The Tenpo Era was a time in Japan when misfortune upon misfortune was heaped on the land. In Ghost Slayers Ayashi, which takes place in the volatile Tenpo Era, life might not be getting better, but some spirit-busting secret agents are making sure it doesn’t get any worse.

Ghost Slayers Ayashi Manga Cover

Plot Summary

It is a tumultuous, dangerous time for Japan in the era of Tenpo. Famine and desperate living conditions have fanned the fires of insurrection, making all of Edo a powder keg ready to explode. To make matters worse, youi, harmful and evil supernatural creatures, have invaded the city and the surrounding areas, threatening the locals.

But a secret organization, The Office of Barbarian Knowledge, stands against these malevolent spirits. The agents of the Office are men and women skilled in magic and combat and are ever vigilante. They are responsible for protecting mankind from youi. They are Ayashi.

Review

Ayashi has a lot of cultural history bound up in its pages. It’s much like taking a superficial peek back into an era of Japan that doesn’t get much face time in anime and manga. It’s part of the appeal of the manga that the backdrop feels authentic. And then the manga brings to life traditional Japanese myths and supernatural creatures, just as they’ve been portrayed in stories for centuries, and invents a society to fight them.

The society itself has agents who also employ a few abilities which hark from the native mythos in their combat techniques. The Office and the spirits are tied together to make a story in a time that never was but could have been, with a little magic.

Manga Panel 01

The manga is a fun read that’s not too deep, not too dark, nor too sedate. There’s action to go around in the pages, and just enough mystery to have a “Gotcha!” moment or two in the stories. Some things blindside readers with twists and turns that come out of nowhere. The groundwork for some of these moments are laid so deftly, there’s a moment of “Oh, yeah, shoulda seen that one coming.” Especially in the last story of the manga.

Story

Ghost Slayers’ premiere volume is laid out in two stories. The first introduces readers to the Office’s members, and their top agent, Yukiatsu Ryuodo, aka, Yuki- a seemingly indolent, lazy man in his late thirties. Yuki and the other agents of the office track down all rumors concerning supernatural occurrences and search for the truth in them.

If the rumors prove to be youi, the agents must find the best way to defeat the creature. The bulk of the story however, is dedicated to discovering who or what is the cause of the problem. After the culprit is found, it’s go time, and the agents then show they have what it takes to go head to head with noxious fiends. Ayashi is both detective story and action/ adventure, and invites readers in to share in the investigation by offering up sympathetic, believable characters.

Character Development

It’s easy to connect with the characters in the stories in the way they’re portrayed. Their background and motives are clearly defined in their words, facial expressions and actions. Motives are key to solving any mystery and the characters in Ghost Slayers all have plenty and are explained well. The only folks without a motive for their actions are the Ayashi.

Why they do what they do is unclear, but who they are is given little by little in small interactions and conversations here and there. Yuki seems very much to be the layabout he appears to be, but there’s more to him and the rest of the Office that hasn’t been inked yet.

Character Design

Manga Panel 02

The manga has taken the Tenpo Period and created it as faithfully as can be hoped for in a manga, with creative license taken with a few of the youi. Men wear kimono, women are styled with traditional fashions and tatami abounds.

Most of the people are drawn more realistically than not, and are heavy with expressive details. Characters, have, well, character in Ghost Slayers. People have wrinkles, smile lines and scars. The expressions are easy to read and are abundant. Tiny little touches like these make the characters more human, more able to connect with, not to mention it makes good art.

Art

Yaeko Ninagawa inked Ghost Slayers and did a very fine and clean job of it. The art is as expressive as the characters themselves. Ninagawa has a good eye for lighting and perspective. The pages don’t feel flat or dull, they feel dynamic from the readers point of view.

The line weights are delicate, which give the pages a light feel. Darkness is not pervasive in the manga, but the panels which are dark are unique in the way they’re varied. Some panels are defined with different types of block shading, others with cross hatching and others a combination of the two. It’s a style that is consistent in its high quality and clean detailing which doesn’t feel heavy or smudged.

Production

Ghost Slayers has two pages of translation notes in the back of the manga along with a few excerpts of the manga in the original Japanese. Free kanji practice!

Conclusion

Ghost Slayers Ayashi is a manga that’s easy to get into and fast to finish. The stories read like mini supernatural mysteries from feudal Japan and are intriguing culture lessons to boot. I like the way minor characters feel “real”. And I like that even though I’m not Japanese and living in the Tenpo Era, I’ve got a front row seat to some mythical Tenpo action.

Rating

gets outta 5 Hammies!

