What do you think?
Rate this book
Olympos / オリンポス #1-2
Olympos
Desperate to make his dreams come true, a young man named Heinz appeals to the heavens for divine intervention. But he wasn't expecting a beautiful ginger-haired boy to appear before him in the midst of his prayer... Apollo, the god of the sun, brings Heinz to a realm beyond reality - an endless field of flowers beneath an infinite expanse of stars. There, Heinz meets Ganymede, prince of Troy, who has remained here for hundreds of years, bound by his own uncertainty and despair. At Apollo's bidding, Heinz attempts to convince Ganymede to leave with him in exchange for having his own wish granted, but can anyone free Ganymede from the trappings of his mind?
368 pages, Paperback
First published June 26, 2012
22 people are currently reading
465 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 93 reviews
September 22, 2013
Numerous people have given this manga a low rating due to their lack of connection with the plot, but in all reality it is a very deep and layered plot with numerous complications that take a few reads before one begins to understand.
The story is a loose adaptation of the Greek mythological tale of Zeus and the beautiful young Ganymede. With stunningly gorgeous artwork, Olympos dives into deep philosophical concepts in aesthetic brilliance.
The first section begins with the radiantly beautiful solar deity, Apollo, rapturing the human Heinz, an aspiring archaeologist, into a landscape which consists of an idealized, but ruined building of ancient Greek architectural emphasis surrounded by an endless plain of flowers. Inhabiting this surreal scene is stunning Prince Ganymede. Apollo asserts that all words spoken by a god are true, and tells Heinz to help free Ganymede, who is supposedly trapped by his own delusions of the world around him. The plot reveals, however, that Ganymede has tried to escape the prison landscape for years, and Heinz just adds to the injury. The thought provoking thing is, however, that Heinz found a way out of the landscape, whereas Ganymede did not. So, was Ganymede really trapped by his own mind, or was Apollos lying?
Heinz is based off of the real life archaeologist, Heinrich Schliemann, who discovered the city of Troy, where Ganymede was abducted from. It is shown that Zeus used Apollo to abduct Ganymede for their own personal enjoyment. Eternity is a very long time, and humanity gets boring after a while. Ganymede provided a thrill for the gods, at his own expense, separating him from his family and making him endure the boredom of eternity alone.
The most interesting character to me, however, is Hades. Hades is a mysterious character who gives cryptic messages that, if only read once, would confuse the reader. But given the context of the book and re-reading and evaluating certain scenes, the cryptic messages of Hades' become clearer and a deeper meaning is unraveled. Those who gave this book a low rating are probably not apt to deep thinking or literary analysis, hence their misunderstanding of the book. What would be described as "flat" characters are actually round characters in a flat presentation; their roundness is dependent on how well one reads into the story.
September 24, 2012
Olympos is beautifully drawn and has an intriguing concept, but fails in execution. Ganymede was stolen from his home by Apollo and trapped in a miniature garden with no escape in sight. He longs for freedom, but has given up on it by the time the reader picks up the manga.
The beginning with Heinz is fun and entertaining, however, shortly after his departure the story falls apart. There is no plot woven throughout the story and it has flat characters. The story shifts partway through to Apollo's point of view, but for no rhyme or reason other than to add depth to a character. This depth has no influence on the events that follow. There are possible plots that are mentioned offhandedly and never come to fruition.
The characters lack life and/or are unlikable. Ganymede quickly becomes a bore, and although Apollo has an interesting back story there is nothing likable or sympathetic about him. Hades and Zeus are interesting in concept, but like the story itself, they are not executed well. Hades is inactive and only comes in to be cryptic, while Zeus is more mentioned than seen (which could have worked if there was a stronger cast of characters).
All I can say is, unless you're a reader that takes delight in watching inactive characters brood, or you really love philosophy, this is probably not the manga for you.
The beginning with Heinz is fun and entertaining, however, shortly after his departure the story falls apart. There is no plot woven throughout the story and it has flat characters. The story shifts partway through to Apollo's point of view, but for no rhyme or reason other than to add depth to a character. This depth has no influence on the events that follow. There are possible plots that are mentioned offhandedly and never come to fruition.
The characters lack life and/or are unlikable. Ganymede quickly becomes a bore, and although Apollo has an interesting back story there is nothing likable or sympathetic about him. Hades and Zeus are interesting in concept, but like the story itself, they are not executed well. Hades is inactive and only comes in to be cryptic, while Zeus is more mentioned than seen (which could have worked if there was a stronger cast of characters).
All I can say is, unless you're a reader that takes delight in watching inactive characters brood, or you really love philosophy, this is probably not the manga for you.
July 9, 2012
The reason I bought this book at first was because I was so drawn to the artwork. Honestly, with the artistic quality, I wouldn't have cared if there were a story. However, I enjoyed the plot. It's more reflective philosophy than anything. If one expected a moving, dynamic plot, they will be disappointed. I don't think that all stories must have excitement, or twists in stories. This one was simply filled with contemplation, and beautiful characters.
This is just my preference, but I love philosophy. This manga basically ensnared profound ideas and reflected over them through the movements of the characters. I was entranced by the ideas that the author presented, and I fell in love with the way the characters moved and thought.
If you need ideas to chew on, buy this manga. Trust me, you'll need time to appreciate it though.
