King of Bandits Jing: A steal of a deal

Humorous, strange and, action packed are three words that most accurately describe the manga King of Bandits Jing. Filled with fun and excitement, and unlike most shonen manga is the sort of manga that doesn’t take itself to seriously. It goes for a more fun then serious tone and delivers on fun, rather then a sophisticated storyline. The story is short and simple, but at the same time clever; creating amusing series that sets it’s own limits. Though it’s style prevents from being bestshonen to pick up, it’s original and, entertainment allows it to stands out from a crowd derivative titles that exist.

One thing the manga does to make it stand out from the pack is it’s art style, a style which is very different from the average shonen artists style of art. The first thing that jumps out to you when you read Jing is how much it’s creator Yuichi Kumakura enjoys to draw backgrounds. It is clear that Kumakura puts special care into most of the backgrounds (with the exception of a few fights with action lines). King of Bandits Jing is filled with sprawling background (especially cityscape’s) which show immense detail, but don’t look artificially computer created and hyper realistic like in such as inmanga as Apple Seed. Kumakura, also seems to enjoy drawing monsters and machines, which shows with ample variety of creatures employed with the stories. The character design really is a mixed sort of design, which has a set of both advantages and disadvantages that comes with them. On the one hand the character’s appearances for the most part are different from othershonen titles. On the other hand the lanky character design and, interesting appearance of the characters limits the facial expression possible and, makes for some what stiff art (though no where as stiff as the art in Fist of the North Star). My overall biggest complaint with the art would be that it seems too mesh to well together, makes it seem as though the character were mostly added into a background later. It’s nice to see art for a change that focuses less on character’s design and more on background. I would prefer; however a more equal balance of focus and quality like that of excellentmanga like Lone Wolf and Cub, it is still nice to though to see extra attention to the backgrounds (especially in a Shonen manga).

Another element that sets King of Bandits Jing apart is that the stories are typically comprised into short stand alone tales, lasting around around half a volume long. These tales are simplistic and, typically involve the confident heroJing (the king of bandits hence the title) and his wise cracking crow Kir hunting for a rare objects. On the way they usually end up helping others in need on the way by foiling a sinister villain of some sort, who is usually protecting or attempting to find the object thatJing is seeking. To defeat the enemy Jing employs his wit, a concealed blade and, the ability merge Kir with his arm to create a powerful blast known as the “Kir Royale.” The plot outline is pretty formulaic, however the Kumakura makes the best of this formula by employing creative antagonists and, interesting treasure for Jing to capture. Throughout, the series Jing most face off against a humanoid clockwork, chicken’s mercenaries armed with huge mallets, a living casino, a killer volcano and, variety of other monsters on his adventures. What is also interesting is the variety of environments the story takes place in including: deserts, mountains, a castle, hills, and various cities just to name a few. Though the story is simple and the concept never changes much or evolves,Kumakura does a great job keeping the story seeming fresh even though it repeats often.

Where story has the most problem is characterization is very weak. Even the heroes lack a real depth of variety, and emotion; ending up as have lacking emotional depth.Jing as hero goes has good basic personality traits, he is heroic, brave, and a bit of a rebel at the same time. He’s the average heroic personality, not to interesting, but his personality gets the job done well enough. Where Jing as a character has the most problems is his lack back story, little is explained in Jing about his life or his relationship with others (though perhaps their may be more on this in the sequel, King of Bandits Jing: Twlight tales). Jings partner Kir has more of a personality then Jing and, it is amusing to watch him wise crack and flirt with the various women in the story, though he too lacks a real back story. The various supporting cast and the villains are pretty standard and, unambiguous or interesting personality wise. The villains typically are evil because they are greedy and/or inhuman, not due ego, need, mistakenperception or, personal trauma. Many have distinguishing factors, however they overall lack a distinctive personality that would be worth exploring. The supporting cast typically have goals such as finding treasure or, to protect others from the villain and, don’t go much farther then that. They are okay, but don’t really add much to the story quality; forcing the plot and interest in the appearance of villain and, henchmen to lead the story. Thankfully King of Bandits Jing keeps it’s story short to cover over some of the weak characterization of the series.

King of Bandits Jing is a great manga despite it’s many flaws, it offers a fun and creative story. It’s very premise, however holds it back from being an excellent manga. However, it is well worth your while if your looking for something quick and easy to read. It wouldn’t be one of the first shonen manga’s I recommend, though its format makes it easily accessible to pick up and is good for all ages. I haven’t read any of the sequel King of Bandits: Twlight tales, but have heard good things about it so I look forward to reading it. If you happen to have some extra cash and, are looking for a entertaining manga then this is the manga for you.

Film Noir meets Manga: Benkei In New York

Benkei In New York is probably the Manga (and perhaps comic) that best represents the film noir style. The art, story and characterization all are perfectly in tune with the film noir style. From the shady background and characters dressed to the nines, to the dark unrelenting story with a grey sense of morality, Benkei In New York seems to fit in all the many great elements of a Film Noir. This is definitely a niche Manga, however if Noir is your thing this Manga will leave you more then satisfied.

Jiro Taniguchi captures the story perfectly with his dark and detailed artwork. The art is modeled clearly off of film, with a variety of panel sizes and angles. It also mimics realism present in the genera with a realistic character design. At the same time it takes advantage of the manga style to capture the expressive nature of the characters faces. The imagery stands out so well, that it many times can stand completely. The best example of this occurs in the story “Throw Back.” Perhaps the most shocking element of the work is the immensely detailed moody backgrounds. Jiro is clearly a master in the art of shading; his work is filled with a variety of shades and hues despite being in black and white. The art of Benkei In New York is stunning and one of the best (if not the best) of it’s kind.

Benkei In New York has a story stuffed full of various elements taken from the Film Noir genera. Although each story has the main character Benkei perform a different task, all the stories revolve around the theme of Benkei giving out various forms of revenge. New York is portrayed as a dark, crowded and lonely place filled with desperate people and criminals, just as it is in many Film Noir films. Each story is written so that it stands alone from the others, Benkei’s and his girlfriend are the only real reoccurring characters. The dialogue and pacing of the story both resemble a film noir film as well, with dialogue like, “You like the night?” “It’s more honest than the day,” being commonplace. If you love film noir or, dark short stories then Benkei In New York is the manga to read.

The characterization in this manga is what really allows its stories to be convincing. Although Benkei seems to very skilled (he is master forger, revenge hit man, and barman) the way he is written in a way that is believable. He is neither an entirely good nor evil man; though he ends up helping some people his methods are brutal and cruel. Neither is he a content man, he rarely smiles and typically has a gloomy expression on his face throughout most of the stories. Benkei is very much like many leads in film noir; both gritty and humanistic. Although a few targets of Benkei are truly evil most of them are ambiguous figures, which have made questionable choices. The same is true for his clients who many times higher him to brutally murder, making his clients just as dark as his targets are. The characterization of Benkei and the people in the story set the dark mood of the story up and allow it to seem at the same time convincing.

