberground is enveloped in darkness. Over the land, a man-made star casts only a dim light. The pitch-black wilderness is infested with Gaichuu, giant insects with metal exoskeletons. Because of the Gaichuu, traveling between Amberground’s cities can be extremely dangerous. In order to keep Amberground connected, the Letter Bees risk their lives, a brave corps of messengers.
Gauche Suede is on his last delivery before he is promoted. Gauche Suede is taken aback when he finds out that the package contains a young boy named Lag Seeing, on the outskirts of Yodaka, the darkest area of Amberground. Lag is being delivered to his aunt after being traumatized by the abduction of his mother. Lag and Gauche travel to a remote area where Gaichuu abounds. It is this journey that inspires Lag to become a letter bee.
It was okay!
I enjoy the art, the characters, and the concept of delivering letters in a world with an artificial sun. Despite this, none of them appealed to me. Aside from the clothing design, I found the large insect monsters uninteresting, and the environments uninteresting.
As a story, I found the various letter delivery plots boring compared to the attenuated mystery of the main character’s mother, the mysterious rebel movement, and the sheer quantity of very sentimental flashbacks.
I enjoyed the concept, but found the amount of info dump frustrating. It left little an impression on me.
My overall impression was meh!