Retail Info

• Publisher: Bandai Entertainment
• Release Date: September 16, 2008
• Retail Price: $9.99
• Paperback: 200 pages
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 160496006X
• ISBN-13: 978-1604960068

Now, the manga-ka is back, and he’s writing and drawing the latest installment in the growing Afro Samurai franchise.

Afro Samurai Manga Volume One

Plot Summary

For those who wish to gain the power of a god, they must possess the Number One headband. But to become Number One, they must first own the Number Two headband. Only Number Two can ever challenge and duel Number One.

When the son of the current Number One watches as his father is cut down by Number Two, a shady gunman named Justice, the boy, Afro, swears revenge, no matter the cost. And the cost is high indeed. Where ever the now grown Afro goes, death follows.

Afro now journeys to confront Justice and reap his vengeance. On the road to Number One, Afro encounters assassins, warriors and samurai who try take his place as Number Two. As he leaves a trail of bodies in his wake, Afro comes that much closer to confronting Number One. Nothing personal…it’s just REVENGE.

Review

Charge!!!

Afro Samurai may take a bit of getting used to for some manga readers, mainly due to its unconventional styling and format. For veteran manga enthusiasts, this may be more bothersome than for one new to manga. Indeed, my first reaction was that Afro Samurai felt more like an American comic book than a manga penned and inked by a native Japanese manga-ka.

For starter’s, the book reads left to right instead of the original manga format of right to left. The manga also has splashes of color throughout, not just in a few pages before chapters. And the style itself is a departure from the generic doe-eyed, tiny-mouthed lithe character designs of many manga. Okazaki, the manga-ka, created Afro Samurai with highly stylized, deeply detailed, and very dark designs.

Story

Afro Samurai has a stylishness both in art and story that sets it apart from the world of traditional manga. The storytelling borders on American graphic novel, as does the art, but the dialog pulls it back towards manga. Afro Samurai bridges two worlds, graphic novel and manga, and belongs to neither, although it’s technically manga.

The story is one people can easily follow, and doesn’t have any deep moments or psycho-analyzing of motives. It’s not one we’re drawn into or relate to. The story is like driving through a scenic place, albeit in this instance, a very graphic, very bloody place. There’s not much connection, only base entertainment in the form of action, bloody action and more bloody action.

Character Development

Unapologetic lead characters in stories are usually a good change of pace from weepy-eyed, angsty, divided ones, especially if said unapologetic characters are right bastards. Afro is an unapologetic bastard, and is vastly more interesting because of it.

Given Afro had a wretched childhood, it’s understandable he’d have issues. But his condition goes beyond “issues”. He’s dead inside and only his need for vengeance keeps him upright. He’ll kill anyone, anyone at all, if they seem the least bit in his way, and he doesn’t care about the rivers of blood he creates because of it.

The only development for Afro we’re given is the snippet of background in the first few pages of the manga. All other characters besides Afro are transitory at best, and serve as scenery or sword-fodder. But development need not apply to butt-kicking stories of cold-hearted “heroes” bent on personal vengeance, thus none is evident in the manga so far.

Character Design

After the battle...

Character designs are very stylized and expressive. The characters at first glance are hard to make out, but further study proves them to be emotive and detailed.

The backdrop of the story is a mix of two worlds- ancient Japanese and Doomsday futuristic. Men wear kimono and eat oden from vendors alongside warriors equipped with high tech projectile weaponry and guidance systems. It’s Mad Max meets Yojimbo.

Art

Takashi Okazaki created highly graphic designs for his manga. The characters are simultaneously detailed and blurry, defined and smudged. Copious amounts of black shading fill in most panels, and fine hatchet work details the rest. The lines in the manga are finely inked, and nary a heavy stroke can be found in the book.

While everything is inked in shades of dark gray and black, red is also used to highlight blood. The contrast is a nice departure from the colorless warm shades of gray typical manga boasts.

Production

The manga is a great culture bridge for Western comic book fans curious about manga. It has enough style to lure in the manga-intrigued, and even reads the same direction as graphic novels, but it also tosses in some cultural references, such as oden and kunai.

In the back of the manga are translation notes breaking down by chapter and page number what the terms and words mean and their cultural context. Also in the back are a few pages from Okazaki’s original Afro Samurai doujinshi.

The actual manga itself is well executed. The paper is a good weight, and doesn’t feel cheap or flimsy. And the cover has a decent heft as well, giving potential buyers at least the appearance they’ll be reading something worth the effort.

Conclusion

Afro Samurai, Volume One doesn’t read like a typical manga, translation notes and reading direction aside. The story itself has a Japanese theme, but doesn’t mesh with the over-exaggerated moments and “feelings” of its manga-brethren. It feels much like an American graphic novel, but has something that keeps it from being a graphic novel just as it has something that keeps it from being traditional manga.