Benkei In New York is pretty much a series of short Noir films in book form. Everything in its design emulates classic Film Noir movies. This is definite the type of book that’s either a love or hate. If you have any interest in Film Noir this manga is a great choice to pick up (even if your not a manga fan) and, will not disappoint. However, if you dislike Film Noir despite the great quality of design of this book it probably isn’t the manga for you.

Stream Detectives: A guilty pleasure

Steam Detectives is a work that borrows from numerous works and styles. It’s a fun and thrilling Manga, unafraid of using ideas to create it’s own work. It owes a lot to Batman and Steampunk classics for many elements of it’s plot and style. Though it is not always the most creative, the dialogue is at times campy; the content filled the stories and, villains are imaginative and entertaining. Something about it is appealing to me despite the problems and it is miles ahead of many Manga that are released currently with more original content.

One of the reasons I first was interested in reading this work was the art. The art is hard to describe, it has a very unusual art style that works well for it. The art style is very cartoonish, but in a different way then in a Tezuka manga. This style allows for complex facial expression and good dimensional prospective, but it also limits the sense of mobility within the images. The backgrounds in this story are hit and miss; many times they are absent or just shades of black and/or action lines. Other time the backgrounds are incredibly detailed, when they are they do a great job creating the mood of the story. When drawn in the backgrounds combined elements of Film noire, with Steampunk a match that works both seamlessly and perfectly for Steam Detectives story. The paneling is also done with care a special care and, is creatively employed to pace the story. The most creative element of this entire manga though lies in the print articles. The articles appear throughout the manga, they give details to the story, background on characters, are number in order and, even include fake ads. The art in Steam Detectives has its share of problem, but it is easy to over look them with all the good elements of the work.

The art is definitely is the strongest and most creative element of the work, the story of the work is the weakest and least original element of Steam Detectives. Despite being the weakest element Steam Detectives story is a decent one. The story style borrows from Batman many elements. The story revolves around the wealth boy detective Narutaki, whose parents were murdered by villainous Phantom Knight (who looks a lot like a evil Batman). Where the story mainly differs from Batman, is that Narutaki is that he is accompanied by the cute nurse sidekick Ling Ling and, her Megamaton robot Goriki created by her deceased father. Throughout the story he develops a rogue’s gallery of villains including his rival a master thief Le Bread, the evil nurse Lang Lang who is also Ling Ling’s sister and, at the same time Le breads lover, the mad scientist Dr. Guilty bend who is bent on destroying Goriki with his own megamatons, the female thief and master of disguise Red Scorpion and, Machine Baron a man obsessed with machines and who always is attempting to capture Goriki. Many of the stories have a much lighter tone then the typical Batman and, corny comedy is usually played up for laughs (many times with pop culture references) in a similar way to the anime Sherlock Hound. The dialogue at times is so bad or overtop that it’s humorous and resembles early super hero comics. For the most part this style works Steam Detectives advantage, though it can sometimes get in the way of the story. If your looking for new ground or, manga consistently as dark as comics like Batman you may find yourself disappointed. However, if you can deal with the camp and, don’t mind the borrowed story the plot is pretty interesting.

Just like in Batman it is the characters that set really create the interest in the work more then the actual story. Narutaki is likable and clever character; he has a more interesting personality then Bruce Wayne, because he isn’t constantly brooding upon his parent’s death. He still lacks as much personality as the villains, but for a comic book style hero he works well. Ling Ling doesn’t have much personality and is mostly used as a damsel in distress or for lighthearted comedy relief, but at least isn’t used for as a love interest or eye candy like many other women in comics. Le Bread and Lang Lang make for good rivals Narutaki and Ling Ling. Le Bread is clever arrogant, vein and clever, Lang Lang lacks the warm of Ling Ling and acts like promiscuous dominatrix. These traits suggest they suggest like Joker in Batman, that Le Bread and Lang Lang very are similar to the heroes, but they take the dark path of crime. The most dark of the villains Phantom Knight seeks revenges on Narutaki and Steam City claiming that Narutaki’s father killed his father. Phantom Knight is willing do anything to destroy Narutaki and the city he protects. Red Scorpion’s stories are interesting cat and mouse games between Narutaki and her within disguise. The Machine Barron also loves to use costumes and, it’s fun to watch his obsessive quests for machinery. He isn’t as interesting as some of the other villains however his neat costume and, the fact that he isn’t in many stories makes this okay. The most boring of the villains is the mad scientist Dr. Guilty who is simply bent on destroying the detective agency and Goriki, even his named is cliché (though I think this wasn’t done by accident). It is the villains that make this story so interesting and, it is clear that without the unique nature of the villains the story would be dull on it’s own.

This manga is carried by the creative nature of its art and villains. It parallels the Batman story in many ways, but has a much bigger emphasis on comedy and camp. Steam Detectives for the most part is not deep, however it is enjoyable manga in much the way a good American comic can be. If you enjoy Batman, but are sick of the extremely serious and soap operatic treatment of him currently, you’ll love this manga. If it sounds enjoyable it’s worth picking up, though it is hard to find this book now that it is out of print. I wouldn’t spend too much to pick it up, but if you can find a copy online or in stores for a reasonable price I suggest picking it up.

Disappearance Diary: You should find this book

There is no book released in America I have even seen that is similar in theme or art style found in Disappearance Diary. It is definitely a MUST READ for a number of reasons and despite being pricy and, hard to find is well worth finding. This manga is special for a number of reasons and, benefits by not done in the conventional way manga is written. It’s very accurate account, despite the manga’s own warning that it is a less unpleasant of the story it depicts, it does a surprisingly good job of conveying the true picture while keeping it self up beat. Azuma is a great storyteller because he is willing to share the facts regarding events even when it reflects negatively upon himself, and is able to poke fun at himself and the people around him that might normally seem glum.

The art within Disappearance Diary serves a different purpose that of typical of manga because it conveys a true story. Disappearance Diary has the challenge of both expressing humor and, at the same showing an accurate account of parts of Hideo Asuma’s life story, where many points would normally seem extremely depressing. The art does a surprisingly good job doing both at the same time without losing much impact of the events. To create a sense of comedy within art style is done in a chibi like style and gives off a warm feeling, even in very uncomfortable situations. At the same time it is realistic and, does well in depicting unpleasant elements such as alcohol problems, smoking, uneasy social interactions and, editorial pressure. What really hits you about this work is it’s use of facial expression, it is clear that the at least facially there is a strong influence from experience artists such as Osamu Tezuka (who appears briefly in the story). The backgrounds are pretty good and though they sometimes are somewhat absent, they are always present when truly necessary. The artwork is relatively simple looking, but underneath its surface is very detailed work especially for its genera.

