You must be that person that is tired of the isekai boom. Of course, there is nothing to like about storylines that are getting copy/pasted over and over again, average Joes that, for some reason, suddenly become overpowered heroes that need to save the world. Yet, they are afraid of their superpowers and it will take them 200+ more chapters to get used to their new power. Having read these 200 chapters, however, you will not feel any satisfaction. It will be nothing but the time, you have wasted for nothing: a boring world, overused game mechanics that do not make any sense, a male protagonist that is killed, but later is revived and gets sudden power ups. Yet, if you long for an amazing isekai, that is the manga you are looking for; there is also a novel and there will be an anime adaptation somewhere in the future.
Basically, you might have heard about a game called S.T.A.L.K.E.R., or you might have read the book called Roadside Picnic, a science fiction novel by Soviet-Russian authors Arkady and Boris Strugatsky. If you have, good for you, because Other Side Picnic and S.T.A.L.K.E.R. are somewhat similar. Indeed, I am not going to even hint you the similarities between the two, because there will be no mystery and it will be highly unlikely, you will check the manga and later the anime, when it airs. So, if this is enough for me to convince you to read the manga/novel and later check the anime, go for it. For those, however, who know nothing about the universe of S.T.A.L.K.E.R., let us continue.
The story revolves around the modern world. College student Sorao Kamikoshi finds herself in another world, she knows nothing about. She meets another girl that is named Toriko Nishina. The two meet some unknown creature that, for some reason, tries to harm the two; however, Toriko hardly finds it shocking. More than that, she wields a Makarov pistol and looks like that she is used to this world, unlike Sorao. The two girls quickly become close friends and explore an unknown parallel world that is swarmed with some mysterious creatures that should be avoided at all cost, in addition to this, no solid scientific explanation can be given about this world, where you may even find many things that are beyond human’s understanding and even bring them back and sell them for a large sum of money, which makes it obvious that this parallel world is real and it is not just a game. Will Toriko and Sorao uncover the secret behind the parallel world?
And this is what this manga is about: there is a huge world that is quite interesting and even somewhat terrific. You fall in love with this manga from the very first chapters, there is simply nothing to dislike about it. Even the two main protagonists are very interesting to follow. One is very cautious and always thinks before making any decisions. The other, however, is somewhat cold blooded and it looks like she is that type of people that has an aim and no matter what, she will achieve it. It might be quite a vague description, indeed, but if I were to make a detailed review, you would not appreciate the world of Other Side Picnic as much as I did.
Anyways, I am very glad that there are still isekai that can be called a masterpiece, I am glad that there are still amazing mangaka that are not lazy and actually try to make a new, interesting, mysterious, dreadful worlds that are breathtakingly beautiful and terrifying. Mark my words, with a good anime adaptation, Other Side Picnic might be even more popular than From the New World. Do give this manga a try, or wait for the anime adaptation. It is worth it!