This is just my preference, but I love philosophy. This manga basically ensnared profound ideas and reflected over them through the movements of the characters. I was entranced by the ideas that the author presented, and I fell in love with the way the characters moved and thought.
If you need ideas to chew on, buy this manga. Trust me, you'll need time to appreciate it though.
June 18, 2012
I am very annoyed and disappointed that the narrative of Olympos wrote out all of the Greek goddesses except for Artemis, who unfortunately isn't really a character, but a mirror for Apollo. Which would make sense as one of her aspects, but not the only one. I liked how Aki did all of the Olympians and handled the story of Ganymede. The re-imagining of Zeus is quite awesome, and the reworking of Hades is more than worth the price of admission. It's because the revisioning of the Greek gods is so cool that I wanted to see ALL of the Olympians. I understand why the mangaka didn't populate Olympos with more than a few gods (crowding the work with characters would have detracted from the isolation of the story as well as its philosophical and emotional underpinnings). HOWEVER, not seeing ANY of the goddesses does make me sadface. On the whole, thought this reworking, well, works and is quite entertaining.
January 5, 2025
4.5 stars
Stunningly beautiful, surprisingly introspective, and very melancholy, this tale is more an exploration of philosophical themes than a traditional narrative.
Apollo's existential crisis, coupled with an eternity of monotony, combine into a compelling reflection on the purpose of gods, the necessity of both doubt and hope, and the impossible distance between the mortal and immortal.
It sounds like a heavy read, but while it is dialogue heavy, and sometimes sad, there's also a lightness that comes from how much is driven simply by the whims of the gods. Another product of eternal life I suppose.
The art is absolutely gorgeous, both detailed and sparse when needed.
This will undoubtedly reveal more upon each reread, so I'm so very happy I was able to get a copy of this out of print treasure.
Stunningly beautiful, surprisingly introspective, and very melancholy, this tale is more an exploration of philosophical themes than a traditional narrative.
Apollo's existential crisis, coupled with an eternity of monotony, combine into a compelling reflection on the purpose of gods, the necessity of both doubt and hope, and the impossible distance between the mortal and immortal.
It sounds like a heavy read, but while it is dialogue heavy, and sometimes sad, there's also a lightness that comes from how much is driven simply by the whims of the gods. Another product of eternal life I suppose.
The art is absolutely gorgeous, both detailed and sparse when needed.
This will undoubtedly reveal more upon each reread, so I'm so very happy I was able to get a copy of this out of print treasure.
April 4, 2015
Ok a lot of people have given this book a poor rating and I can understand why. This isn't a book for everyone but I loved it. It was beautifully written and the art work was stunning. But here's where most people have a problem with it, nothing happens. There's seemingly no plot but that's kinda the point. The whole premise of the book is that nothing really happens and that's why the gods are bored. But the beauty of this book lies within its characters and the questions they ask about themselves and the world around them. To me this book was beautiful and haunting. It will always be one of my favorites.
August 19, 2012
For me as a reader, it was hard to get too involved with the characters since it's in the point of view of Gods. The dialogue also put me to sleep, since it was SO formal the entire book. And since it was in the point of the Gods, and they only speak in riddles, the entire time you are just trying to figure out what they're saying to each other through their formal riddles.
January 9, 2013
I tried reading this on my tablet but couldn't because I found it boring. The best cure for that is to try again with the physical volume in my hands. Needless to say, I got into it more easily, though I put it on hold halfway through, then acquired a sudden urge of interest after learning that I had garnered a 90 cent fine from keeping this book for too long, LOL
The art is, simply to say, absolutely beautiful. The Author's Note at the very end apologizes for the art, to which I say "shut the hell up. The art is gorgeous, you idiot." Sigh, Japan and their humble society... mutter mutter.
That being said, the story was confusing. I'm not sure if it's because it was a two-in-one volume that got me confused or what. In the very beginning there was a man named Heinz who is whisked away by Apollo to the "Miniature Garden", where he meets Ganymede--the beautiful Trojan prince that Zeus had fallen in love with and kidnapped to be with him in the heavens or something--who has resigned to his fate of never being able to escape. Heinz is determined though, despite Ganymede's "It's-useless-no-point-in-trying-anymore" attitude. Floating around and generally being an ass-nozzle is Apollo, whom all my friends mistook for 1) a girl and 2) the goddess Aphrodite. LOL, this is MANGA. All "girls" should be assumed to be men until explicitly stated otherwise.
After some failed escape attempts, there is the back story of Ganymede, and Heinz never reappears in the story after this point, which confuses the hell out of me. It shows how Ganymede was "chosen" by the gods, kidnapped, and plunked into this weird world of flowers and ruins. He was at first resilient in finding a way to escape the Miniature Garden despite the constant teasing and bullying of Apollo, who is such an infuriating freaking asshole... Then we see Apollo conversing with Poseidon, who is portrayed as a blowhard with an inferiority-complex. And then the musings of Apollo, and lots of philosophical conversations concerning life, humans, the gods and their roles and purpose, and etc.
Apollo converses with a mortal girl who was chosen as a sacrifice for him, and here's where I get kind of pissed off:
The girl, named Iris, mentions Athena, who she says is the goddess of wisdom and war. Apollo says, "I've never heard of her before". To which Iris replies, "But she's one of the 12 main gods!" And then starts listing them off: Poseidon, Apollo, Artemis, Zeus, Hera, Hades, Demeter, Ares, Aphrodite, Athena, Hephaestus, Hermes, Hestia...