This manga is a combination of a gag manga with an Autobiography of the life of the manga artist (and writer of the book) Hideo Asuma. The book is divided roughly into three parts; each part expressing dramatic points the in Hideo life. The first part of the story focuses on Asuma’s first abandonment of the world of manga and society, he does this by abandoning his house, work and wife (a fellow manga artist), to become homeless and, live in the woods. It is amazing how resourceful he is as he deals with problems such as finding food, cigarettes, bedding and, surviving. Eventually a policeman who is suspicious of him picks him up and, soon he is returned back to society and his job. The next section starts with him once again abandoning society and becoming homeless, now however he is much older then he was during his first abandonment. Eventually he receives a job digging up and fixing pipes (through a slightly crooked man who constantly asks him for money), where he describes his misadventures with other workers at his job. Eventually he returns to manga work after he can longer take his job current job working with pipes. After which it gives the back-story, a kind of like prequel to the first story explaining how he got into manga and, why he ran away in the first place. The third part of the story involves his struggle with alcoholism and his rehabilitation. What is most interesting to me about this life story is the objective nature of the stories. Asuma neither truly endorses nor rejects his choices. He takes an upbeat look at his life and, yet still is willing the to show more discouraging elements of life, such as alcoholic delusions and, a suicide attempt while still making these dark elements some how seem funny.

Characterization within the story is of a high caliber, because it is so realistic and, yet played in such s humorous angle. Characters have realistic personality flaws, which Asuma loves to pokes fun at. At the same time Asuma is not afraid to poke fun at himself and, examine his own many problems. Many characters in his work are not likable characters, such as gawking crowds, his perverted co-worker (while working for the gas company) and, various alcoholics, such as one who gives away everything he has for friends and, another who tries trick money out of other patients. At the same time many of these characters are pitiable and, few are downright malicious. Many characters that are even likable have flaws and, are not always the understanding of how Asuma is feeling. The characters are more personable due to their flaws and, it is nice for an honest account of Asuma’s life with an inclusion of his sense of humor.

“This manga has a positive outlook on life, and so it has been made with as much realism removed as possible.” Despite this quote by Asuma at the beginning of the book, there is still quite a bit of realism within it and, this realism though dark is made by Asuma, into something more amusing then most manga are. This sense of realism creates a connection between the reader and Asuma’s story. The mixing of his light take on life with the realistically dark vision of life creates a work, which grabs the reader’s attention. This is definitely nothing like anything I have read before and is much more then just a worthwhile buy.

Higurashi: Abducted by who? what? why?

Higurashi When They Cried “Abducted by Demon’s arc,” is not a pleasant manga (though I’m this is not hard to figure out), which will leave the reader with a empty feeling in their stomach for more then one reason. This creepy psychological horror manga leaves many questions unanswered, within a story that is both creating a creepy thrill and at the same time. It moves far too quickly and, ending with the reader puzzled about what they just read. I’ve never really been a big fan of most horrormanga, however despite this bias I think I can safely says that although Higurashi was an interesting read, I will not being reading it again any time soon. Despite my many questions nor will I be reading the rest of the Higurshi storyline either. Though parts of the manga are well played out and written, I have quite a bit of complaints both from a subjective and objective stance about this work.

Though their are few interesting elements to the art, overall the pallet of the work when one sets back and thinks about it isn’t very satisfying. The first thing I noticed when looking at this work was how artificial the style seemed, everything seems so sterile and bland, clearly lacking a organic look. Backgrounds are okay, on the one hand their mostly there and their done with a decent detail to most of them. The biggest flaw in backgrounds come during the horror scenes in which their is an over use the same sort of background, such a bland one of pure darkness. This lack of variety makes it harder to take the work serious, each time seeing the same thing it makes it far less effective. Overall the character design doesn’t help grab the eye, and seems for the most part fairly bland. The facial expressions in the work are limited and not believable alone, only adding to the lack of quality artwork. The work tries to be creepy, but it feels like it’s trying too hard and usually comes off as merely gruesome. Overall the work is passable, but pretty much the artwork is forgettable and clumsy.

The story is not as forgettable as the art, however some of the reasons the story is so hard to forget are not the good ones. The story starts out with theKeiichi who has just moved into a distant Japanese town. He speaks to the reader in 3rd person as he meets up with his new friends, the cute andditzsy Rena and, the large chested, cheery class leader Mion , as well as some other girls (who aren’t really that important to the story). The 3rd person perspective on the story at times is clever, overall though the main character doesn’t act in a introspectively manner and, although he questions things he jumps to conclusions far too often. The beginning of the story involves him and the girls acting in a cute and friendly manner, playing games like Rich-man, Poor-man. Their is only hint of what is to come, as a photographer mentions murders but only in passing, at this point it seems like the manga should be a cutesy love drama or comedy. Keiichi finds out that their was construction project in the town had been stopped and, later he discovers magazines about murders that occurred before he moved to the village. Something definite wrong at this point as Rena comes with a cleaver, claiming it’s to look through the trash pile (could it be any less mysterious something bad is going to happen). Soon the photographer gives even more info on the murders, at a festival though the story still retains it tame and cute nature for the most part. Finally though after a murder occurs in the town again, Keiichi decides to question his friend on why they have been hiding the murders from him.

This is where things start to move fast and begin to feel like they are rushing far too much, as the manga moves into a much darker mood. The murders according to the cop in charge have have a connection between Keiichi’s friends and the murder events. Keiichi is asked not to discuss with his friends his conversation as the cop discusses in more detail the events of the murders. Worrying about Rena’s safety, Keiichi confronts her about the murders and, is shocked when her personality (and appearance slightly) suddenly change and she becomes monstrous and threatening. Sickened and, made afraid for his safety after the encounter, he stays home pretending to be sick to avoid Rena. He is called by the detective about the murders, and learns of a legend about a demonic spirit’s curse on the town, while Rena behind the door hears his conversation.   After he has many creepy encounters with the girl’s where they later act unaware of their actions (especially Rena).  Soon Rena appears with Mion and both become possessed, they interrogate him about his calls and, then threatens him by telling him he should go to school or else. At this point things are to far over the top, first off if these girl could have been possibly be dangerous and involved with the murders or, be in danger from the murders why hasn’t the police done a thing about it? Why did it take so long for Keiichi to be confronted by possessing spirits? This surprising when first read it but, if one takes a step back it all seem hard to understand or believe.