The melding of two worlds makes this manga something unique and worthwhile. If you like to while away your time with highly stylized and graphically violent themes, that is.

Rating

Afro Samurai, Volume One gets3.5 gets outta 5 Hammies!

Retail Info

• Publisher: Tor/ Seven Seas
• Release Date: September 2, 2008
• Retail Price: $10.99
• Paperback: 108 pages
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0765321238
• ISBN-13: 978-0765321237

Plot Summary

The mighty Kingdom of Britannia has invaded the islands of Japan in the Imperial Calendar year 2010. Britannia has conquered this once sovereign nation within a month, and has stripped it of its privileges, rights and even its name. The country previously known as Japan is now simply called Area Eleven, and all its citizens are dubbed Elevens by the contemptuous Britannian settlers.

Code Geass Volume One Cover

One Britannian, however, loathes his home country and the oppression it perpetuates. Lelouch Lamperouge, a native of Britannia, has a burning desire to crush his homeland, but can’t let his hate be known lest he too share the fate of the Elevens.

He’s impotent to stop the pain and suffering he’s surrounded by, until the day he saves a mysterious girl, C.C. who grants him a strange compelling power.

Lelouch dubs the power, Geass, and sets about gathering allies under the assumed identity of Zero. But Lelouch’s childhood friend, Suzaku Kururugi, disagrees with Zero’s violent and dangerous solutions to the Britannia problem. Never knowing that the man under the mask is his best friend, Suzaku tries to thwart Zero and to simultaneously change the way Britannia treats the oppressed Japanese.

While the citizens of Area Eleven initially cheer Zero, they soon find out, along with the Britannians, that Zero has his own agenda. What Zero’s true plans are have yet to be revealed to the populace, but his methodology is frighteningly obvious- woe to those who stand in the way of Zero!

Review

The first two volumes of Code Geass- Lelouch of the Rebellion are enjoyable, but dragged a bit in places. The story is somewhat unique, the pacing is decent, but a few of the characters take it down a notch. There are bright spots in the manga, and there are some bits which need some additional polishing. The art is good and clean but somewhat stereotypical. Overall, it’s a mix of yeah and meh- not bad, and just shy of good.

Story

Code Geass Panel

The story is entertaining, though not very compelling. It’s unique enough, but feels recycled in places, and reminiscent in others. The angle of giving powers to an angst-ridden teen is nothing new. But the actual power itself is fairly inventive. There’s a balancing act of averageness in Code Geass that tips in favor for the manga rather than against it so far, but the cons keep the story from being gripping. One of the strikes against the manga are some of the characters.

Character Development

All the scenes with Lelouch are vibrant and energized, but whenever Suzaku makes an appearance, things become slow and shallow. Lelouch comes across as headstrong and determined, with a cause so ingrained in his being, it practically oozes from his pores. His purpose is clear, which makes the story where he’s involved concise. There’s focus surrounding him, and that focus drives the story. He wants change, he gets power to make change, he makes change, and carnage, but does he get what he really wants?

Lelouch draws readers in. He’s committed to his cause, enough so that he does some of his own dirty work. Lelouch has a saying, “You can only shoot if you’re prepared to be shot“, and he adheres fairly well to his motto. Though, he’s not above making others get their hands dirty as well.

Code Geass Volume Two Cover

Then in comes Suzaku. His behavior is too idealistic and empty to be anything but annoying thus far. He has a very hazy plan for accomplishing his goal of change, which coincides with Lelouch’s, but Suzaku’s way of doing things is far too simplistic to ever work in reality.

Suzaku himself is complex- he’s athletic and well trained, but hates violence and thinks he can create meaningful change on his own. Suzaku drains the energy from the story at times, averaging out what could be a fantastic story into one that is average. He’s a pacing sink, slowing down the action with his, “violence-is-bad-let’s work-this-out-with-words” spiel.

Other characters are either pawns or scenery in the story and are less interesting than chess pieces and shrubbery. Lelouch is the main attraction, and while he’s violent and manipulative, his convictions keep him sane, and interesting, for now.

Character Design

Character designs are a mix of militaristic/colonial-European and typical futuristic anime. Uniforms are a nod to when the word “empire” meant something to the world, i.e. mid-1800’s. The anime influence is evident in non-uniform style clothing by the large amount of decorative straps and buckles which have no apparent function other than looking good. The clothes do indeed, look good, so let’s hear it for straps!

Code Geass Panel Art by Majiko!

The characters themselves are in line with character designs from the anime, which were created by CLAMP. People are drawn with overly long arms and exaggerated hands and necks. The giant eyes and pointed faces are generic anime, however. The general feel is also generic, but not in too negative a way. The unique character designs by CLAMP, coupled with the generic feel of most everything else in the manga, average out the designs to “fair”.