And Apollo is staring at her thinking "I know less than half of them." He thinks "These mortals make up deities to worship" to which I reply:
What the hell? I hate this! If you're going to use deities from history, Norse, Greek, friggin Hindu (!!!), then you better DAMN WELL write the story as if they existed! Only Apollo, Zeus, Poseidon, and Hades exist in this story, which to me is stupid, and Apollo said upon being greeted by Hades, "I've only heard of you but never seen you before." What the heck?
I like to think that the gods are all in their own respective "worlds" or spheres of the universe or something and do not cross paths unless absolutely necessary, like the previous example of Apollo and Hades. Hades had no reason to talk to Apollo except on a whim and the result was the first meeting. Zeus however MUST appear to everyone at some point, though he is like a "hands-off" kind of god, where he is simply a "face" that you put on "omnipotent, apathetic ruler of the universe" or something. That's just my idea... :|
Also, the gods can't say anything but the truth, but they themselves do not know everything until they've tested out their power. Example (paraphrased like a few of the examples before) :
Apollo: Zeus spoke, and it was done
Ganymede: Where you there to see it?
Apollo: No
Ganymede: Then how do you know, did someone else tell you?
Apollo: No, I just thought of trying to see if I could say it , and it turns out I can, so it IS true.
Weird, but an interesting element to this story. But something else that irked me was the complete apathy that Apollo revealed to Iris in concern of mankind itself. They give the gods offerings and prayer and love and devotion, but Apollo tried to explain to Iris that they don't give a damn and they're not "watching over them" like some loving deity who cares for such puny insects such as them.
To me, that would make gods obsolete if that were true. There is the ideology that God made the world then decided to keep his hands off and that nothing is controlled by him anymore. Good. If Zeus made the world and, as we've seen before, not directly involve himself in anything--besides kidnapping Ganymede--and reserves himself as an all-seeing entity with weird birds' wings, then why would the other deities exist if they were not "useful"? This makes me question whether THIS Apollo actually "created" music, the lyre, arts, and all that stuff. Why even have Poseidon ruler of the sea, or exist at all, if he doesn't care about the mortals' wellbeing? He likes the temples and worship, but that's just to fuel his ego, not because there's a symbiotic relationship with him and them. The only TWO deities who seem necessary are Zeus and Hades, but even then Zeus could probably take over Hades's role, but Zeus is probably justice, light, absence of sin, while Hades is everything but. He is not demonic in the sense of Satan, because like Zeus he favors none and hates none; he simply takes when your time has come and does it without malice. But he can be seductive in a sense...but that's because no one likes a soul to be kicking and screaming on their way to Hell.
So that's my problem with that crazy logic. Another thing was at the last half of the "second" volume, things were getting weird. Apollo was seriously ...broody, and he found out that his twin sister Artemis was basically a "mirror" of himself and not truly her own person, or something. Hades is being Hades--seriously he's the only character that doesn't get on my nerves or make me scratch my head and go "What the hell?" because while I don't really understand his intentions on the surface, he speaks in a Socratic way that makes me think, but not out of confusion -__- -- ...Anyway... suddenly Hades and Apollo are talking about the "end of the world" in front of Ganymede, where they would use Ganymede as bait to make Zeus appear in the Garden...and then that idea is dropped...just suddenly they're talking about it...and then nothing happens so they just give up... Hades says something along the lines of , "Since we are immortal, doing useless things is not a sin like it is for humans, since their lives are finite." Okay...but seriously, talk about a major blatant plot thread that isn't ever tied up...
Then there's more floaty Apollo and it ends so abruptly with Hades pissing off Apollo one more time in that kind of "Damn you!!!! >:O " ..Seriously, I was so mind-f*cked by the super-confusing pages before the end that I couldn't even read the last few pages at all... Like... "what?"
Good parts of this: ART is marvelous
Bad parts of this: The interpretation of the mythology pisses me off (IT IS BLASPHEMY!!) and the head-scratcher that is the story itself, especially the ending...
The art is, simply to say, absolutely beautiful. The Author's Note at the very end apologizes for the art, to which I say "shut the hell up. The art is gorgeous, you idiot." Sigh, Japan and their humble society... mutter mutter.
That being said, the story was confusing. I'm not sure if it's because it was a two-in-one volume that got me confused or what. In the very beginning there was a man named Heinz who is whisked away by Apollo to the "Miniature Garden", where he meets Ganymede--the beautiful Trojan prince that Zeus had fallen in love with and kidnapped to be with him in the heavens or something--who has resigned to his fate of never being able to escape. Heinz is determined though, despite Ganymede's "It's-useless-no-point-in-trying-anymore" attitude. Floating around and generally being an ass-nozzle is Apollo, whom all my friends mistook for 1) a girl and 2) the goddess Aphrodite. LOL, this is MANGA. All "girls" should be assumed to be men until explicitly stated otherwise.
After some failed escape attempts, there is the back story of Ganymede, and Heinz never reappears in the story after this point, which confuses the hell out of me. It shows how Ganymede was "chosen" by the gods, kidnapped, and plunked into this weird world of flowers and ruins. He was at first resilient in finding a way to escape the Miniature Garden despite the constant teasing and bullying of Apollo, who is such an infuriating freaking asshole... Then we see Apollo conversing with Poseidon, who is portrayed as a blowhard with an inferiority-complex. And then the musings of Apollo, and lots of philosophical conversations concerning life, humans, the gods and their roles and purpose, and etc.
