Splatoon, before reading this manga, was simply a game to me. One that my child loves and plays enthusiastically. I requested the book on his recommendation and thought it was very energetic and wild.

The book starts in the middle of things. A turf war is about to begin between Team Blue and Team Yellow-Green. The introduction to characters was good, but they seemed rather settled, one dimensional if you will. Once the first chapter was over, things got a bit better as the characters finally got to interact on a more normal level, but that didn't last long before more Turf Wars began among them and teams that were supposedly increasingly difficult compared to them.

Team Blue is a low ranked Inkling squad, but they make up for their abilities with team work and intensity. Compared to the first team they come up against, their camaraderie is evident, even as Goggles (Inkling Boy) continually drops his pants or pops out of ink naked (all private areas are always covered). His energy was a bit much at times, not altogether off putting, but what I really didn't like about him was when he started pantsing others, such as Rider. It's a childish tact and more than a little unnerving when directed at others.

His teammates (Specs, Bobble Hat, and Headphones) didn't really standout as much as  (annoying as he is) Goggles did. If they hadn't been identified by their signature look, it would've been difficult to tell them apart based on their personalities. The fact that their whole identities are wrapped up in these accessories was another tic mark on the Con list. While shopping, Goggles wears a helmet and Headphones says "you're not even Goggles anymore!"

Artistically Splatoon wasn't bad, but it had a plethora of busy scenes that made it difficult to suss out what was happening. Black and white is traditional for manga, but I think this book would have benefited from a color edition since so much of the story line is dependent upon colored inks and competitions to paint an arena.

As far as volume one goes, the chapters with Turf Wars were basically the same. A lack of development made for a somewhat dull majority of this book. Team Blue, supposedly such a badly ranked team, kept beating elite teams with little to no conflict or difficulty to make it interesting. Hopefully some kind of story line will appear in future volumes, because otherwise I can't see it lasting too long as a series.





I received a copy of this book from the publisher via Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review.