At this point characters like the photographer or the other two girls that are his friend that seemed important at first never appear within the story again. Things get even more strange when Rena apologizes to him while at the same time following him, and warns him not to transfer like a past boy suggesting to him that the last boy got to nosy and was murdered by them. Keiichi, begins carrying around a bat, and has determined that the girls are after his life at this point. He mentions the spirit’s curse in a note to be written encase he dies and, prepares for the worst at any moment. Keiichi speaks once again on the phone to the detective where it is revealed that Rena was treated in the past for attacking students and damaging her past school. Keiichi is then attacked by a van, and then eventually two strangers (why this occurs  is never really explained), when he awakes after being beat up he finds Rena and Mion in his room. They both claim that the murders are caused by some sort of spirit, and inject him with something causing him to black out. The real kicker and, best part of the story comes when he awakens to find he has killed the girl’s and then writes a note trying to explain the situation as the police arrive at his home. At this point he shouldn’t waste time doing this as it is clear he looks insane nor, should he be that calm realistically. He then for some reason commits suicide by killing himself in a similar way as a past victim, by scratching out his throat while talking to the cop. At this point if you look back once again it just doesn’t seem well thought out or planned. So many things seem unanswered, confusing and over the top that it’s hard to begin to unravel what you have read.

The characterization begins as bland, and goes on to be more interesting and, at the same time more flawed and, hard to believe. In the beginning most of the characters have light and slightly empty form of characterization, Mionn the leader flaunting her chest, Keiichi is the main character that reacts to what the other characters do and who teases Rena, Rena has a special cutesy mode (she already doesn’t need one but whatever) and shy, his other two friends (which aren’t that important to the story as whole) are the trap laying Satoko Hojo, and nice girl Rika Furude. Although the characters are bland they work well enough, and with more time they could have been developed more down the comedy vein and have been decent. However, when the story changes emotions flare up and believability concerns of the writer seems to fly out the window. Rena and, Mion become monstrous at times, and yet don’t seem to realize it some how. You’d think especially Rena that they’d realize something was seriously wrong especially when you were treated for mystery emotions occurring during times where you bland out. However, they don’t seem to react when Keiichi is freaking out in any way or understand really why he is acting strangely. When they are possessed it is hard to determine their motivation and, whether they have anything to do with the murders and/or, what part of the murders they are responsible for.

Keiichi on the one hand, acts realistically panicked when suspects he is not safe. Despite this though he frequently jumps to conclusion too quickly, seems at times to be very dense. On top of that instead of talking to his parents or, speaking his mind to the detective about his problems he hides his problems. Due to a threat that could never possibly be upheld by Rena and Mion to harm him should he tell he keeps his mouth shut (though it is likely in his eyes that he will be harmed regardless if he speaks or doesn’t). It’s not as though Rena and Mion can always follow him, and if my life were in danger I’d do almost anything to protect it, including things like running away or talking to people, but Keiichi doesn’t even seem to think about doing either of which. His parents also don’t seem to be concerned about him enough either, when he claims his life is in danger to them they don’t force him to tell them whats going on. Then they leave town without him when he clearly is in distress and, perhaps ill. The best part of the characterization comes with the end, which is so sudden that it makes one question the sanity of Keiichi and, if he is either possessed or insane for parts of the story. Their are some good elements of characterization, however their are some major flaws that are easily apparent.

This manga seems like it was greatly inspired by British film Children of the Damned, however as a manga it is harder for me to accept the stories concept then as a movie (as unfair as this may be). As much as their are many good things about this work and it has some neat concepts, certain elements simply don’t make any sense. The ending the plot leaving too many question and is far to jumbled and sudden, catching the reader off guard in a unpleasant way. These flaws plus a lack of interesting art keeps this manga from getting it’s full impact, and after reading the manga it seemed confusing and unpleasantly tense, then really scary. Most of all this manga doesn’t fall into the category of well written manga, nor does it fall into the category enjoyable. It just ends up as un-nerving, gruesome at times and, forgettable save for a few interesting elements, making it definitely worth skipping unless your a die hard horror manga fan. If you looking for a tense thriller with madness, suspense and, a well written plot I’d suggest instead picking up MW instead.

A great catch: Hunter X Hunter

Their are many famous shonen titles recognized in the United States for their exciting fast paced adventure such as One Piece, Naruto, Bleach and a few other titles considered to be well known. However is some other manga in the thus style created in a relatively similar way and deserving of attention that are overlooked and seem to slip to the cracks for the most part. Yoshihiro Togashi is a writer that is commonly over looked in this way within the United States, his works like Yu Yu Hakusho and this weeks review Hunter x Hunter both deserve more attention then they get in the states. It is strange that these manga are so overlooked because of their many similarities with other great Shonen titles. Perhaps this may be in part due to delays in book release of Hunter X Hunter due to the many times it has been put on hiatus in Japan by it’s author or the flooding of the market with this sort of material with similar more well know material. Despite these similarities it clear Hunter X Hunter is no derivative titles like Fairy Tale, and definitely on par with other titles and is worth taking a look at.

Art is weakest element in this work and still has plenty of charm despite the shortcuts taken in it’s drawings. The biggest weakness the art is it’s background, which either are non-existent or is long and endlessly sprawling onward and easy to reuse for the most part(though well detailed and many times not easy to draw in the first place). Many times crowds or, groups of people are made into bunch faceless masses, something that doesn’t belong except in a scene of alienation. One shortcut that does work tomanga’s advantage though is it’s occasional switch to humorously exaggerated facial expression, it uses this trick even more then what is typical for shonen manga. It is clear Togashi has studied prospective deeper then the typical artist with the use of unusual close ups on things like people running or on the eye of a character. However, the most impressive feature of this work is it’s character design, where every character including passing characters seen only once and minor characters have a interesting appearance. This sort design characters reminds me of the detail in character design found in all great major shonen manga. However, it may be the most stylish of modern shonen manga and has facial expressions that are definitely very profound. It is clear that this manga has learned a lot from both modern and past shonen titles when creating it’s art. It also takes it’s own path sometimes with great success, however it is hampered occasionally by it’s lack of background and corner cutting practices.