Apollo converses with a mortal girl who was chosen as a sacrifice for him, and here's where I get kind of pissed off:
The girl, named Iris, mentions Athena, who she says is the goddess of wisdom and war. Apollo says, "I've never heard of her before". To which Iris replies, "But she's one of the 12 main gods!" And then starts listing them off: Poseidon, Apollo, Artemis, Zeus, Hera, Hades, Demeter, Ares, Aphrodite, Athena, Hephaestus, Hermes, Hestia...
And Apollo is staring at her thinking "I know less than half of them." He thinks "These mortals make up deities to worship" to which I reply:
What the hell? I hate this! If you're going to use deities from history, Norse, Greek, friggin Hindu (!!!), then you better DAMN WELL write the story as if they existed! Only Apollo, Zeus, Poseidon, and Hades exist in this story, which to me is stupid, and Apollo said upon being greeted by Hades, "I've only heard of you but never seen you before." What the heck?
I like to think that the gods are all in their own respective "worlds" or spheres of the universe or something and do not cross paths unless absolutely necessary, like the previous example of Apollo and Hades. Hades had no reason to talk to Apollo except on a whim and the result was the first meeting. Zeus however MUST appear to everyone at some point, though he is like a "hands-off" kind of god, where he is simply a "face" that you put on "omnipotent, apathetic ruler of the universe" or something. That's just my idea... :|
Also, the gods can't say anything but the truth, but they themselves do not know everything until they've tested out their power. Example (paraphrased like a few of the examples before) :
Apollo: Zeus spoke, and it was done
Ganymede: Where you there to see it?
Apollo: No
Ganymede: Then how do you know, did someone else tell you?
Apollo: No, I just thought of trying to see if I could say it , and it turns out I can, so it IS true.
Weird, but an interesting element to this story. But something else that irked me was the complete apathy that Apollo revealed to Iris in concern of mankind itself. They give the gods offerings and prayer and love and devotion, but Apollo tried to explain to Iris that they don't give a damn and they're not "watching over them" like some loving deity who cares for such puny insects such as them.
To me, that would make gods obsolete if that were true. There is the ideology that God made the world then decided to keep his hands off and that nothing is controlled by him anymore. Good. If Zeus made the world and, as we've seen before, not directly involve himself in anything--besides kidnapping Ganymede--and reserves himself as an all-seeing entity with weird birds' wings, then why would the other deities exist if they were not "useful"? This makes me question whether THIS Apollo actually "created" music, the lyre, arts, and all that stuff. Why even have Poseidon ruler of the sea, or exist at all, if he doesn't care about the mortals' wellbeing? He likes the temples and worship, but that's just to fuel his ego, not because there's a symbiotic relationship with him and them. The only TWO deities who seem necessary are Zeus and Hades, but even then Zeus could probably take over Hades's role, but Zeus is probably justice, light, absence of sin, while Hades is everything but. He is not demonic in the sense of Satan, because like Zeus he favors none and hates none; he simply takes when your time has come and does it without malice. But he can be seductive in a sense...but that's because no one likes a soul to be kicking and screaming on their way to Hell.
So that's my problem with that crazy logic. Another thing was at the last half of the "second" volume, things were getting weird. Apollo was seriously ...broody, and he found out that his twin sister Artemis was basically a "mirror" of himself and not truly her own person, or something. Hades is being Hades--seriously he's the only character that doesn't get on my nerves or make me scratch my head and go "What the hell?" because while I don't really understand his intentions on the surface, he speaks in a Socratic way that makes me think, but not out of confusion -__- -- ...Anyway... suddenly Hades and Apollo are talking about the "end of the world" in front of Ganymede, where they would use Ganymede as bait to make Zeus appear in the Garden...and then that idea is dropped...just suddenly they're talking about it...and then nothing happens so they just give up... Hades says something along the lines of , "Since we are immortal, doing useless things is not a sin like it is for humans, since their lives are finite." Okay...but seriously, talk about a major blatant plot thread that isn't ever tied up...
Then there's more floaty Apollo and it ends so abruptly with Hades pissing off Apollo one more time in that kind of "Damn you!!!! >:O " ..Seriously, I was so mind-f*cked by the super-confusing pages before the end that I couldn't even read the last few pages at all... Like... "what?"
Good parts of this: ART is marvelous
Bad parts of this: The interpretation of the mythology pisses me off (IT IS BLASPHEMY!!) and the head-scratcher that is the story itself, especially the ending...
December 22, 2014
Hmmm...I don't remember the last time I read a manga that had such beautiful artwork but was paired with what felt like such a "plotless" story.
Although no, that's not quite the case.
The plot is rather simple: Ganymede wants to get out of the garden Apollo has put him in (for whatever reason), and we're originally introduced to Heinz and mislead to think that he's the main character (although he isn't, and only sticks around for volume one as the second one isn't related to him at all and we never even find out what really happens to Heinz in the end). There's Artemis, who magically pops up out of no where are for some reason keeps sitting under a tree. There's Zeus, who for some reason makes an appearance in Apollo's garden in front of Ganymede yet never says a word, vanishing as fast as he appeared. For some reason some of the Greek gods exist and others don't - Apollo for example says that the goddesses Athena and Iris don't exist when the mortal girl Iris brings them up in a list of Greek deities that they worship, and the reader never finds out why they don't exist while gods like Apollo and Artemis are "perfectly legitimate".
