7 Billion Needles
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is a Japanese
manga Manga (Japanese: 漫画 ) are comics or graphic novels originating from Japan. Most manga conform to a style developed in Japan in the late 19th century, and the form has a long prehistory in earlier Japanese art. The term ''manga'' is u ...
series written and illustrated by Nobuaki Tadano and published in North America by Vertical. It was inspired by the 1950
science fiction Science fiction (sometimes shortened to Sci-Fi or SF) is a genre of speculative fiction which typically deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts such as advanced science and technology, space exploration, time travel, parallel unive ...
novel ''
Needle Needle may refer to: Crafting * Crochet needle, a tool for making loops in thread or yarn * Knitting needle, a tool for knitting, not as sharp as a sewing needle * Sewing needle, a long slender tool with a pointed tip * Trussing needle, a long sl ...
'' by Hal Clement.


Plot

The story revolves around Hikaru Takabe, a reclusive teenage girl who is secretly host to a being known as Horizon, in search of an intergalactic murderer intent on killing humanity.


Release

The series, partly inspired by the science-fiction novel ''
Needle Needle may refer to: Crafting * Crochet needle, a tool for making loops in thread or yarn * Knitting needle, a tool for knitting, not as sharp as a sewing needle * Sewing needle, a long slender tool with a pointed tip * Trussing needle, a long sl ...
'' by Hal Clement, began serialization in '' Monthly Comic Flapper'' in April 2008. It was licensed in North America by Vertical. The last two volumes of the Vertical edition are out of print, and are only available in digital format.


Reception

It was nominated for an
Eisner Award The Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards, commonly shortened to the Eisner Awards, are prizes given for creative achievement in American comic books, sometimes referred to as the comics industry's equivalent of the Academy Awards. They are named in ...
for Best Adaptation from Another Work in 2011. Deb Aoki from About.com said that "''7 Billion Needles'' is a solid and entertaining sci-fi/action read that's well worth a look", and praised the "crisp and straightforward graphic storytelling", but criticized the "unimaginative character designs" saying, "do all Japanese schoolgirls look like siblings, just with different hairstyles?". Aoki also noted that the plot is basically the same as ''
Parasyte is a Japanese science fiction horror manga series written and illustrated by Hitoshi Iwaaki and published in Kodansha's ''Morning Open Zōkan'' and ''Monthly Afternoon'' magazine from 1988 to 1995. The manga was published in North Ame ...
''. Writing for
Anime News Network Anime News Network (ANN) is a news website that reports on the status of anime, manga, video games, Japanese popular music and other related cultures within North America, Australia, Southeast Asia and Japan. The website offers reviews and oth ...
, Carlo Santos described the manga as a "modern polish and hard-hitting action". He also commented that, in the end, "Hikaru's quest as the Everyday Teenager Who Miraculously Discovers Special Abilities And Must Now Save The World is just like all the other ones".
Ain't It Cool News Ain't It Cool News (AICN) is an entertainment news website founded by Harry Knowles and run by his sister Dannie Knowles since September 2017, dedicated to news, rumors, and reviews of upcoming and current films, television, and comic book proje ...
's Scott Green thought "''7 Billion Needles''... maybe it was some failing that I didn't figure it out earlier, but once the title's meaning became evident, it became pretty brilliant." Green praised "the ways in which the manga plays with perception, senses, and connection with alien intelligence are the ways in which sci-fi writing is made interesting", but noted that "it doesn't manage that to the extent that the series becomes one of the more urgently involving that you'll read." Chris Kirby writing for Mania Entertainment said it's "a very exciting series as it avoids any preconceived pratfalls this type of story can lean towards." Kirby "would love to see this series animated because of how clean and attractive the art is and how mature the overall story is." Joseph Luster from ''
Otaku USA ''Otaku USA'' is a bimonthly magazine published by Sovereign Media, which covers various elements of the "otaku" lifestyle (such as anime, manga, video games, cosplay and Japanese popular music) from an American perspective. The issues were acc ...
'' said that "there are times that Tadano's artwork comes off as slightly amateurish; awkward poses and angles abound, mostly from human characters. However, he makes up for it in spades in almost every other area" and noted "the hulking mutations are reminiscent of '' Akiras Tetsuo himaorgans and appendages spewing and twisting together in a tidal wave of flesh." Luster also commented that it "makes for a briskly paced and well-constructed narrative that, despite some of the aforementioned shortcomings, is one of the better examples of sci-fi manga currently available." Carlo Santos in another review "love how the ending of ''7 Billion Needles'' hinges on humankind's capacity for love. It's a beautiful, moving message in a series where so much of the action is centered around fantastical, non-human things", but said that with "powers building up, the final battle turns into this outlandish celestial light show that would be more at home in ''
Dragon Ball is a Japanese media franchise created by Akira Toriyama in 1984. The Dragon Ball (manga), initial manga, written and illustrated by Toriyama, was serialized in ''Weekly Shōnen Jump'' from 1984 to 1995, with the 519 individual chapters colle ...
'' rather than a thoughtful sci-fi masterpiece."


References


External links


''7 Billion Needles''
at Vertical * {{Comic Flapper Horror anime and manga Manga based on novels Media Factory manga 2008 manga Science fiction anime and manga Seinen manga Vertical (publisher) titles