Yuji Iwahara

This volume is causing the series to risk becoming cluttered, from a plot standpoint. Coming into this volume, the plot had the main driving conflict of "How do these characters, which are almost all infected with a disease that could kill them, survive in this post-apocalyptic world with massive thorny plants that have consumed everything, and also freaking dinosaurs?"

There was also the question of "How did we go from the world that these characters were in when they went into cryo, into show more the world with the aforementioned plants and dinosaurs?"

This volume, unfortunately, does nothing to answer these questions, and instead Iwahara decides to add a third plot thread to the mix, related to some sort of conspiracy theory about the virus - which at present does nothing to explain any of the earlier questions.

I'm going to keep reading this series, but I do hope that Iwahara learned something from the X-Files and Lost, that too many questions without a hint that there are answers coming doesn't keep your audience hooked - it burns them out. show less

A fascinating survival story - Kasumi is one of 160 people who have been selected to be cryogenically frozen as the world waits to find a cure for the Medusa Virus, a disease that turns victims to stone over the course of six weeks. However, Kasumi's twin sister was not selected, and she dreams of her as she is frozen. When Kasumi awakens, the center is filled with thick vines of thorns, and strange, dinosaur-like creatures are roaming the facility. When one creature attacks and kills show more several of the others who have just woken up, Kasumi and six other survivors flee, using their wits and their fear to escape the facility. But can they trust each other? And how long have they been asleep? What happened to the rest of the world and is there a cure for Medusa to be found?

This was a thrilling introduction to Kasumi's story. It's easy to zip right through this volume, wondering what's happened, how the group will survive, and what creatures are lurking around the corner. Very little is revealed about the group of survivors, which adds another element to the mystery. Kasumi is fairly helpless throughout a lot of this volume, so I'm hoping that will change as time goes on. I like the artwork, which really helps the convey the action, but it also very detailed. I'm looking forward to reading the rest of the series! show less

This added more questions by hinting at a medusa virus conspiracy while not answering any old questions. Why is it post apocalypse? How did their chambers open if they only do so from the outside? What's up with the creepy girl in the cape? SOMETHING needs to be answered.

Cat Paradise is so much fun! The characters are deep and complex, the manga's style is quirky and original, the cats are their own unique characters and develop over the series, and the mythology behind the story is fascinating.