theme of overcoming incredible odds. The series starts with the introduction of Though the story is by no means ground breaking it definitely contains a solid premise fun premise (like One Piece), while having smart writing (like Naruto) and the common shonen. Gon Freecss the son of the famous hunter Gin as he begins his journey to take the hunters exam, in hopes of following in his fathers footsteps. However, because difficulty of being a hunter, as well as the fame and wealth that typically is attached to the title, becoming one requires the passing of extreme test that only the toughest can even enter. After Gon Leaves from his home on whale island on a ship driven by the captain through some of the most stormy sea’s, the storm ends up driving everyone on the ship seeking to take the exam, save the captain and two others who team up with Gon, the vengeance seeking Kurapika and goofy doctor Leorio. After a long and difficult journey they make it the exam, only to find it is so difficult that it make the chunin exams look like a picnic. At the exam they end up meeting Killua Zoldyck a young, but powerful assassin who joins up with them. They also meet up with a cast of various other participants and examiners such as the murderous examinee Hisoka and the energetic old chairman Netero. The exams is filled with variety of creative tests and shows off the great writing of the work, putting characters through many special challenges. Some of these challenges include creating sushi for a finicky hunter specializing in cooking (only one of them even know how to create it and she doesn’t like his cooking), surviving a test involving agreement as a group with a saboteur and miles long running through an underground, and after that through a swamp filled with man eating creatures. The story has much of use of brains of over brawn’s, though their are many exciting action scenes and fights, however the mind games and puzzles are even more thrilling. The one thing I could say bad about the series is that the characters fail to react in a shocked way to extremely violence (however this is common in shonen manga). The story is creative and does what it sets out to do well, it may not be revolutionary but it is definitely different from the typical shonen manga.

The characters within the series are fairly typical of shonen characters, and it is clear that characters jobs are to push the story forward. First off the main character carries a strong will determination to do the difficult and never gives up on his dream, this is common of many shonen manga. Gon overall isn’t the most interesting character, however his carefree gentle determination sets him apart, from many of his more blood thristy friends. Luckily the series is not based so much around him as it is around plot, and the group as a whole they travel through a fantastic world. Killua is perhaps the most interesting character because he is so hard to read emotionally. He is shown to be both a blood thristy killer and, at the same time gentle, kind person at other times. These feelings constantly are waging war within him making it hard to tell what he will do or how react next. Leorio is also an interesting character as well. He impatient, has many pitfalls and the least talented physically of the group but makes up for it in determination and effort. He first claims his goal is to get rich, but later it revealed that he seeks to use the money for a far less selfish reason, he seeks to help others and become a doctor and use the money to help people. Kurapika on the other hand is the typical revengeful character, he is seeking vengeance against a power group of criminals know as the Phantom Troupe and will stop at nothing to destroy them. He is typically though gentle and cunning but doesn’t particularly stand out. The characters are mainly enhance the story and allow for the exploring of the complex world.

It’s surprising this manga hasn’t caught on as much as others of it’s kind. It’s art is unique and interesting, the plot well crafted and thought out and, it’s characters extensions of the brilliant story. I’m definitely glad I picked this manga up, and am surprised that I never heard of it until a short while ago. Hunter x Hunter is definitely better then most shonen manga out their and is just as good as other popular manga in the U.S. like One Piece and, Naruto are. If your big Shonen fan you have to pick this one up it is definitely one of the greatest modern (or of all time for that matter) shonen manga’s ever. If not then I would check it out any ways though most likely you won’t find it any more likable then any other major shonen title.

Something Different:Tsubasa Reservoir Chronicle

I’ve never been the biggest fan of manga team of CLAMP, something about their work never seemed to click with me. That is until I read Tsubasa Reservoir Chronicle, a manga that despite it’s problems is overall interesting. This manga has many ups and downs with some parts the story becomes less exciting or predictable, however overall the story has the ability to draw the reader into it, allowing the reader to over look these flaws in some cases. It’s use of detail also helps to make up for some of the stories major flaws and the manga has earned my respect for CLAMP’s skill. However, it may not have the same on all people as it’s story had on me and, despite not requiring the background on other works by CLAMP it is helpful to have some understanding of them to fully appreciate the story.

The artwork in Tsubasa can be seen as decent for enough it’s job to propel the story as well as well crafted and inked and, refreshingly different from the average Shonen design. However the design can also be seen as overly simplistic, artificial feeling at times and out place in the shonen genera. Either view has strong evidence to support them, however whether you like the art or not has more to do with personal taste then solid fact. Clearly the art in Tsubasa was not CLAMPS primary concerned, but at the same time was drawn with a great deal of care and effort. One thing that is noticeable is the use of more Shojo like character design rather then average Shonen design commonly found. CLAMP uses similar character models and designs as it does in it’s previous works (many times even copying characters model designs). The means that character have strong personality traits, but weak ability to express complex emotion. The work backgrounds are simple and many time absent of substance, however they are extremely well ink making them look almost like they were created by a machine as oppose to hand drawn. The art is clearly well drawn despite it’s many holes and is cable of showing fantastic worlds as well as conveying a the complex atmosphere the manga requires. Overall the artwork flaws, but also interesting features creates a feeling duality about it’s content.

Where this work really excels and gets the readers attention is the story. The story revolves around Syaoran, a archaeologist and his childhood friend Sakura the princess of clow country. Sakura’s soul and memories have been scattered throughout a vast amount number of dimensions and Syaoran is determine to get them back for her. He is transported to the home (a astral realm) of Yūko who is the witch of dimensions. Their he meets the runaway magician Fay D. Flourite and the tough ninja Kurogane who is sent by Princess Tomoyo to learn the true meaning of strength. At this point two things become apparent, first off that the central plot overall is at best an average and predictable shonen plot (involving travelling to collecting feathers). The second and much more stubble thing is that CLAMP uses character from other series as basis for the characters in the story. The witch of dimensions and her assistant are the two main characters within XXXholic and Sakura, Syaoran and, Tomoyo all appear in Sakura Cardcaptors. This sort of cast system for characters is similar to the system used by the great Osamu Tezuka and are nice touches for those with any background in CLAMPS other works.

Although the plot is predictable and not interesting in and of itself, it allows CLAMP to create a interesting concept based around the group traveling through many types of worlds to collect feathers. To travel to these worlds each most give up a precious item to them, Fay loses his magical tattoo that allows him use magic, Kurogane his most prized sword, but the biggest twist is Syaoran’s loss the princess’s memory of him and her ability to ever remember him. This loss pays for both him and the princess, because it is also being taken from her as well. Now this makes a certain amount sense, however despite her memory of him being important, the mere fact he is helping Sakura should be reason enough for her to like him (perhaps even more then before). After they make their payments the group are introduced to weird, cute, white rabbit like critter (or Mokona Modoki) named Soel that translates for them and allows them to jump dimensions, while also acting as a feather detector. This is where the fun begins in the story as CLAMP goes from world to world in essence allowing them to explore a number of stories and styles. Each world has different scenarios that lead up to the discovery of feathers and the solving of someones problem within that world. CLAMP also is careful to avoid overstretching a story beyond it’s welcome, and for having both the heroes and natives of the land encountering the group of travelers react in a natural way. CLAMP also carefully composes it’s details, doing things such as having characters change of costumes in each world to blend in and, having identical but separate forms of the same person within different dimensions.