There were some interesting points, for example how the gods don't care about protecting humans. Hades was the only character I actually liked, mostly due to his Chesire Cat-like cryptic personality with his never-ending spew of riddles and dark thoughts. Other than that this book felt a little too much like a slap-dash plot that had to accompany some pretty artwork. The author's note after the epilogue ticked me off, to be honest. The fact that the mangaka asks the reader to sort of go along with her work just because she drew/made what she felt like making doesn't merit much respect from me as a reader. I agree, the art is very pretty in these two volumes, but the plot is so thin and has to be twisted and played with to a large extent in order to sort of justify it's own existence. I feel like this is one of those mangakas who expects their work to be admired and accepted for what it is without being able to handle criticism, which in this case is the follows:
beautiful art, but very very very watered down, microscopic plot that had a lot of potential with some of the interesting thoughts being thrown out that sadly went no where.
If you're in the mood for eye candy, pick this one up. But I personally don't care much when a writer has such a slap-dash approach to their work, and on top of that tries to justify it and make the readers swallow that, "just because".
Although no, that's not quite the case.
The plot is rather simple: Ganymede wants to get out of the garden Apollo has put him in (for whatever reason), and we're originally introduced to Heinz and mislead to think that he's the main character (although he isn't, and only sticks around for volume one as the second one isn't related to him at all and we never even find out what really happens to Heinz in the end). There's Artemis, who magically pops up out of no where are for some reason keeps sitting under a tree. There's Zeus, who for some reason makes an appearance in Apollo's garden in front of Ganymede yet never says a word, vanishing as fast as he appeared. For some reason some of the Greek gods exist and others don't - Apollo for example says that the goddesses Athena and Iris don't exist when the mortal girl Iris brings them up in a list of Greek deities that they worship, and the reader never finds out why they don't exist while gods like Apollo and Artemis are "perfectly legitimate".
There were some interesting points, for example how the gods don't care about protecting humans. Hades was the only character I actually liked, mostly due to his Chesire Cat-like cryptic personality with his never-ending spew of riddles and dark thoughts. Other than that this book felt a little too much like a slap-dash plot that had to accompany some pretty artwork. The author's note after the epilogue ticked me off, to be honest. The fact that the mangaka asks the reader to sort of go along with her work just because she drew/made what she felt like making doesn't merit much respect from me as a reader. I agree, the art is very pretty in these two volumes, but the plot is so thin and has to be twisted and played with to a large extent in order to sort of justify it's own existence. I feel like this is one of those mangakas who expects their work to be admired and accepted for what it is without being able to handle criticism, which in this case is the follows:
beautiful art, but very very very watered down, microscopic plot that had a lot of potential with some of the interesting thoughts being thrown out that sadly went no where.
If you're in the mood for eye candy, pick this one up. But I personally don't care much when a writer has such a slap-dash approach to their work, and on top of that tries to justify it and make the readers swallow that, "just because".
February 28, 2013
Sometimes I had a good laugh about it. And I was really surprised to find a manga with so much philosophy in it. I really enjoyed it. Was so completely different from the other mangas I've read so far. Also the drawing is beautiful and very rich in detail. Great work!
January 3, 2015
Delicate and beautiful art. The story is surprisingly meaningful and thought-provoking.
* 4th January 2015
* 4th January 2015
September 14, 2019
i was right bc this was also giving me anger issues like waiting for godot
—
edited: yes, fine. i enjoyed the godly talks very much.
—
edited: yes, fine. i enjoyed the godly talks very much.
July 17, 2017
Ganymede has been trapped in a miniature garden for who knows how long, before Apollo decides to spice things up and drops Heinz, an archeologist excavating Troy, into the garden. Heinz's presence amounts to nothing but a blip in Ganymede's eternal boredom. Over the aeons, he discusses the meaning of life and how to escape the garden with Apollo, Poseidon, Hades, and even Zeus.
The artwork is so, so lovely. That being said, this book seemed like a whole lot of nothing? I could barely follow the conversations. There was no real dramatic conflict (especially not after Heinz left...). Just a bunch of gods talking about how they can't lie, so when they tell Ganymede that he can't escape it's the absolute truth. Then what's the point of Ganymede being trapped there for all eternity? Unlike in most of the mythologies I've read, these gods seem to be rather isolated, and have never contemplated their own existence, never tested the rules. There are really only a handful of them (Apollo here claims the rest are made up) - Artemis is the only other god other the ones I mentioned above, and she's more of a mirror to Apollo so who knows if she really exists. It's interesting in a philosophical way, but as a story it doesn't really go anywhere.
The artwork is so, so lovely. That being said, this book seemed like a whole lot of nothing? I could barely follow the conversations. There was no real dramatic conflict (especially not after Heinz left...). Just a bunch of gods talking about how they can't lie, so when they tell Ganymede that he can't escape it's the absolute truth. Then what's the point of Ganymede being trapped there for all eternity? Unlike in most of the mythologies I've read, these gods seem to be rather isolated, and have never contemplated their own existence, never tested the rules. There are really only a handful of them (Apollo here claims the rest are made up) - Artemis is the only other god other the ones I mentioned above, and she's more of a mirror to Apollo so who knows if she really exists. It's interesting in a philosophical way, but as a story it doesn't really go anywhere.
