Instead of sleeping like a good koala should have been doing, I nearly pulled an all-nighter re-reading my stash of 7 Seeds. Yes, it’s that good. And no, I’m not exaggerating.
I thought I can make a comparison for those of you who love Sci-Fi stories: 7 Seeds is like a mix of Lost and Battlestar Galactica. Ah ha, two of my favorite American TV shows in the past decade. If the 90s were all about my love affair with Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Felicity, the 00s were about my fascination with apocalyptic wanderers and lost souls.
(Natsu, she’s unassuming but she tries really hard, and she crushes on Arashi like mad – who wouldn’t, he’s an adorable boy)
7 Seeds combines the mood of Lost (strangers united in an unknown place, fighting for survival, using back to basic means, with some underlying mythology and hidden secrets) with the scope of Battlestar Galactic (the world as we know it has ended, how do the survivors build a new world order). Plus, there are star-crossed lovers and multiple potential sets of OTPs that are driving me nutty considering the possibilities.
Who we think are the bad guys are never straight out bad guys, and the good guys are hardly boy scouts. Everyone has issues, everyone has shades of gray. And the writer never skirts the darker subject matter, daring to go farther into exploring all the worst-case scenarios that can happen when the world has ended. If you want to read 7 Seeds, I’m providing a link to online scans.
For English translations (which are way behind, up to Chapter 35):
http://www.mangafox.com/manga/7_seeds/
For Chinese translations (which are completely up to date, up to Chapter 97 as of today):
http://www.bengou.com/080909/708090916/index.html
Some Speculations:
Normally I hate to speculate and toss out what-ifs, because I’m horrible at playing that game. I’m always wrong, and then I feel like a goat afterwards. However, I can’t help myself with 7 Seeds – there are so many fascinating characters (it’s a giant ensemble piece, like Lost and BG, so there are so many possibilities for pairings). Below, I’m going to explore some of the possible OTPs for the major characters (a lot of the other more minor characters have either paired up or I can see where it’s headed, so I won’t discuss below).
(Hana, leading the members of Spring Group – she even looks beautiful and a warrior princess in black & white)
Scenario 1 (the traditional Shoujo manga route):
1. Hana (Spring)/Arashi (Summer B) – childhood sweethearts, perfectly matched in looks and complementary in temperament (she’s fierce and driven, he’s laidback and considerate), woke up from cryo-freeze completely still in love and missing each other.
2. Natsu (Summer B)/Ango (Summer A) – she is shy and lacks self-confidence, he’s one step away from turning into a psychopath, but she appears to be turning into his emotional and mental anchor, and he in turn spurs her to be more confident and careful. This might be a match made in dysfunctional heaven, yet so utterly makes perfect sense.
3. Takahiro (Winter)/Ayu (Summer A) – he’s patient, thoughtful, resilient, she’s stoic and wounded – last I left off, they’ve paired up and left the combined Group to set out and find the missing (presumed dead) Hana. This pairing would make my Takahiro less sad if Hana reunites with Adachi, and Takahiro is the only guy left worthy enough of being with Ayu, who is drop-dead gorgeous.
Scenario 2 (the door-busting route):
1. Hana (Spring)/Takahiro (Winter) – these two are my two favorite characters (Arashi is a close third), so I would not be crying if this happened. The romantic tension between them was growing exponentially right when Hana disappeared. But Takahiro is setting out to find her. Who will find Hana first, her boyfriend Arashi, or her closest friend in the new world Takahiro.
2. Natsu (Summer B)/Arashi (Summer B) – this would make Natsu’s crush on Arashi justified and requited at the end. But to go down this route, it would require Arashi to see Natsu as someone more than a younger sister, which is not even a possibility at this time. This is only if Hana and Takahiro gets together.
3. Ango (Summer A)/Ayu (Summer A) – well, they know what hell each other went through to be selected as a member of Summer Group-A, and they are well-suited for each other in looks and temperament. But unless Ango gets over his rage and post-traumatic stress disorder beforehand, this ain’t happening because Ayu hasn’t got the patience to cure him.
In conclusion, I highly recommend 7 Seeds for anyone who loves epic stories with constructed with a grand imagination and infused with rich details and unexpected pathos. A good story is timeless and transcends its medium. Even if you have never read a manga before, give it a try if the story as I described it sounds interesting.
