Tohru Fujisawa; an infamous name in the manga world due to his popular series, GTO. Now with his new series, Rose Hip Zero, he has plans for more action and epic battles to the death.
Previously in Rose Hip Zero, Volume 1: Kyoji Kido is back on the Job as an anti-terrorist police officer after taking a short break. Joined by his new partner and former ALICE member, Kasumi, Kyoji plans to take down the entire ALICE organization and their leader, Zero.
In this volume a lot of questions are asked and there are more and more mysteries: Kasumi’s identity comes into question as the assistant commissioner recognizes her while she guards him from a potential ALICE attack. What connection could Kasumi have to a child whose genes have been altered and was then sent to Japan by Nazis during WWII? But just as we ask this and other questions, two members of ALICE attack the assistant commissioner and taunt Kasumi into a trap.
My oh my, what a trap! The constant action is so grand and over the top, it makes my blood boil with anticipation of how the battle will end up. The realistic art style is beautiful, especially when there is a fight going on. When a battle takes place, Fujisawa does his best to show a grand amount of eye candy. He does so with enough precise camera angles and details to make them the envy of some high movie quality stunts.
The new characters are a bunch of kids but they have strong beliefs in their organization. With Kasumi’s new vow not to kill her former comrades, it becomes an emotional struggle in the heat of battle. Kyoji Kido almost feels useless in this volume as he is taken out as soon as the battle begins. At the very end, however, he gets back up out of the hospital bed with some of the worst injuries he has ever had and rams a van at high speeds into the enemy. The new mysterious organization related to the Nazi child experiment, EIN, is still unknown, which leaves me wanting more.
This volume is an example of what I was talking about in my previous review; Fujisawa is a great artist. It shows in what he has been able to do with his latest title. My expectations of him are satisfied after reading volume two because it proves that he can make an epic battle when it needs to be epic.
Although the comedy is little to none, when it does surface, it’s definitely there and very over the top. The real problem is that these characters are not Onizuka. So, laughing so hard on the train that people look at you funny isn’t going to happen this time.
Likes
- Over the top action
- Environment and objects that look photo realistic.
- Detail to traps
- Physically and mentally strong characters
Dislikes
- Nothing comes to mind
Rose Hip Zero is not a perfect series, but I love every minute of a good Fujisawa manga. I really can’t bear the wait of the next volume so TokyoPop if you’re reading this I want more now!
I give Rose Hip Volume 2: 4/5
Thanks Tokyopop for letting us review Rose Hip Zero Volume 2!
Good review.
I do have a question not really related to the review, but you said:
“Tohru Fujisawa; an infamous name in the manga world due to his popular series, GTO.”
I haven’t read the GTO manga nor have I seen the anime or live action, but I have read reviews and descriptions about them. I am curious as to why you use the term infamous. Since I am not familiar with any back story with regards to the manga, what happened to make him infamous?
Tohru Fujisawa’s style of comedy has strong uninhibited sexual remarks that goes so far they could only show GTO on the Showtime channel.
so i strongly say that if you are interested in GTO make sure you’re mature or over 18 years of age.
@ Carey
First, let me apologize for being so nit-picky. Also, I do not mean
any sort of disrespect, since you are the author you have the right
to choose what words you want to use.
However, to me, the word “infamous” is rather strong in this
context. The definition according to Merriam-Webster:
Main Entry: in·fa·mous
Pronunciation: ‘in-f&-m&s
Function: adjective
Etymology: Middle English, from Latin infamis, from in- fama fame
1 : having a reputation of the worst kind : notoriously evil
2 : causing or bringing infamy : DISGRACEFUL
3 : convicted of an offense bringing infamy
After doing a quick check on the web, I could not find any real bad press for
either Tohru Fujisawa or GTO. When I hear infamous, I think of Hitler as
an infamous world leader…okay, an extreme example. On a lesser plane,
I think of Morton Downey, Jr. (no relation to Robert) as an infamous radio
and TV personality. But from what you’ve written and from what I’ve read
on the web, Fujisawa-san and GTO aren’t infamous…controversial perhaps
due to the frank nature of the language used.
Again, my apologies for the nit-picky nature of my comment. As I said
earlier, I did think the review itself was good.