Art

The art, down by Majiko! is much better than average, though. It’s the one truly fantastic facet of the manga. The lines are super sharp and airy. Pencil lines are light and shading is done with an eye for drama. Nothing is ever too dark, however. All the panels are laid out well and everything drawn therein is crisp and identifiable.

No smudged scenes are evident, no heavy hand with a black marker. Just clean art telling the story.

Conclusion

Code Geass- Lelouch of the Rebellion is not a bad manga, but so far it’s not great. It’s good, but has its share of bad moments. I want Code Geass to get better since the manga has the potential for being fantastic. Lelouch has it in him to be a compelling character, albeit a violent one, who connects with audiences by his convictions and ability to act on them. Suzaku, on the other hand, may end up sinking Lelouch’s boat on its way to glory.

Rating

Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion, Volumes One & Two, get 3 outta 5 Hammies!

Retail Info- Volume One

• Publisher: Bandai Entertainment
• Release Date:August 19, 2008
• Retail Price: $9.99
• Paperback: 180 pages
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1594099731
• ISBN-13:978-1594099731

Retail Info- Volume Two

• Publisher: Bandai Entertainment
• Release Date:November 5, 2008, 2008
• Retail Price: $9.99
• Paperback: 180 pages
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 159409974X
• ISBN-13:978-1594099748

Plot Summary

D has been hired by the mayor of Tepes to investigate a surge in paranormal activity in the village. The small town has been plagued with suspicious activity that resembles that of the Nobles. And the source of trouble may be too close for comfort.

Overlooking the village is a hill crowned by a research facility built by the Noble’s some thousand years ago. Ten years ago, four children were abducted and taken to the facility, three were returned to the village unharmed, sans memories of the incident.

Lina Sween, a gifted and promising student headed for the Capital, was among those kidnapped. She resolves to help D anyway she can, although she may be part of the problem instead of the solution. D manages to unravel part of the mystery and comes face to face with his own hidden past.

Review

Vampire Hunter D Manga

Volume Two of Vampire Hunter D falls short of Volume One. It’s mushy where Volume One is solid, dull where One is keen. The concept isn’t bad, but the execution leaves something to be desired.

The dialog in this volume is not good. In fact, it’s the main reason why this volume drags. But blame cannot be laid entirely at the feet of the mangaka, Saiko Takaki. Nay, the manga closely follows the light novel, down to the dialog and illustrating how beautiful D is described as being- over and over and over.

A fair sample of the stellar back and forth: “Nothing wipes that scary look off your face, does it Mr. Serious?”, “Quit your tomfoolery!” and “Wouldn’t being a Hunter’s wife be a total thrill?” Albeit most of this is coming from Lina, would it have been hard to translate it into something more modern and readable?

The manga has thus far been painstakingly faithful to the books, emphasis on the pain. Unfortunately, while Kikuchi’s ideas are inventive, his novels read like poorly done pulp shorts from the ’50’s. Whether that’s on him or the translator is unknown.

Faithfulness to source material is commendable, but taking an original concept and transcending it is a homage to a writer, mangaka or artist. The mangaka has done as well as can be hoped for considering the books are very visually worded. Kikuchi’s ideas should be illustrated throughout, since that’s how they read- like scripts or screenplays.

Story

Vampire Hunter D Panel

The story in Volume Two doesn’t draw me into the world like the first Volume does. I feel like a passerby in the manga, not really paying attention to the shallow events unfolding in front of me. Just passing through- nothing to see here!

If there had been more character development, more focus on just one aspect of the story, I would have felt more attached to the story. As it was, it went by far too quickly with minimal development.

Character Development

Lina is annoying. Although she doesn’t come across as moe, she’s a hindrance in the story. I cared for nobody in this volume, except maybe D, and even he seemed a bit slow on the uptake this time around.

Art

Saiko Takaki

The art in Volume Two is disappointing. It’s muddier than the initial volume, and is distracting and smudged in places. Some scenes look quality, while others are hard to discern. The drawing isn’t nearly as good throughout and consistently as Volume One.

Conclusion

Vampire Hunter D, Volume Two is disappointing. It’s disappointing that more wasn’t done to improve upon the original story and the dialog and disappointing that the art went down in quality.

The ideas are unique, and should be penned so that a wider audience can appreciate Kikuchi’s vivid imagination.

Rating

Vampire Hunter D, Volume Two gets 2 outta 5 Hammies!

