Rave Master

Merryberry Oct 6, 2009

7

Intro...A new rave master has appeared, destined to collected the scattered raves in order to save the world.  Meeting different people along the way, the rave master helps to make the world a better place for all.Story (6/10)With any manga which goes on for a while (and Rave is certainly one of them at 35 volumes), there is always the danger of it going on for too long, with a lack of a strong storyline, resulting in it being dragged out to the limit.  And to some extent that's what we find happening in Rave.  The characters spend so long helping other people and levelling up that you find yourself having to literally drag yourself along through the pages in a hope that it gets better.That being said, when it does get better, you're already at the end and in terms of endings, Rave does have one which I did throughly enjoy and its just a shame that it took 33 volumes in order to get there.  So despite having a struggling plot ideas throughout the series once it does get going, it doesn't stop drawing you into the story in a brilliant way.  Its for thsi reason that storywise, Rave doesn't score higher than a 6.Art (8/10)The consistancy in the artwork is apparent throughout the series with the same high quality drawings seen and it doesn't let you down when it comes to the big action shots.  You might not like the artistic style of the manga, but you can't fault how it is maintained throughout.Characters (8/10)Rave certainly does have its mix of characters and while you're constantly being shown the backgrounds or different sides to their personalities, it is certianly hard to keep track of where everyone is.  And while I enjoyed the range of characters in the series, there were three that I hated with a passion and surely those of you who've read it would understand when I say, "the ones with the bums".  These characters were rather crude and failed to add anything to the story and in fact annoyed me to the point of where I still remember them sticking out.However, the slow character development seen throughout the series does end in a brilliant climax, which when it does come makes you realise that in someways it was worth the wait.Overall (7/10)If your into the type of series which goes on forever and eventually gets to the world stopping conclusion which once you start reading you simply have to continue to the finish, then Rave is for you.  Apart from this, Rave will probably struggle to pick up readers due to its length.  If you can get over that fact you'll most likely enjoy it.

cyberskull Aug 1, 2012

8.5

 I started reading Rave Master after I started reading and watching Fairy Tail. I had high expectations for it since it was another one of Hiro Mashima's works. So when I read the first 100 chapters I wasn't disappointed at all!  The story is really good and it's very easy to get into it. It's very simple. Boy lives happily with his sister on an island, he meets a strange old man with a powerful weapon and he gets drawn in the old man's mission. The story is not complex at all and is really easy to understand. It is also very good and as it progresses there are some very nice revelations.  The art is probably the only thing I didn't really enjoy that much. It's okay and it's not something that'll get you to dislike the manga but I believe Hiro could have done a better job. Still the art is decent enough and it's not a huge problem.  The characters are really good too. There's unique ones like Elie, funny ones like Griff and bold ones like Haru and Musica. The good characters can be different in some aspects but they all share one trait and that's their adventurous side. The villains are also quite unique. The first major villain Gale Raregroove is one of those villains that had it rough in his past but at the end he turned out to be a good person deep down. I haven't really read the whole series so I can't say anything else about the villains but from what I've seen they are all different from each other. Overall from the 105 chapters I've read of Rave Master I can honestly say it is a very good fantasy/adventurous manga and I would recommend it to anyone that likes those genres. I'm currently not reading it because I would like to save it for when I have nothing to read but I will continue reading it in the future for sure! 

AnimePerson12 Oct 28, 2015

10

The only reason I gave this manga a 10/10 was because that was the highest I could go. This story is great. It's like Fairy Tail if Fairy Tail had a good plot. I started off watching the anime and thinking that this is the stupidest thing ever, then I read the manga and realized how much the anime had ruined it. At the end of the story, it gets a little rushed, but other than that it is a great manga that is well worth your time.