June 25, 2022
i've had this sitting on my bookshelf since like 2015, and i'm glad i can give it to a little free library now. the art was gorgeous, but the story and dialogue were severely lacking. it's been years since i last read manga, so i can't remember if that's normal lmao. probably not!
June 2, 2013
I confess myself a little baffled by this book. It seemed like the author was intending for there to be a plot of some kind, but multiple events that could have spawned one just sort of got dropped. In the beginning, there was some hint of the characters having personalities, but they never progressed past flat and one-sided. The entire story consisted of endless, random dialogue of Ganymede being angsty and angry, Apollo being obnoxious, Hades being pointlessly cryptic, and every now and again, Zeus making a dramatic, silent appearance and disappearing again.
You could make the argument that it was supposed to be philosophical, not action-packed. I have no real reply to that. There were a couple of interesting concepts introduced, such as the audacity of humans believing that the gods share their needs, and the Lady Artemis as a mirror, but on the whole, it fell far short of that. Maybe the translation was at fault. It was so awkward and verbose as to the transform all dialog into beautiful nonsense.
The one real redeeming factor this manga brought to the table was the artwork. I find it ironic that this is what the artist chose to be self-conscious about in the artist's notes in the back.
Plus, it was really annoying getting whacked in the face every other page with "the gods cannot speak an untruth." Thank you for clarifying that they can speak something that's true even if they didn't know it was true. That was helpful. The first six times.
It was very pretty, though. The art style reminds me of Yun Kouga's Earthian, which is what drew me to the manga in the first place. Shane it turned out to be so..... empty. First time I've ever regretted spending two dollars in the Blue Dragon.
You could make the argument that it was supposed to be philosophical, not action-packed. I have no real reply to that. There were a couple of interesting concepts introduced, such as the audacity of humans believing that the gods share their needs, and the Lady Artemis as a mirror, but on the whole, it fell far short of that. Maybe the translation was at fault. It was so awkward and verbose as to the transform all dialog into beautiful nonsense.
The one real redeeming factor this manga brought to the table was the artwork. I find it ironic that this is what the artist chose to be self-conscious about in the artist's notes in the back.
Plus, it was really annoying getting whacked in the face every other page with "the gods cannot speak an untruth." Thank you for clarifying that they can speak something that's true even if they didn't know it was true. That was helpful. The first six times.
It was very pretty, though. The art style reminds me of Yun Kouga's Earthian, which is what drew me to the manga in the first place. Shane it turned out to be so..... empty. First time I've ever regretted spending two dollars in the Blue Dragon.
December 18, 2013
Really pretty. The plot is directionless but thats a plot in itself in my opinion. The author cant be stressing that the gods are just killing time, lazing around being annoying if there was an overall goal cuz goals would mean constant actions to fulfill a means. And face it, they are pretty aimless characters. Its like they are perpetually caught in a hot summer day with nothing to do. They snap at each other, whine, mope, and get up each others noses (a very human thing im sure weve all experecienced such boring pointless times) As for Heinz the human. Fact; He is irrelevant! Hes just another temporary toy Apollo brings to G to kill time. While he is a relief from overall perfection and beauty he was always a toy you approach in boredom then give up on. Artemis makes me sad. i luv art
July 26, 2012
Gorgeous, stunning art and a wonderful cast of characters make this story of Greek gods and the mortals they watch for entertainment, published in a top-notch omnibus edition by Yen Press (with full color inserts, unf!) that is certainly worth the admission price. Don't be misled by the summary; it's more Apollo's story than Ganymede's, although Ganymede is a huge player in the overall story. I think my favorite character is Hades; I didn't expect the lord of the underworld to be so, well, hot. I can only hope there's more of Aki's works available in English soon; her artwork alone is enough to earn a permanent place on my favorites shelf.
September 29, 2014
More so a philosophy 101 course than a boys's love manga, Olympos is very unique. In a way it could be a historical story about Ancient Greek myth, but that would be a misnomer. Olympos is more like an examination of the extent and limitations of its own cosmology, and by extensions our own. Oh, and Apollo and Ganymede are delightful together.
April 30, 2016
The art in this is so pretty I have urges to stab my own hand because it cannot produce things of equal beauty.
April 28, 2014
Beautiful art only goes so far when the plot drags and nary a sympathetic character can be found. But maybe I'm just not made for Greek mythology?
April 19, 2017
Aspects of this graphic novel were confusing, but I still enjoyed the twist on the old Greek gods.
May 14, 2024
5⭐️ - The most beautiful manga i've ever read.
June 16, 2021
the definition of no plot just vibes lol. pretty art tho!
October 25, 2012
Pretty. Vaguely interesting but ultimately boring and unsatisfying.
November 21, 2024
While Aki’s art style is mesmerizing with its whimsical and detailed ornamentation of its characters, Aki’s storytelling falls flat midway through the manga.