Retail Info

• Publisher:Digital Manga Publishing
• Release Date:July 9, 2008
• Retail Price: $12.95
• Paperback: 200 pages
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1569707871
• ISBN-13:978-1569707876

Afro Samurai is chock full of action, as page after page of combat flies by. This would be great – if only I could actually see all of that frantic activity. The panels are so dark and murky it’s difficult to decipher what’s going on, except for when someone’s head goes flying off into the distance…

What do you think about Afro Samurai in manga form? Do you like him better than the anime?

Thanks to Super Hero Hype for the tip!

Are you a Gatchaman/Battle of the Planets/G-Force fan? If so, what do you think about the (short) clip?

But for manga which really get my attention, I put aside my fear of winding up in an endless loop of rereading. One of those series which not only caught my attention but tamed and domesticated it, is the ever popular Death Note by Tsugumi Ohba and Takeshi Obata. One volume was all it took to lure me into reading all twelve volumes as quickly as time and money would allow. And then rereading it. Again. And again.

Plot Summary

Boredom can be deadly, at least that’s how it turns out when a shinigami (death god) decides he needs a little excitement in his life. The shinigami in question, Ryuk, casually drops his death note into the human world, with instructions on its use scrawled in English on the inside cover:

* The human whose name is written in this note shall die.

* This note will not take effect unless the writer has the subject’s face in their mind when writing his/her name. Therefore, people sharing the same name will not be affected.

* If the cause of death is written within 40 seconds of writing the subject’s name, it will happen.

* If the cause of death is not specified, the subject will simply die of a heart attack.

* After writing the cause of death, the details of the death should be written in the next 6 minutes and 40 seconds.

The human who picks up Ryuk’s death note, Light Yagami, also happens to be bored. Light, a gifted student, sees the death note as his opportunity to change the world and make it a better place – and to rule it.

But just as Light is hitting his stride in reshaping the world by offing thousands of criminals, his efforts are confounded by the mysterious world renown detective, L.

L, who always solves his case, has taken on the challenge of uncovering the identity of the quasi-benevolent murder dubbed Kira (Killer) by the public. As the two go head to head, a dangerous game unfolds in which one misstep is a sentence of death.

Who will win this cat and mouse, or more appropriately, shinigami and human, game?

Review

The series is a fantastic essay on the meaning of good and evil, right and wrong, and how might may, or may not, make right. It’s scary too. Scary that a teen could do such things, scary that some people actually agree with his methods.

Death Note is one of the most compelling and riveting reads to ever hit manga. The convoluted reasonings, suspenseful moments, and heart pounding action provide enough mental exertion to wear a person out after just two volumes. And yet, the manga is so incredibly hard to put down, it’s easy to dive back into the series after the mind has taken a short breather.

Each chapter compels the reader to to uncover the answers to questions that snowball throughout the manga – Who was that guy? Will Light get caught this time? Has L finally got his man? What’s she got to do with anything? Are you serious?! Really?!! When and how will Light, if ever, get his comeuppance?!!!

The charm and allure of the series is the way it draws a person in – Death Note is a black hole which sucks the reader into its universe and keeps them there. The characters are what drives this phenomena. They’re so interesting and so well developed, people can’t help but feel something towards or with them. It’s impossible to be a bystander in this series. Readers almost immediately “choose sides”: L or Light. For a manga to elicit such definite reactions is nothing short of amazing, and that, in part, can account for its incredible, demographic-spanning popularity.

Character Development

Death Note has fantastic character development, enough so you cheer or boo the characters. Light is portrayed as a smart, handsome, hard-working and honest teen who wants to better the world. The flipside to that are his egomaniacal posturing and highly questionable methods.

L comes across as a brilliant, frumpy, asocial genius who takes on tough, unsolvable cases. His personality is unpredictable and almost undecipherable, and it’s difficult to decide if what he says and does is natural or all part of his master plan. He’s adept at playing on people’s desires and emotions to get what he wants to solve a case, which in its way, is also highly questionable.

L and Light really aren’t so different underneath their veneers, but they’re more like mirror images then exact copies. While their intelligence, true personalties and goals (world peace and justice) are almost a match, it’s hard to imagine two people who are further apart in terms of good and evil. They seem to define the other, and give Death Note that “can’t put it down” appeal.

Character Design

Character designs and style for the series are a good mix of realism and traditional manga. Some scenes have a touch of over-exaggeration, but most are done in an unique style.

The world of Death Note reflects that style and mostly takes place in Japan, with a foray into the world of the Reapers thrown in. The shinigami are the most interesting looking characters in the series, albeit the most undeveloped and boring.

Everyone else that’s a major character is in league with the Beautiful People. Even the bleary-eyed and ruffled L manages to look good in this series. The bad guys and the good guys alike, who share the spotlight, are attractively inked for the reader’s viewing pleasure.