Even if Hana does not get together with Arashi, I sort of don’t see Natsu with Arashi either (I did initially but not anymore). I think Natsu with Ango is an interesting but very possible pairing. Arashi would have to find some one else…unless the story takes another turn and the story line put them (Natsu/arashi) closer emotionally.
Here’s my speculation!
1) Ango will die
Eversince vol.6, Tamura Yumi sensei has established him as a ‘hero’ or a person with strong qualities as someone who could lead others in the future would..you can tell, he was born as a leader. He got along well with the kids even the older kids in the institution (Gengorou and Ban). As he grew up, he became broken as he learnt things the harsh way..he lost all his friends.
In spite his mental instability, he has proven to be a outstanding survivalist, he along with Ryo and Gengorou have established their roles as ‘hunters’ in their team. When Team Summer A met the other teams, it’s too bad he’s not in their side. It’s a pity how his skills could have been useful for the survival what’s left in but he’s losing his humanity as he keeps on having delusions about the final test, and his psychotic antics. In the current arc, it seems that he becoming attached to both Arashi and Natsu. If they survived this arc, I speculate that they will somehow meet up with the rest of the teams in the village BUT something life threatening (I’m guessing it will be the Acari X plague) will happen to them; this will cause Ango to do something that might endanger his life (e.g., finding a cure? or trying to hibernate the Acari X strain?lolwut?). All his heroic traits that used to be overshadowed by his insanity will be shown in this incident, he will die and save the lives of the remaining survivors.
I dont think Ango’s the type who will ask for forgiveness for all the horrible things he did, but his death will leave a strong impression on the survivors, especially on Arashi and Hana (if they meet up with Hana before the big incident, I’m guessing Ango’s relationship with Arashi will be strained if he knew what happened to Hana but they will eventually teamed up to save others). After Ango’s heroic sacrifice, they will eventually forgive him and see him as a hero.
2) The Return of Acari X
Why do I speculate this? We should reflect on the same question why Tamura Sensei introduced the Ryugu shelter arc! While the arc has given us insights on what happened during the extinction event and how the shelter led Team Spring/winter to Team Autumn, and how the arc has brought to light on Hana’s parentage (from the picture frame found on the shelter and Mark’s diary) with its connection with Team Summer A; why did Tamura sensei introduced ACARI X? There are other ways of ‘killing off’ the population of the shelter, aftershocks..shortage of food, chaos etc. but Acari X was used as a plotpoint for the arc.
*Hint*Some of the people from Team Autumn entered the fridge
*Cue*A short circuit caused a small fire nearby
*Cue*Acari X is hibernation mode
*Cue*The creepy law student or Ran who openly HATES 7 seeds project, my bet goes to them being the first people infected by Acari X
*Cue*There must be a reason why the medic girl (Fujiko) from Team Spring is still missing (My guess? She will meet up with Ayu and Aramaki who also left the village earlier, the three of them will be the main characters if Acari X happened to ravage the village with its plague)
*My speculation?The return of Ango and Ryo with Team Summer B to the village
*HINT>> Mark’s diary that stated the existence of Acari X and how to stop them.
*Cue? The current arc that shows that there’s ELECTRICITY generated from the windmills, the shipyard?I dont know how Tamura sensei will make this happen but they will try to eliminate the Acari X strains using the electricity???or refrigeration? God knows!
In sum, The Acari X incident in the Ryugu shelter arc may be foreshadowing what will happened in the future arc. ….and Ango’s death.
3) What will happened to the rest of Team Spring?
Chiisa will find Hana, she will tend to Hana’s wounds. I speculate that they will somehow meet up with Team Summer B/Ryou and Ango. It’s interesting to see how Chiisa’s neutrality will reduce the tension between Hana/Ango/Ryou and Team Summer B.
Fujiko will somehow meet up with Aramaki and Ayu. I like to see the interaction Fujiko between and Ayu, we all know how Fujiko is infatuated with Aramaki and seeing a pretty girl like Ayu by his side, is not always a good thing..but somehow I think they will make good friends. (It’s a plus that the three of them have some sort of medical/herbalist background).
4) POSSIBLE PAIRINGS?
Natsu X Semimaru
(This can only happen if Ango dies)
We know how Semimaru gets jealous when Ango is around Natsu, we know how much he is fond of Natsu.
