Zettai naru Isolator, adapted from the light novel of the same name, is the latest work of Kawahara Reki, the author of Sword Art Online and Accel World, supposedly letting him use what he learned from his past mistakes.

The main protagonist, Minoru, is a Japanese high schooler, scarred to life by the assassination of his parents and sister, who yearns only for a quiet life as a social recluse. At some point before the story, he is struck by a tiny alien orb, giving him the ability to cover himself with an invisible, impervious layer, isolating himself from almost anything. This event is rather vaguely described in the manga, but may be elaborated in the light novel. In the story, he soon discovers that others have received powers in similar circumstances, and that they are divided between those whose powers have created murderous instincts, the Ruby Eyes, and those like him, unaffected, the Black Jets. Minoru joins then an organisation of Black Jets with the intent of hunting down Ruby Eyes.

What is interesting here is the range of powers and how they operate. Each one is not a typical power most of the time, and is linked to the holder's state of mind when they received it. The first step to defeat the Ruby Eyes present in the manga is to understand how their powers work in order to better use the available Black Jets' powers.

Why can't I recommend this manga? Because this seems to be basically an advertisement for the light novel. The story is cut short after four volumes, with only the foundation of what is to come. You have to read the light novel if you want to continue, so you should be better off starting directly with it.

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