Chronicle’s is the type of manga that focuses on story telling and avoids making battle and conflict the primary feature of the work (though it has plenty of battle as well). Like Shojo manga it has a lot of use of cutesy comedy and a focus on the characters relationships. At the same time it places the characters into Shonen like situation (such as ghost hunting) and contests of skill like that found commonly in Shonen works. The overall plot moves slowly, despite the fast movement from world revealing elements of Sakura and Syaoran relationship before her loss of memory, as well as elements of Fay and Kurogane’s past. Eventually villains are added to the series, including a double of Syaoran and occasionally Seishirō, the one who Syaoran to fight, as well as a evil doctor. However it isn’t for a while that details are even given on many of these antagonists except that they want to stop Syaoran and the others from gathering the feathers. Overall the details of characters past, the mystery of the villains and fun of moving from world to world outweighs relatively bland central plot of the story and hopefully compels the reader to continue reading.

The biggest problem overall with this series are the characters personality don’t seem as deep as I’d like to see. Although characters have a few interesting traits that set them apart despite being very charming, something feels like it is missing. Character development is really a slow thing in this manga. Sometimes this is a good thing as slowly characters get know each other better and the personality of characters are expanded on, but other times you expect characters to change and interact at a faster and greater rate. Many of the shojo like elements including personal connection with characters could go deeper. For some the cutesy elements taken from shojo might be a turn off, while for other fun and refreshing, examples of this include Soel and Fay’s various nicknames for Kurogane. On the other hand the simple personality with strong basic traits found in shonen, such as Sakura and Fay drinking habits, and Soel’s 108 secret talents in the series may not fit right with some readers. These strong traits also create a variety of shonen like character types including the determined hero Syaoran, the tough and battle loving but distant Kurogane, the fun loving gentle Fay, the pretty and kind Sakura and, cutesy animal sidekick Soel. Overall the characters design of this manga is a compromise between the shonen and shojo style’s and although it makes characters interesting and fun, it gives them also a lack emotional depth.

This work is the type of manga that you’ll either love or hate, it’s fun, has a good story and, is cutesy, but also lacks in certain areas and, can be too slow in pace for some readers. Love it or hate it, it is well written and a lot of thought and care clearly went into the making of this series. It is the type of story that is good for some and for others not something they’d want to read. I’d suggest flipping through or even buying the first volume and reading. You just might find you want to read more and get hooked into the adventure.

The space western: Trigun Maximum

Most avid anime fans are familiar with the anime Trigun, however few realize there were two manga that followed the events of the series. The first catalogues earlier events in the series (and was released before the anime in Japan) and is followed up with the long running and one more independent from the anime, Trigun Maximum. It is a shame this manga series is over looked, because it is just as good if not better then the T.V. show for number of reasons. This manga deserves more credit and recognition then it gets, which is the reason I have chosen to review it.

The art style of the manga is somewhat similar to the T.V. show, however there are major differences in the art style that set it apart from the anime. Most noticeably different are the designs in the insurance girls Milly and Meryl, though just about ever character design including Vash has a special flavor adapted for the manga. The characters design in Maximum have a nice variety of physical and emotional traits that draw in the reader’s interests. The facial features are especially well draw, allowing characters to exhibit a vast array of emotion, whether it is comical to sorrowful or pensive the emotion convincing. What is most impressive about Maximum is its ability to come at you from ever-possible angle, as though the drawings were taken from stills of a film. Much like MW it uses a variety of angles and panel sizes to capture the action in many angles. Occasionally it tries to hard to be creative and images become confusing do to this detail, but overall the format works more often then not to its advantage. As far as background goes it is both complex and complete or (especially during action) a simple shade grey, black or action lines. Although, this helps add to the drama of the action and/or helps prevent confusion, it would be nice to see the same quality backgrounds a majority of the time. Overall the art is usually very high of quality and is a major boost to the storyline.

The Maximum quickly moves away from the T.V. storyline to create a thrilling story with more complication and explanation then was found in the anime. It still carries the same absence of a complex plot, however it’s simple plot allows for thrilling stories despite being somewhat unimaginative. The plot follows the hero Vash the Stampede who is wanted for destruction of a city and putting a hole in the moon. Vash is actually a super being created by humans known as a plant, plants carry immense amounts of power within the their bodies which can be harnessed as weapons or power sources.

Vash is plagued with trouble caused by his evil brother Knives (his name kind of gives away the evil part) who is disgusted with humans and seeks to destroy them, as well as convince his brother that humans deserve death. Knives forces Vash against his will to destroy a city, placing a high bounty on him. To make things worse Knives hires a powerful psychic who he cripples and who slavishly serves him named Legato Bluesummer, a transvestite (transsexual?) known as Elendira the Crimsonnail and a cast of elite assassins known as the Gun-Ho Guns.

Vash along with his partner Nicholas T. Wolfwood (a wandering priest/gunman armed with a giant cross gun) now Vash most seek out and stop Knives from destroying humanity. Vash most do this while protecting humans and harboring his vowed never to kill again as well as dealing those after his large bounty. Although the plot is very loose it is not the plot so much as the characters that make this story work well. An interesting element added in Maximum is the ethics of the use of the plants life force as power sources. This gives Knives more of a reason for his hatred with humans, but also he turns out to be little better then the humans, as absorbs his own kind for power. This creates an interesting ethical issue, however this issue beyond what the story can handle. The stories plot lack complex issues to keep it interesting on it’s own and it is up to the characters to create interest.

Where this story really stands out is the complexity many characters within it, both the heroes and villains are fleshed out far better then the anime. Each character has far more time in the manga to develop personality, giving you a clearer idea of their motivation and personality. The character that seems to benefit the most from this is Nicholas T. Wolfwood who is assigned by Knives to travel with Vash. Wolfwood is forced throughout the story to constantly to question his beliefs and action; he believes in killing as the only permanent solution to the problems he and Vash face from villains. Wolfwood is constantly frustrated by Vash’s unwillingness to kill and determination to save people. Wolfwood at the same time feels an inner guilt for those he has killed and at the same time is unsure about his position guarding Vash for Knives. Another character that is clearly differently treated is Legato Bluesummer’s, who appears more human and inhuman at the same time. His crippled nature, appearance and enjoyment in human slaughter makes him seem more monstrous, while at the same time he displays more emotion then in the anime such as jealousy and anger especially toward the top Gun-Ho Gun Elendira. Even Knives is given far more personality and importance in the story, though he still is an underdeveloped character.  He simply loathes humans and wishes for Vash to see humans as he does.