At first, I was heavily invested in the story and the development of Ganymede, the main protagonist in the manga. He is a clear victim of the wiles of Apollo, a “thing” merely taken and dropped in a garden to bring the gods a form of entertainment. He is justly angry at Apollo, and goes through the same emotions any human would go through if they were found to be toys of the gods. But near the middle of the manga, Ganymede simply seems to give up and the focus of the story shifts to Apollo (who I find to be a rather bland and annoying character).
This shift to Apollo introduces the sibling gods Poseidon, Hades and Zeus, who also are as annoying in their manipulation of Ganymede and humanity as Apollo himself. While the gods are shown to be lacking in emotion and understanding of the concepts of humanity, they somehow are developing an interest in the “mouse” they have caught in their “trap”.
What befuddles the mind is the sudden desire Ganymede develops to see how far his own emotions can be pushed in this game of cat and mouse. When he discovers he can leave the garden by going mad, the thrill of the escape is lost on him. He simply surrenders to the will of the gods and becomes content with spending an immortality with Apollo (whom he pities).
I wanted to like this manga; I wanted to keep reading the series. But when even the author admits the story was not meant to be “wrapped up”, I feel like the author is acting on whim and continuing the story for monetary gain or because publishers want more.
I can see leaving a story open to interpretation, but the majority of Olympos is spent debating philosophical themes of existence, purpose and self-reflection. There is not much to interpret: the gods who are bored have stolen a human for their own interest. Now said human decides to stay partly his own amusement and partly because he has given up.
While I respect Aki for investigating these themes in a manga, I find the long introspections and debates of the characters to be rather boring and pointless.
Olympos is one manga series I would recommend be bought on Kindle, as it doesn’t earn a spot of honor on my bookshelf.
At first, I was heavily invested in the story and the development of Ganymede, the main protagonist in the manga. He is a clear victim of the wiles of Apollo, a “thing” merely taken and dropped in a garden to bring the gods a form of entertainment. He is justly angry at Apollo, and goes through the same emotions any human would go through if they were found to be toys of the gods. But near the middle of the manga, Ganymede simply seems to give up and the focus of the story shifts to Apollo (who I find to be a rather bland and annoying character).
This shift to Apollo introduces the sibling gods Poseidon, Hades and Zeus, who also are as annoying in their manipulation of Ganymede and humanity as Apollo himself. While the gods are shown to be lacking in emotion and understanding of the concepts of humanity, they somehow are developing an interest in the “mouse” they have caught in their “trap”.
What befuddles the mind is the sudden desire Ganymede develops to see how far his own emotions can be pushed in this game of cat and mouse. When he discovers he can leave the garden by going mad, the thrill of the escape is lost on him. He simply surrenders to the will of the gods and becomes content with spending an immortality with Apollo (whom he pities).
I wanted to like this manga; I wanted to keep reading the series. But when even the author admits the story was not meant to be “wrapped up”, I feel like the author is acting on whim and continuing the story for monetary gain or because publishers want more.
I can see leaving a story open to interpretation, but the majority of Olympos is spent debating philosophical themes of existence, purpose and self-reflection. There is not much to interpret: the gods who are bored have stolen a human for their own interest. Now said human decides to stay partly his own amusement and partly because he has given up.
While I respect Aki for investigating these themes in a manga, I find the long introspections and debates of the characters to be rather boring and pointless.
Olympos is one manga series I would recommend be bought on Kindle, as it doesn’t earn a spot of honor on my bookshelf.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 10, 2021
I'm honestly not really sure when I first began to read this manga, but today I have finally finished it... or have I?
This story can easily be written off as poor because of how cryptic and strange it can be as well as how very loosely it is based off of its own source material (with apologies and warning by the author herself). However, this manga is actually quite thought provoking and I can't say that I fully understand it having read through it all just once. Perhaps if I could think of what questions to ask, I may be able to guide myself to the answers a bit better. But I think that for now, I'll leave that to my future self.
As for my other thoughts overall, even though the lack of an end for an ending is underwhelming to the point of being unsettling, it is somehow fitting as well that the gods and the immortal mortal would choose not to rush to their ending with their limitless time, but to savor what little snippets of bliss there is at the moment.
Honestly, there is so much to unpack in these two volumes/one omnibus that I'm not sure if I'm ready to do so. But I know I'll be adding this to my personal collection for some time.
The author kept apologizing for her art but I find it beautiful, especially the colored pieces. Art is subjective. It doesn't have to be perfect. As a matter of fact, art is in its perfections just as much as its imperfections. Though it is a pity she couldn't illustrate 100% of what she had envisioned.
This story can easily be written off as poor because of how cryptic and strange it can be as well as how very loosely it is based off of its own source material (with apologies and warning by the author herself). However, this manga is actually quite thought provoking and I can't say that I fully understand it having read through it all just once. Perhaps if I could think of what questions to ask, I may be able to guide myself to the answers a bit better. But I think that for now, I'll leave that to my future self.
As for my other thoughts overall, even though the lack of an end for an ending is underwhelming to the point of being unsettling, it is somehow fitting as well that the gods and the immortal mortal would choose not to rush to their ending with their limitless time, but to savor what little snippets of bliss there is at the moment.
Honestly, there is so much to unpack in these two volumes/one omnibus that I'm not sure if I'm ready to do so. But I know I'll be adding this to my personal collection for some time.
The author kept apologizing for her art but I find it beautiful, especially the colored pieces. Art is subjective. It doesn't have to be perfect. As a matter of fact, art is in its perfections just as much as its imperfections. Though it is a pity she couldn't illustrate 100% of what she had envisioned.