Art

Lines are crisp and details aplenty, making the art on par with the story. The shading is also a win in that it isn’t over done, but is placed effectively to impart the feel of inner darkness and evil thoughts.

Takeshi Obata, the artist responsible for the incredible style of Death Note, did a sublime job conveying all the twisted emotions running through the manga. Light is significantly creepy in his expressions, even though he’s drawn well enough to make fans swoon.

Panel layout is also a plus as the full pages are used only for impact in a dramatic scene. Layout is a language, just like the art, and the usage in Death Note needed no translation.

Amazingly, Obata kept the art strong throughout all twelve volumes of the manga. Some scenes in some chapters may have been a little below the quality line, but overall the art stayed as robust as the story.

Production

The paper quality for the manga is better than most series, and is offset by beautiful covers.

Conclusion

Death Note is a series so good, so dramatic and so fun, it’s the one series I recommend to people who don’t read manga. They too can’t resist reading as Light tries in his crazy, yet well-inked, way to “make the world a better place”. However, I advise all who consider reading Death Note to buy as many volumes at once as possible and to take time off to read them all. Trust me, you won’t want to come up for air.

Rating

Death Note, Full Series gets 5 outta 5 Hammies!

Retail Info

• Publisher:Viz
• Release Date:October 10, 2005 to July 3, 2007
• Retail Price:$7.99
• Episodes: 1-5
• Language: English

Light ups the creepy factor and L gets directly involved in Volume Two of the Death Note manga!

plot summary

Light has hit his stride in offing his opponents, and he’s become more coldblooded in the ways he deals with his enemies. He strikes a huge blow to L’s investigation and has positioned himself so he’s more fearsome than ever.

As Light grows increasingly more confident in his abilities to dodge the police and turn them against L, L must try to regain the confidence of the NPA. He puts himself at grave risk to to gather their trust back and to keep the NPA moving forward in capturing Kira.

But Light has much more than L to worry about now. Light’s maneuvering has put into motion the involvement of an unlikely but highly talented detective; that of a bereaved fiancée of one of Light’s victims!

review

Death Note is an intelligent read, showcasing the fuzzy nature of good and evil, yet still has an exciting edge. Light’s sinister use of logic in getting what he needs, is frightening to watch. Instead of figuring out ways to curb world hunger or stop poverty, the kid’s using his brilliance to kill good people who are in his way of world domination. Some people may side with Light and his methods of achieving world peace, but peace brought by the sword will usually end the same way.

The pacing for Volume Two was slower than the first volume of the manga. The time Light spent dealing with one of the characters who opposed him felt too drawn out. Yes, it’s a dangerous situation, yes this person can unravel all of Light’s designs, but please, can we get this manga moving?

Aside from the lingering nature of one of Light’s dealings, the manga still entertained and elicited emotions. Right now, I despise Light. Not many manga can claim they draw such strong feelings from me. Light’s gotta go down, and I’m waiting for L to take that scary kid out.

Character Development

Light is growing ever more creepy. His viscous joy in killing those who oppose him is beyond the satisfaction of one trying to make the world a better place. It’s quickly escalated into a sick game he plays for his own sense of empowerment. Any sympathy I felt for Light’s cause went out the window after page 30.

L also is playing a game, but at least he doesn’t delude himself the way Light does. That honesty, as opposed to the sociopathic lies Light tells himself and Ryuuk, makes L an approachable character.

Ryuuk, the ultimate bystander in all of this, is the only one who seems to have any neutrality, but Light’s manipulations will undoubtedly draw the shinagami into the mix sooner or later, and my bet is sooner.

Conclusion

Light is a frightening character, the kind too subtle to be suspect, but the kind we hear about after they’re caught and the bodies accounted for. Just because he kills with a pen and a desire to do good, doesn’t make him a tainted hero, but a cowardly sicko. Any manga which engages people on a level like this and makes us rethink the boundaries of what’s right and wrong isn’t bad at all.

Rating

Death Note, Volume Two gets 3 outta 4 Hammies!

Retail Info

• Publisher: Viz Media
• Release Date:November 1, 2005
• Retail Price:$7.99
• Paperback: 200 pages
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1421501694
• ISBN-13:978-1421501697

plot summary

Boredom can be deadly, at least that’s how it turns out when a shinigami decides he needs a little excitement in his life. The shinigami in question, Ryuk, casually drops his death note into the human world, with instructions on its use scrawled in English on the inside cover:

• The human whose name is written in this note shall die.
• This note will not take effect unless the writer has the subject’s face in their mind when writing his/her name. Therefore, people sharing the same name will not be affected.
• If the cause of death is written within 40 seconds of writing the subject’s name, it will happen.
• If the cause of death is not specified, the subject will simply die of a heart attack.
• After writing the cause of death, the details of the death should be written in the next 6 minutes and 40 seconds.

