I also have never read the manga but let me say, without 10 minutes, I could not stop watching. The story was riveting. Beware, it can get a little gruesome at times. But I thouroughly enjoyed it. Ninomiya Kazunari, I had seen before in Ryusei no Kizuna before. Matsuyama Kenichi was in Norwegian Wood. So I was familiar with the lead males. The story does go quickly and a lot of details are shown so don't turn away for a minute. Some things are not explained but I guess that would be the disadvantage of not reading the manga. An interesting story for any Sci-Fi fan.