February 14, 2018
A relatively interesting manga featuring Apollo, the sun god, along with some others (such as Poseidon, Zeus, Hades, and Artemis). Apollo has taken a young boy from Troy and keeps him in a special garden belonging to Zeus. The boy, Ganymede, can never escape the garden, even through death. At the beginning of the manga, a young archaeologist makes an appearance, but is not in the rest of the manga, which seems like a wasted character. At some point, Apollo visits a temple where people have crafted a statue in his image (although it looks nothing like him). When conversing with a girl that is meant to be a sacrifice, Apollo learns what people really do and expect from the gods, something he was not really very aware of.
While the art in this two-volume omnibus is very stunning, the plot is rather lacking. There are characters that have the reader questioning why they are even used at all, and there's not anything linear to the story, for the most part. There are various tangent plot lines that do not seem to match the initial story. While the art is stunning, the plot could have been developed further. The most interesting plot line is when Apollo converses with a girl who is meant to be a sacrifice to him. If the plot were more about the gods and their interactions (or lack thereof) with humans, it would have been more interesting. Overall, worth a one-time read but not something I need to keep or read again.
While the art in this two-volume omnibus is very stunning, the plot is rather lacking. There are characters that have the reader questioning why they are even used at all, and there's not anything linear to the story, for the most part. There are various tangent plot lines that do not seem to match the initial story. While the art is stunning, the plot could have been developed further. The most interesting plot line is when Apollo converses with a girl who is meant to be a sacrifice to him. If the plot were more about the gods and their interactions (or lack thereof) with humans, it would have been more interesting. Overall, worth a one-time read but not something I need to keep or read again.
October 17, 2024
The two best moments of this manga were opening it with anticipation for the first time, and finally (FINALLY) closing it. Never before this has a single volume taken me 11 weeks to finish. This was a SLOG. Yes, the art is phenomenal, and one of the primary reasons I purchased the book, but even the visuals failed to captivate me after so many pages of the same faces, clothing, expressions, setting...
The story was broadly incomprehensible and also littered with recycled jokes about being incomprehensible which was amusing until it was infuriating. I do think that much was lost in translation to English, but even that won't account for this disjointed nonsense.
I booked marked all of the pages with author's notes, because Aki is an adorable person. They write about how people receive this manga... "Ideally, I'd like for us both to reach a place we like, but I shouldn't hope for too much, huh? :) I should probably aim for an 'it's not all that bad'."
I so want to give it that, "it's not all that bad," but I may need to let it marinate a while before I am able.
The story was broadly incomprehensible and also littered with recycled jokes about being incomprehensible which was amusing until it was infuriating. I do think that much was lost in translation to English, but even that won't account for this disjointed nonsense.
I booked marked all of the pages with author's notes, because Aki is an adorable person. They write about how people receive this manga... "Ideally, I'd like for us both to reach a place we like, but I shouldn't hope for too much, huh? :) I should probably aim for an 'it's not all that bad'."
I so want to give it that, "it's not all that bad," but I may need to let it marinate a while before I am able.
April 28, 2019
So I was looking for a Greek mythology themed Manga when I stumbled upon this beautiful cover. The inside as far as the artwork was also fantastic and if I wanted to take photos of all the panels especially with most of Greek gods. Now with the plot, I will have preface to say there is a trigger warning with cutting and suicide from what I can tell from the panels it was not a visible trigger but it was discussed. In addition, to this there was a couple of instances where I was tad confused about where the plot was going and where a certain character ended up going. Its definitely a lot more philosophical than I was anticipating but to me it was allright also the ending felt very ambiguous though apparently according to the author that was her intention which is fine. Because of these points I have to give this manga a 3.5-4 out of 5 stars this is definitely one that I cant wait to reread if not just the art but to understand the plot better.
May 8, 2023
"That which one interacts with affects us", seems to be the summary of this manga to me.
Ganymede, son of Troy, has been stolen away by the gods and granted immortaliy, but time is long and lonely.
Apollo is bored out of his mind and seeks a mental challenge, wishing to understand this mortal's despair and antics. "Cruel", is what both myths and Ganymede call him. But how can one who needs no food or prayer understand a human connection?
There is little to no plot to this book. It's all about perception, truth, but also subjectivity and the concept of gods. I liked the second part in this omnibus better than the first, since it asked more interesting questions. I liked Hades' standpoint.
Recommended if you like pretty artwork and philosophy. Discouraged if you're looking for action or a concrete ending - Ganymede gets no resolution either, except in perspective.
Ganymede, son of Troy, has been stolen away by the gods and granted immortaliy, but time is long and lonely.
Apollo is bored out of his mind and seeks a mental challenge, wishing to understand this mortal's despair and antics. "Cruel", is what both myths and Ganymede call him. But how can one who needs no food or prayer understand a human connection?
There is little to no plot to this book. It's all about perception, truth, but also subjectivity and the concept of gods. I liked the second part in this omnibus better than the first, since it asked more interesting questions. I liked Hades' standpoint.
Recommended if you like pretty artwork and philosophy. Discouraged if you're looking for action or a concrete ending - Ganymede gets no resolution either, except in perspective.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 93 reviews
Can't find what you're looking for?
Get help and learn more about the design.