The human who picks up Ryuk’s death note, Light, also happens to be bored. Light, a gifted student, is bored with the way the world is and bored with the never changing rottenness he’s surrounded by. He sees the death note as his opportunity to change the world and make it a better place – and to rule it.

Light first puts the death note to the test, and then begins to cut down the world’s most violent criminals. These mass executions don’t go unnoticed and are making the police concerned. Who’s killing so many criminals and how?

The police call on “L“, a mysterious detective who always solves his case, to catch the mass murderer responsible for the recent deaths. L and Light face off in a battle of wits and both vow to find and dispose of the other if it’s the last thing they do!

review

If this plot summary sounds familiar, it’s because it’s a word for word summary taken from my review of the Death Note manga, Volume One. No need to reinvent the wheel here, especially as the Death Note anime, Volume One is a faithful rendition of the manga, almost word for word. There’s some reshuffling of sequences, however, and some omissions and additions of minor scenes. The overall feel of the anime still captures the essence of the manga.

The first volume of the Death Note manga was fantastic, but volume one of the anime is in a word, superb. Madhouse Studios took panels from the manga and brought them to creepy life. Light is even more disturbing animated as he is drawn….

Character Development

An amazing amount of information is freely given in the volume, about Light’s motives, his connection with the police, and his twisted sense of righteousness. L is still a mystery, but there’s enough given to keep up his interest as a character. Light’s interactions with his family are a nice touch and add an even more sinister feel to his doings. It’s made clear Light will do whatever it takes to make the world a place he deems worthy, no matter the cost. So what does Light really want? A world free of crime and wrong doing or a world where he can rule supreme? Where are his priorities in regards to human interaction and how did this kid get this overblown god-complex?

This is once again taken from my review of the manga. The character development flowed a little differently when it was animated, however. It seemed to take a little longer to ripen, but was still very much evident. With so many images and colors assaulting the senses, the development blends into the visual nature of the anime and becomes more subtle. In the manga, I could grasp the development almost immediately. The pacing and development in the anime have a different flavor than the manga, just by it being anime. The shift is interesting and gives the anime more depth.

Character Design

Character designs adhered well to the original manga designs. There were tiny changes in the character designs by the studios, and they were actually for the worse. But the differences are so small, so minuscule, as to only be noted for someone really looking for them.

The color pallet was a good choice. I’m glad Madhouse didn’t use the colors on the cover of the manga for the anime. The desaturated colors used in the anime are much more expressive of the twisted story unfolding than the deeper ones used on the manga.

Animation

Madhouse did a jaw-droppingly good job with the animation. Motions were smooth, with no hiccups. To add a feel of “manga” to the series, some screens were split and paneled. The perspectives were intense. Emotions lit up the characters faces and were fluid. In one scene, Light’s eyes gleam fervently, burning with his sense of self-righteousness, as he smiles lazily, reflecting back on killing hundreds of criminals. The whole effect is über-unsettling, and that’s not easy to do with anime and be believable. Usually it’s just passable or laughable. I wanted to edge towards the doorway every time that kid went off on his “doing the world a favor” spiel. Good job Madhouse, you’ve creeped me out on a deeper level.

Music

I’m not a fan of the opening theme, “the World“, by Nightmare. It’s too pop rock for my taste. I was hoping for something more dark and sinister in an opening for an anime about mass murder. Something with subtlety. What accompanies the opening is too cheerful and pop-ish.

Same goes for the ending theme, “Alumina“, also by Nightmare. It’s too bright to be rock, plus it sounds just like the OP except with different riffs.

Voice Acting

The English voice cast has my vote as being pretty damn good. A few minor characters weren’t all that stellar, but Light and Ryuuk were pleasant and evocative. The Japanese voice cast is good as well so we kept the subs on while we watched. Honestly, either/or, the voice casts are both well done.

Conclusion

Sometimes a manga-to-anime translation is so bad, it’s impossible to recognize the manga underneath the ruins of the anime. So far, the Death Note anime has stuck faithfully to the manga, and made it even better than its source material. I’m actually torn as to whether or not I want to continue reading the manga if the anime is so close to it. The manga and anime are so good, however, I’ll make a note to set aside some time for both.

Rating

Death Note, Volume One gets 4 outta 4 Hammies!

Buy Death Note, Volume One DVD!

