Ori no Naka no Soloist
Soloist in a Cage

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Soloist in a Cage follows the adventure of a girl named Chloe in a heavily guarded and dangerous dystopian world.

I would like to start by saying that the way this manga has been drawn, it feels more like reading a comic book than your average manga. Each and every single page is well drawn. I believe the work has been done digitally because I have a hard time believing such magnificent work can be drawn on paper, while the author of the series has health issues.

Soloist caught my eye when I was going through my Twitter feed and came across my mutual's tweet where he ... was praising the artwork and the story. Looking at the artwork was enough for me to start reading the series right away. I spent around 2 hours reading the entire story and I was in awe when I learned it was serialized in 2018 and here I was reading it in 2021. Almost 3 years late. Well, enough of how I came across the manga, let's talk about the story.

The initial chapters of the manga are amazing. The way it focuses on Chloe even amongst all the elements present is fascinating. It makes you wonder how upside down is the story going to be as you keep on reading it. I felt an intense interest when things got very interested from Chapter 3 onwards. Needless to say, I cannot comment on every detail but I must assure you, that this is when you realize things are going to be awesome.

Now, I do have slight issues with the antagonists of the story. The manga is only 20 chapters long, but I believe that would have been enough to depict a strong enemy. There is a certain someone that you can consider to be a mastermind, but in the end, even he didn't matter much.

This story is set in a dystopian world, or more likely I should say a huge prison. Imagine Attack on Titan's Shiganshina district and now turn the setting into the night, with modern weaponry, cold & snow, and is heavily guarded by Robotic cops. Now, these cops are A.I. but for some reason, they do not have much of a presence after the initial chapters. I personally think they should have been shown a little bit more, but if I go according to the story which ended in only 20 chapters, then it's better this way. Even though I say 20 chapters, some pages are 30-40 pages long.

This is all about the story. Now let me talk about the amazing thing which is the artwork. Man, it felt like reading a western comic. The artwork is so beautiful that every single double page can be turned into wallpaper. The way Chloe fights with her enemies and moves around has been beautifully drawn by the author. You can see the epicness in every single movement of Chloe when she wields a knife. Simply outstanding.

The character designs are pretty good as well. The design of the kids seem similar to how modern children are drawn. They are wearing a cap, boots, and are adventurous. I particularly believe the best characters are those that die in this story. Because what happens next, will impress you a lot.

As for the end of the series, I want to say, it was a rather short experience. What happens at the end is a major part of the story so I will not be commenting about it, but the thing that happens has left me with a bittersweet feeling. It feels as if there were so many things I could have asked for, but I cherish the ending given to me. Honestly, if the author had no health issues, I would probably have asked for more content.

“So let’s us go forward quietly, each on his own path, forever making for the light.”

Shiro Moriya-sensei is an author we should all observe attentive in near future. ‘Soloist in a Cage’ proves to be a triumph debut, a finesse in its dystopian world.

Chloe’s our soloist main character, and at a tender age, she and Locke, her baby brother, were abandoned, since the world they live in is a dark one – Prison City. A place surrounded by colossal walls, surveilled by innumerous robot guards, the streets plagued with vicious criminals, skyscrapers painted with snow – a dystopia ready to be unfolded, nearly impossible to ... break. Chloe tends deeply for her brother, never leaving his side, however, when her neighbors, a triad of ex-combatants and military, attempt an escape (on an inescapable prison), she pursues them in her own attempt at freedom, but in the midst of the elude, Chloe and Locke get separated.
Now outside the rim, believing her brother still lives somewhere inside the city’s dim walls, Chloe trains under Colonel Sandberg, over years, perfecting an assassin’s instinct, always determined to return and search for her beloved brother. Summing-up the beginning of the narrative, which is fascinating and addictive, things get somewhat nasty upon the return of Chloe…
I vehemently invite you to read this manga. The character’s development is quite impressive, with new and surprising plots across each panel. Characters’ depth's limited (only 20 chapters long), but interesting in its own unique way, giving way to a crusade, placing children against an occult organization. Storytelling is cohesive and solid, with flashbacks interestingly added.

Now to the best part: the ART! Simply put, it is superb! Every detail is rich, as if the author’s pen irrigates every white page. I cannot emphasize every nuance, it’s neatly gorgeous. To me, Chloe’s drawings are most irresistible and fussy, and the battle scenes are filled with tension and suspense. Drama builds up, and the morbid portions are sweetly grotesque, providing an eerie aura to the artwork. Throughout every panel, immersed in sorrow and snow, a light is to be discovered, in spite of the splattering blood and the reign of despair. An underrated manga, with a shiny art, charting scenarios of shadow and snow, not to mention the portarit of feelings such as malevolence and love.

A concise, yet epic tale. Did give me so much, though i feel it could have been much more, maybe if time and health issues consented it. My sincere praise to this phenomenal birth of art, it raptured my heart – a chance provided to this beautiful manga and i’m sure it will enrapture yours.

Soloist in the Prison Review. A girls desire to do anything to protect her baby brother.

The series is set in a prison that continuously grows to the point it has become a city. With a population of 500,000. Our FMC takes care of her little brother in a lawless area. He is the only reason she feels contempt with her life right now. However one night with the help of her benefactor she tries to escape but her baby brother falls and ends up staying behind. 10 years later, she has been trained (somewhat) and will go back to the hell of a prison in ... hopes to find her little brother.

Apparently this series went on hiatus and there is a quality shift. But I wasn't really able to tell tbh. Like the manga was ending and it was wrapping up but like that type of decline is pretty common and I wouldn't like place it due to the hiatus, though full transparency I don't know when the hiatus happened exactly, so the ending part might not have anything to do with it.

The art of this series is phenomenal. I don't think anyone will disagree that the art is spectacular. Its detailed, exceptionally well drawn and really drags the reader in. Sadly though the Art really is the best part about the series. Not to say that's necessarily a bad thing but It is quite disappointing how much the quality lacks in other regards.

The characters aren't really dramatic or have the charisma to make me feel personally invested. Yeah I want to see the FMC save her little brother but I don't care about it personally. I want her to save her little brother so I can see the next part about the story not because not because I want to see the annoying little shit be rescued. There is a constant emotional distance that the author wasn't able to shorten in 18 chapters. I honestly had the same feeling when the faceless guy did cool ass shit at the end.

The action of this series is also dramatic. Like Fire punch we don't actually see majority of the fight (Except for one) we just a panel that basically deals with the entire thing and then the after effect. Considering they were just faceless mobs I do sorta get the point. But at the same time it kinda gets repetitive.

The series also has a snot problem. Its very distracting when someone is crying and there is just a gallon of snot running down there nose. I get that its meant to be more realistic but for one thing the series in itself is not realistic, 2ndly the characters themselves don't have a strong emotional connection with the reader, 3rdly its kinda gross.

Despite my complaints I did enjoy this series. I don't think its anything special. But not every series can be some profound masterpiece. Being short as it is, there is no filler. Though the quality in itself could be better. I don't think there is a lot to complain about here.

TLDR: Enjoyable enough. 6/10