Characters behave also in the manga form are more believable behaving then in the anime. The Gun-Ho Guns for example have more internal disputes among each other and have their own personal objectives. Many times they even clash physically with one another. Maximum keeps much of the humor found earlier in the series, which helps to keep the story for always being to dark and brooding. Another nice change is the additional stories one-shot stories, which are just as well crafted as the main plot and just as enjoyable. The main problems in this work come for the vast and fast moving storylines which can switch from comical to serious and back relatively quickly. On top of that the reader is given a lot of story relatively quickly and much of it is important to remember.

Overall this is a thrilling tale, although the main plot is sub par the characterization and art make up for this by filling in the holes. Despite a few big flaws, this manga stands alone from the anime and features many important advantages that the anime lacks. It is intelligently written while still retaining a fast action packed speed. For those who liked the anime or simply like a fast and thoughtful story this is certainly a good read. For those who are not familiar with the Trigun series it might be good see the anime or pick up the first two volumes of the manga. However it isn’t imperative to watch the series or read the earlier manga understanding Trigun Maximum.

GO SOUTH: Fist of the North Star

The manga Fist of the North Star is considered by many manga critics as a classic among the senien genera of manga. In anime and manga form, it has received much recognition and was the fifth highest selling of Shonen Jumps weekly works in 2007. All these awards however cannot hide the ineptitude of this manga. Nothing about it from the moment you see the cover is appealing and for many reasons this manga  left me with a bad taste in my mouth after reading it.

As stated above, this is one book you can judge by its cover and should be avoided despite being very detailed and crafted. The art is indeed detailed, however it is overly detailed work in certain areas, however this only presents the weaknesses of the art more clearly. It would have been better for the work focus on it’s big picture then to prematurely get the details right. Many pages have very simple backgrounds or simply lack backgrounds at all. This lack of background is common of manga with artwork that is lackluster and, is often a good indicator of the quality of the overall work. Most works with this sort contain complex and carefully planned backgrounds, even works which aren’t so good such as Apple Seed have better backgrounds than Fist of the North Star. It is a clear sign that corners have been cut in the artwork when the backgrounds are poor. Despite many tricks the artwork boils down to poses and is stiff lacking fluid movement. Sure there are some nice scenes (such as a flip being played out in a single panel), however as a whole many drawing seem lifeless underlining the lack of work on the overall picture. Though the art seems like it could have potential if it were more lively and, less corners were cut, it is clear it lack basic elements that are necessary to be of quality.

The most problematic thing about this work is the character design, which is disturbing and repulsive and, immediately turned me off just by looking at the cover.  The basis for character designs of Fist of the North Star seems like a take on Western character design, making the comic appear more like an American comic book by Frank Miller then manga. This design type might not have been a terrible thing if it was done some other way (though this is still not likely), however the way characters are draw is simply ugly in an extremely disturbing way. Most of the characters including Kenshiro the hero end up looking like ugly muscle bound biker rejects from Sin City or another brutal American comic. A majority of the characters seem inhumanly ripped; making the few more human looking character seem out-of-place despite being more realistic (more on this later). The cut and dry art style lacks emotional depth within the characters faces, allowing the faces to express only toughness, greed and/or anger. Fist of the North Star’s art constantly not only fails to convince the reader of the emotional integrity of the work, it also only brings out the weakness within the story with all its creepy reclusive character anatomy.

The ugly art is still barely better than for what passes (or more likely fails) in Fist of the North Star for a story. Within the first few pages there are problems with the story that can be spotted. The story begins in a world ravaged by nuclear war (in 1998 for some reason), where the world is barren desert wasteland and humans are the only animals left. This brings up many problems that are left unexplained, first off how can humans some how survive without animals on a desert planet, where water is nearly impossible to find? Secondly how did humanity survive this nuclear war while everything else died? What sort of war was this, what started it and how did it end up making the world a desert (since when did radiation created deserts)?  Why do humans still have jeeps, and yet lack any gunpowder or more other more advanced forms of weapons? Lastly why is humanity filled with so many incredibly ugly men that love to do reckless evil (such as killing and enslaving normal looking humans) and have muscle that looks like they were directly fed by steroids or inflated like balloons some how? It would have made more sense not to include this under developed back-story at all and simply set this in a science fiction world (such as in Trigun) then this weak premise.

The story goes on to introduce the hero Kenshiro a mighty martial artist who is the successor to the ancient, “Hokuto Shinken,” a powerful technique that blows people up from the inside. Basically the plot revolves around him going around killing in cold blood other muscle bound opponents, who enslave and kill innocent people. Many of these villains take up the command of higher up like a Colonel or King who for some reason rule them. There is no questioning of Kenshiro’s mass murder spree, despite the fact that it is only excuse for acceptability is because he is killing supposedly to protect the innocent. The villains also carry almost no remorse for their actions and seem to lack any sort of humanist or redeeming emotion for explaining their actions. You’d think that the only remotely humanist kid sidekick of Kenshiro, Bart would be a breath of fresh air; however he is simply just as an annoying character for some reason as the rest of the cast (perhaps because he idolizes Kenshiro and is generic). Sprinkled into this mess is silly martial arts dialogue that sounds like it belongs in a bad dub of a low budget Hong Kong martial arts film. If this dialogue were in a more pulpy book which was less pompous and, gruesome story this type of speech might be amusing, but in here it’s just plain stupid. Stick this together and, you get some one of the most unpleasant, worst crafted and, un-imaginative stories of all time (which is saying quite a bit for a manga). Their is enough reasons already stated give this story a skip this at least twice just because of the story, but wait theirs more!

It’s hard to say much about characterization separate from the story, because characters lack almost any personality traits. Everyone in the story is either a bad ass or a helpless oppressed person. Kenshiro is only different from the villains in three ways, he fights for those in need, he never shows any fear and, is more confident in his abilities then arrogant (though he is very very cocky). Most villains are toadies who pick on the weak and serve a slightly tougher (but just as stupid) leader. The leaders in both the stories I read (yes it pains me to say I read two complete plot lines) are practically the same character in personality; both are power hungry and believe some how that their evil deeds are justifiable for some non-explained reason. I’d have been surprised that they were both leaders, if it weren’t for the fact that their henchmen are just as moronic as they are. Both the King and Colonel villains act like slow-witted and selfish children, they simply take what they want and treat others without any sort of remorse. Overall Fist of the North Star characterization is so poorly done, that having the characters act like logs would have a better than personalities given to them in the manga.