Aramaki X Fujiko
I can imagine a scene where Fujiko tries so hard avoid Aramaki but still confronts him (She’s not the clingy girl type but the type of girl who gets annoyed over Aramaki ‘dull headedness’ (sorry, I cant find the right word to describe him..?) but has feelings for him A.K.A a Tsundere). She’s striving to be a doctor, I get the feeling she will be good friends with Ayu and Ban. She may failed a couple of times but I speculate that a romantic relationship will unexpectedly developed between her and Aramaki while she tries to pursue her dreams to be a doctor.
Ayu X Hazuki
I know, it’s a weird choice. So far, he has small role in the manga, there’s nothing special about him except him being submissive to Ran and Akio’s orders and that he’s the muscleman of Team Autumn (he even physically bring down Ango before). But it’s interesting to see if they both pair up. Ayu being domineering and him being patient and kind to her. He could also provide some sort of emotional and physical security around her if Tamura yumi sensei decides to utilise his athletic skills and further develop his personality as an important character for the future arcs.
Ryo X Matsuri
A possibility..it’s been hinted a lot in the recent arc.
Hotaru X Tsunomata
I am aware of the Huge age gap (7 years) but I do think she’ll suit well with. I do think they will form a special bond with each other. Imagine, man in his early thirties and young woman (in her early twenties) travelling along the desolated Japan. *romantic*
Arashi X Hana
(This could only happen if Ango dies/or banished from the village if he survived)
Although this may seem to take the ‘normal shoujo route’ as what has mentioned by before, there might be a twist in their relationship; Ango.
The current arc has shown that Ango seems to develop attachment with Arashi and Natsu. But Arashi wasnt aware of the incident between Ango and Hana (the fact that he almost violated Hana and almost killed her..assuming that Hana survived from the riverfall). I speculate that they will meet Hana and at some point after the current arc finishes. This will caused strain in the relationship between Ango & Ryo with Team Summer B but in the end, they will eventually forgive him as Ango’s heroic sacrifice will leave an emotional imprint on the Hana and Arashi’s relationship.
Ango + Kaname (Not pairing LOL)
Another twist will be Ango survived the incident and the three of them being friends but Ango will leave the village. Although Ango gets forgiveness from the rest of the team members, I think he still retains his pride and ashamed of what he did. He will eventually leave the village and wander around (My random guess? He will be with Kaname.) Why him? It’s interesting to see how both of them tried to , Kaname lives up
Another twist? Kaname will die. Why? He started everything, he will try to make up for everything. (It Doesnt make sense, doesnt it??)
Ban X Kurumi
I dont see Ryuusei as an important character, his character is too shallow..but he does love Kurumi. But I dont see him ‘fatherly enough’ to handle the role of a competent survivalist to protect his lover and newborn baby (He cant even fight Ran). But I speculate that he loves Kurumi so much that he will die to protect her and his baby. If that happens, he will leave his dying wishes to Ban and ask him to protect and his child.
These are all just speculations.. I dont think the manga will simply have a happy ending and each of them simply pair up with each other. There will be deaths but it will also have a happy ending. Humanity will survive 🙂
OK, right now I’m on chapter 90 and OMG, I have to say that Ryo and Angou are absolutely psycho. The two of them are the most mentally unstable (and probably the only mentally unstable ppl) out of all of Summer A. I can’t believe Ryo actually thought that he had the right to kill all of Summer B just because he thinks they’re incompetant and thinks that he’s the ‘Death God’. And Angou tried to rape Hana and both Angou and Ryo tried to kill her.
As of now, for the couples, I’m cheering for:
Hana + Takahiro
Natsu + Semimaru
I like Arashi but he’s just a tad boring and I don’t think he’ll end up with Hana.
Also, I reckon there is a little hint to Angou perhaps dying cos when Hotaru did the reading on his left palm, which was supposed to show his ‘destined path’ or something, she started crying. So I’m thinking that maybe he is going to die.
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I really enjoyed reading this blog post by you!:))
For me, my personal favourite couple is Ryou and Koruri!
Although in recent chapters koruri has been paired with haru and likewise ryou with matsuri,
in the summer group a arc i loved this couple!!!
Ryou was the mysterious and cunning thinker of the group, but he was still touched by koruri’s kindness to him and i find that really touching:)
7 seeds is really an awesome manga imo
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