The Limit, 5

“I can’t remember the last time I was this freaked out by a manga… Remember the hubbub over the 2002 non-fiction book, Queen Bees and Wannabes: Helping Your Daughters Survive Cliques, Gossip, Boyfriends, and Other Realities of Adolescence by Rosalind Wiseman? Parents had quite the shocking wake-up call about what their little girls could really be like among their so-called friends. Limit strips away all that made-up glamour and privilege, and throws the girls into a brutal 21st-century Lord of the Flies-survival-of-the-most-desperate-setting. Thus the nightmare begins… I’m still shaking (and with that cliffhanger-ending, can hardly wait to see what happens next).” – The Smithsonian’s Book Dragon

“Suenobo manages to write a scary thriller that’s sophisticated and suspenseful enough to sustain an adult’s interest; the story’s occasional Grand Guignol touches add a welcome dash of camp, preventing the story from sinking under the weight of its Very Important Message. I can’t imagine what will happen in volume two, but I’m looking forward to reading it… with the lights on. Recommended.” – Manga Critic

“I realize that even acknowledging the fact that Keiko Suenobu’s Limit isn’t your average shoujo story can alter expectations, but that needs to be said right up front. While many conventions are adhered to, going into this manga blind is best, so if you can go ahead and accept that Limit comes highly recommended, do yourself a favor and pick up the first volume with a clean slate. Don’t even read the synopsis on the back and your experience might just end up mirroring my own.” – Otaku USA