With unappealing art, an underdeveloped (or perhaps non-existing story) and some of the worst characterization I have ever seen, I’m amazed this is considered a classic. This is one of the most clichéd, needlessly violent and boring manga I have ever read. The two arcs I read were are almost identical in tone to each other, and providing I never enjoyed the first story within the first story arc, the second was even harder for me to read through. The best short description of this manga I can give it is that it is tedious, bloody and overly pompous. Nothing within this manga beyond how unpleasant it is to read really memorable at all for me. Avoid Fist of the North Star believe me it’s not worth reading no matter how many awards it has received.

Samurai deeper kyo: not too deep

Samurai manga typically is some of the highest quality of manga; it has detailed and unique art style, complex and/or action packed storyline and, incredible characterization. Samurai Deeper Kyo couldn’t be farther from these elements sadly; it fails in all these elements despite its best efforts. Nothing in this manga is really bad as much it is mediocre in ever section, except characterization, which is lousy. The biggest problem with this manga is that it gets certain details all right, while the rest of the manga’s elements suffer. This is truly in no way a great or revolutionary work, but it is better then some other Shonen manga.

The first thing to note is that the artwork has sections that are pretty good; sadly for the most part the art is merely decent. One thing that makes this work good is the variety of main characters, however many characters have far too similar facial features. Though this doesn’t lead to confusion it does make the art rather dull after a while. The action also at times can be interesting to read, however typically the manga suffers from a lack of motion within the images and over use of posing. The best of the art work usually involve close up stills of the character with a detailed shading work, at other time it is clear this manga cuts corners with an average quality of art work. The scenery also has a variety of quality, from detailed background from full city streets, to totally absent backgrounds and occasionally the characters look as though they don’t belong with the background. Overall when this manga is at it’s best it looks fairly interesting, however these well draw scenes are far too infrequent. This makes the art typically nothing special to look at.

The story is even sketchier in quality compared to the artwork, rushing the exposition to make it the next fight. The story begins with the introduction of Kyoshiro a slightly lecherous, goofy medicine man carrying a huge sword. He comes upon the female lead a bounty huntress named Yuya Shiina who tricks him into being captured. At first she believes he is the legendary killer “Demon Eyes” Kyo (we all know where this is going). Soon after she drags him into a town and goes after two criminals then it is revealed that he has Kyo’s soul in him body and he suddenly becomes a master swords man. Soon they meet up with Izumo No Okuni, who knew Kyo before and is in love with him and Benitora an ex-member of a gang of elite assassins sent to fight Kyo.

The story’s up to this point has had less intense battles compared to the rest of the story and more focused upon exposition, which is typically contain little beyond light humor which is hit and miss and battles with various thugs and assassins met on the road. At this point in the story three big flaws quickly becoming apparent before even finishing the first volume. First off it is clear that the writer has run uses for Yuya besides as a comedy relief used for typically bland humor about her anger (which I find very sexist). Secondly the plot is clearly in most stories merely a tool to get to a battle with some opponent for the heroes battle. The worst flaw however is the lack of interest in the outcome of the storyline, Kyo (shiro) and his friends for the most part are dull and the fights out are never surprise. Kyo and his friends seems to powerful and never once is challenge in any of his battles within the five volumes I read.

After many battles where Kyo for a short time makes his appearance, but Kyoshiro get back his body by the end of the battle, things change. In the obvious and sadly clichéd way this book behaves often acts, it isn’t long before Izumo forces Kyo to be in control and traps Kyoshiro in his body. Though Kyoshiro is the not most interesting or original characters he is far more interesting then Kyo who is about as boring as characters come. Kyo is a psychopathic murder, which does what most murders do in poorly written stories, brood and act tough as nails every panel. It a good thing that at this time the most interesting character Yukimura comes to make up for Kyo’s lack of personality and push the plot along by offering Kyo information on his bodies location in return for the Shogun’s head.

Soon Kyo encounters a ninja named Mahiro who attempts once and a while to assassinate him claiming he murdered his sister (another unoriginal type of character), but never gets close and ultimately has little role to play in the story. Kyo, Benitora and Yukimura enter the tourney; sadly for the most part this interesting chance for action is wasted as most of their opponent, seem like wimps in comparison to the heroes. The only challenging battle come with Yukimura who most fight his brother who works for the Shogun, despite the Shoguns murder of their clan. The only other interesting element that comes up is when it is revealed that the head of ninja’s is actually the Shogun who ends up escaping, killing the fake Shogun. After Kyo has a battle against Yukimura that he wins again (sadly), it is revealed Kyo’s body lies in the Aokigahara Forest. He then most kill the God Shoguns and seek out his body. Overall this story at this point get really old and with disappearance or Yukimura, my interests in reading on ward likewise disappear.

The biggest weakness of this manga lies within the mostly poor characterization, in which most characters are comedy relief’s and/or bad asses. Almost no one in the manga is worth caring for and most of the heroes are just as evil or greedy as the villains. Kyoshiro is occasionally worth a chuckle, but for the most part he is stereotypically a sleazy coward. Kyo on the other hand is a psychopath who only enjoys killing it seems, beyond that he shows little unique qualities. Benitora is a failed attempt to replace Kyoshiro when he disappears and ends up being just as crazy as Kyo. I’m not sure how the author expects you to care about a team of heroes that are so tough they aren’t human and don’t carry human qualities.

Just as bad is the female bounty huntress who quickly becomes a comedy relief and has no other purpose in the story beyond always being pissed, but being fan service and complaining about the men calling her a flat chest. Why she should be so greedy to follow Kyo for his bounty, despite being clearly be far below his level and almost being killed in her travels him is a mystery to me. The only character that is interesting is the second replacement Kyoshiro, (when the writer realizes Benitora is not funny) Yukimaru, a cheerful, lustful and comical drunk who also seeks to avenge his clan. Unlike the other characters he isn’t crazy and has human qualities and flaws that make you feel for him. What doesn’t make sense is why a swords master like him needed Kyo’s help, with his abilities he should have been powerful enough to kill the shogun himself. What does makes sense that he leaves the gloomy group and goes to compete his mission on his own after the tournament.

Overall this manga is not one of the worst manga’s I have ever read however it is clearly is lacking in many elements, most noticeably characterization. If it were always as good as it’s best elements this manga would be great, however typically it is far for excellent and uses too many short cuts. As far as samurai manga goes this manga is one of the worst I have read, but for a Shonen manga it’s above the average (such as Fairy Tail). This manga is good, but when buying manga, good is simply not good enough to be worth your money. My advice go buy some Vagabond, Lone wolf and cub or Blade of the immortal instead.