This review contains spoilers for the first couple chapters. Disclaimer: I rate manga here based on how well I think they compare to other manga not just based on enjoyment so a manga that I find to be average but still a decent read will be around a 50 60s and 70s are a bit above average etc. Dont let my 70 score make you think I consider this a bad manga its a decent bit better than average I just dont think it stacks up to the top at least not yet. From the duo behind Onanie Master Kurosawa Subete no Jinrui wo Hakai Suru. Sorera wa Saisei Dekinai which roughly translates to Destroy All Humankind. They Cant Be Regenerated is a story following two kids Kanou Hajime and Emi Sawatari. Hajime has viewed Sawatari as his rival since a young age but loses to her academically. An avid player of Magic the Gathering Hajime makes his way to a card shop in a neighboring town finding Sawatari there and the best player in the shop. Bound by both Magic and a promise to stay together if Nostradamus prophecy about the great king of terror comes true Destroy All Humankind follows the duo as they grow both as Magic players and as people and how their relationship changes through their time together. Ive spent most of my life playing trading card games. In elementary school I played an improvised form of Pokemon on the playground. Ive played Magic briefly Pokemon competitively for a bit various CCGs such as Hearthstone or Runeterra and a spate of other games casually at card shops or online. Even now theres always a feeling of excitement opening a pack and seeing that one card that fits perfectly into my deck. The amazing feeling of pulling off a combo that took time and effort to set up the rush of winning an uphill battle against a strong opponent and just the joy of sitting down taking a starting hand and seeing where the game takes you. Card games are a joy and Destroy All Humankind weaves that feeling into its story. More on that in a bit because I really want to talk about characters. Hajime and Sawatari are both great characters. Hajime is an awkward nerdy teen. Sawataris trying to keep up a persona as a puttogether perfect student while still trying to make time for her hobby. Both of them feel real and thats the big strength of the series writer in my opinion. The characters laugh they get upset they get frustrated. Neither is a hero or a particularly standout player and neither is really unique theyre just two awkward teenagers trying to get through life and get better at Magic and I really appreciate that. Without spoiling the story Ill say that most of the other characters introduced later on also feel like real people. Theyre very well done characters with a lot of the older ones feeling like mentorish characters that just want to help their hobby grow and the younger ones still feeling like theyre in the process of maturing. The character interactions are also normally a joy and the feeling of a community that supports its members and still has competition is very much present. The characters really do feel real and their interactions often feel like the kind youd see walking into a local holeinthewall card shop. I cannot say enough the characters are even if not complex and deep in the way a lot of series try to present very very human and it fits the story perfectly. A story about Magic could be interesting but this manga aims to be a story about the people who play it and it succeeds. A good part of the series focus is on how the dynamic between Hajime and Sawatari changes and the series does that very well. The series doesnt try and flip the script to rivals or friends lovers or opponents or any one thing in particular. They just kind of have their lives intersect through Magic and get to know each other better and its really quite beautifully done. Its also pretty great when the series focuses on their efforts to get better at Magic. Hajime in particular has scenes where hes just pondering how to change up his deck or practicing drafting or even just sitting after a game wondering what he could have done better or worse. The series drives home that he is no prodigy just a kid who likes to play Magic and gets better by putting in effort. Speaking of Magic? Either the author likes Magic or they actually bothered to do their research. Since the series is set in the tail end of the 90s its able to show snippets of how Magic was growing and evolving during that time which is awesome and something that as a TCG player I really appreciate. Theres a dramatic style to the games with characters expressions often parodying cards the cards themselves on full display and a fantastic showing of each player setting up the game the way they want to play. Though the series unfortunately doesnt get especially in depth on players thought processes probably to avoid alienating readers who dont play card games it still shows them in such a way that matches feel like an actual game of Magic with both players jockeying for a better position. Overall the series uses its premise quite well. The one area of the story where I think it fumbles a bit is in trying to bring in drama particularly through other players. Hajime and Sawatari are the focus and the highlight of the story. I dont care nearly as much about other characters even though theyre almost all well written. Its not as though bringing in other characters ruins the story or anything its just that it feels somewhat awkward at times and takes away from the best parts of the story. I feel like theres still a lot more growth to see from the characters and not seeing it due to the little side tangents pushes my rating down a little. As far as art goes its okay. Its a very clean style and the characters for the most part feel distinct without having crazy designs. The series being centered around these awkward teens moving through life combined with the clean art works surprisingly well. Could be better but it suits the series and still looks good. Overall Destroy All Humankind is a really youthful story centered around characters that grow and change in entirely human ways. You wont find a game prodigy here. You wont find reality TVlevel drama or a Hallmark romance no fantastical beasts from the sky or demons crawling up from below. Just some awkward kids trying to enjoy their youth and their hobby and maybe get to know each other a little better while theyre at it. And you know what? Thats okay. The story grows along with them and even though Ive given it a 70 for now seeing as translations arent up to date and the mangas ongoing I fully expect it to keep getting better. With the feeling of growth the feeling of a real community and the amazing incorporation of Magic into the story Destroy All Humankind lives up to its status as a youth graffiti manga and in my opinion is well worth the read.