Manga
Description
In 2019, on the island of Tanegashima, childhood friends Yashio Kaito and Senomiya Akiho are the only remaining members of their high school’s robotics club, which is in danger of being abolished. Akiho desperately wants to keep the club alive because it is her last connection to her older sister, a roboticist who has disappeared. Kaito, however, is far more interested in the online fighting game Kill Ballad Online than in building robots. His extraordinary skills in that game unexpectedly prove useful when the club faces challenges that require quick reflexes and creative problem-solving.
The story is an alternate retelling of the Robotics;Notes visual novel that focuses on the character Frau Kojiro, a brilliant but socially awkward programmer who is also a hardcore fujoshi. Frau becomes a key ally, bringing her hacking talents and game-development expertise to the struggling club. Together with other recruits such as the professional robot battler Subaru Hidaka and the karate practitioner Junna Daitoku, the team embarks on an ambitious project: constructing a full-scale replica of the giant robot Gunvarrel from a classic anime. This leads them to the Gunbuild-1 and the more advanced Gunbuild-2, which they control via augmented reality.
As Kaito delves deeper into the island’s mysteries, he uncovers the Kimijima Reports, documents left by the late scientist Ko Kimijima that predict a catastrophic solar flare on the verge of wiping out all life on Earth. He also encounters two artificial intelligences, Airi and Sister Centipede, that guide him toward the truth. But the reports are a trap: Kimijima has uploaded his own consciousness into the Iru-O system and is working with the shadowy Committee of 300 to trigger the solar flare as part of Project Atum. The committee seizes control of the Tanegashima Space Center, unleashes a wave of robot rampages across Japan, and steals the experimental battle robot SUMERAGI.
When the solar flare prophecy begins to unfold, robots everywhere go berserk, and Frau is publicly blamed for the chaos. Kaito must confront the AI Kimijima in a final match inside Kill Ballad Online, where the enemy uses a cheating version of Gunvarrel. With help from allies and the upgraded Super Gunbuild-1, Kaito pilots the robot to disable SUMERAGI and delete Kimijima’s AI, thwarting the committee’s plan. The club members emerge as unlikely heroes, having saved Tanegashima and their friendships.
Throughout this alternate story, the bond between Kaito, Akiho, and Frau is deepened, and the narrative emphasizes Frau’s perspective, her motivations, and her critical role in the fight against the conspiracy. The manga also reimagines Kaito as a more competitive and adrenaline-fueled character, while the antagonist’s motives are reframed around gaming culture, making the conflict feel personal and focused on the club’s struggle to hold together against overwhelming odds.
The story is an alternate retelling of the Robotics;Notes visual novel that focuses on the character Frau Kojiro, a brilliant but socially awkward programmer who is also a hardcore fujoshi. Frau becomes a key ally, bringing her hacking talents and game-development expertise to the struggling club. Together with other recruits such as the professional robot battler Subaru Hidaka and the karate practitioner Junna Daitoku, the team embarks on an ambitious project: constructing a full-scale replica of the giant robot Gunvarrel from a classic anime. This leads them to the Gunbuild-1 and the more advanced Gunbuild-2, which they control via augmented reality.
As Kaito delves deeper into the island’s mysteries, he uncovers the Kimijima Reports, documents left by the late scientist Ko Kimijima that predict a catastrophic solar flare on the verge of wiping out all life on Earth. He also encounters two artificial intelligences, Airi and Sister Centipede, that guide him toward the truth. But the reports are a trap: Kimijima has uploaded his own consciousness into the Iru-O system and is working with the shadowy Committee of 300 to trigger the solar flare as part of Project Atum. The committee seizes control of the Tanegashima Space Center, unleashes a wave of robot rampages across Japan, and steals the experimental battle robot SUMERAGI.
When the solar flare prophecy begins to unfold, robots everywhere go berserk, and Frau is publicly blamed for the chaos. Kaito must confront the AI Kimijima in a final match inside Kill Ballad Online, where the enemy uses a cheating version of Gunvarrel. With help from allies and the upgraded Super Gunbuild-1, Kaito pilots the robot to disable SUMERAGI and delete Kimijima’s AI, thwarting the committee’s plan. The club members emerge as unlikely heroes, having saved Tanegashima and their friendships.
Throughout this alternate story, the bond between Kaito, Akiho, and Frau is deepened, and the narrative emphasizes Frau’s perspective, her motivations, and her critical role in the fight against the conspiracy. The manga also reimagines Kaito as a more competitive and adrenaline-fueled character, while the antagonist’s motives are reframed around gaming culture, making the conflict feel personal and focused on the club’s struggle to hold together against overwhelming odds.
Comment(s)
Staff
- Story & ArtTatsuya Shihira