Retail Info

• Publisher: Viz Media
• Release Date:November 20, 2007
• Retail Price: $24.98
• Number of discs:1
• Episodes:1-5
• Run Time: 100 minutes
• Rating: T+ for Older Teens
• Language: English, Japanese
• Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
• Format: Animated, Color, Dolby, DVD-Video, NTSC, Subtitled, Widescreen

Todo Academy isn’t your typical Tokyo high school. It’s ruled by fighting, and The Executive Council (and the teachers) intend to keep it that way. Intimidating and dangerous, they practically rule the academy. But there’s another group – The Juken Club – whose members aren’t so focused on fighting…at least compared to everyone else. Throw a few supernatural elements into the mix, add some family drama, and you’ve got a recipe for ‘Tenjho Tenge’.

Some of the things to watch out for are: crazy brawls, near-death battles, relationship drama, ripped teachers (?), special fighting moves and supernatural swords.

After reading the first six volumes, I asked myself: “Is an entire manga series dedicated to fighting worth it?” My answer was “Yes…and no”.

Basically, Tenjho Tenge is one big fight, with some unique characters thrown into the mix. If you can follow panel after panel of devastating bouts of violence, you’ll probably enjoy it. Personally, I think the artwork is really strong and there are some interesting stories that are revealed between battles. But overall, I found it difficult to relate to any of the characters and found the violence a little repetitive after a while.

On a side note, there has been some controversy regarding editing that was done for the English release of the manga. I will admit – there are quite a few edits that were made to the artwork. The original Japanese version features much more ‘naughtiness’ (i.e. nudity and stuff) than the English one. I will say that the edits are seamless – even if you’ve seen the original.

Volumes 1-6

I decided to break up my review into multiple volumes, since the series is basically one big ‘fighting manga™’.

• Volume One, Fights 1-6 – We find out that Todo Academy is basically one big fighting school. This volumes focuses on the conflict between The Executive Committe (the villains) and The Juken Club (the heroes).
• Volume Two, Fights 7-12 – Juken Club members Nagi and Bob attend Natsume’s training sessions so they can learn how to fight. The Executive Committee declares war on the Juken Club…and chaos ensues.
• Volume Three, Fights 13-19 – The Juken Club versus Executive Committee! Bob has a chance to get out of the fight if he joins the committee…
• Volume Four, Fights 20-26 – Nagi and Bob become small-time celebrities at school…cause they survived a fight with Mitsuomi!
• Volume Five, Fights 27-33 – Aya now has possession of the mystical sword, and we find out how dangerous she really is.
• Volume Six, Fights 34-39 – After some problems with the Katana Club, Shin creates the Juken Club. Unfortunately, nobody wants to join it! Maya and Mistuomi finally join, but things quickly get complicated!

Characters

Goodies – the ‘heroes’

• Souichiro Nagi – He’s a considered a reject…maybe because he’s a member of the Demon Exorcist family. His ’special move’ is the Dragon’s Fist, which lets him use other people’s powers against them.
• Bob Makihara – Bob is Souichiro’s best friend. His ’special move’ is the martial art of Capoeira.
• Maya Natsume – Maya is the leader of the Juken Club. She’s busty and is very skilled in various martial arts. Her siblings each possess the power of the Dragon’s Eye, but she doesn’t. However, she does have Reiki – a super-all-powerful cursed sword. At first, she appears as a little kid to help save her energy.
• Aya Natsume – Aya is Maya’s younger sister. She’s a little more clueless with her powers though…
• Shin Natsume – Maya and Aya’s dead brother who was driven insane and died. He was the original leader of the Executive Council. He also founded Team KATANA and the Juken Club.
• Masataka Takayanagi – Mitsuomi’s younger brother. He’s shy and low-key, but he’s a crazy-mad opponent in the heat of battle.
• Kagesada Sugano – He prefers to hide instead of fight and is a big wuss.

Baddies – the ‘villains’

• Mitsuomi Takayanagi – President of the Executive Council. His ’special moves’ only last three minutes or so at a time.
• Emi Isuzu – She’s vice president of the Executive Council. Her superpower is kinda unusual…she can manipulate fat to make her look skinny. You don’t want to know where she hides her fighting knives…
• Bunshichi Tawara – He was once a top-tier fighter, but not anymore. He’s now the Executive Council’s adviser (i.e. slimeball). His goal in life seems to be avoiding fights. When he does fight, he’s dangerous though, so watch out!
• Shirō Tagami – He’s a follower of Bushidō. His ’special move’ is Bōjutsu, which uses a hybrid bō that turns into a sansetsukon.

Character Design

There are a lot of uniquely-designed characters in Tenjho Tenge. Oh! great has taken great care (ha ha) to make the Juken Club members and Executive Club gang unique.

Art

The art is tight-tight-tight! Linework is crisp, clean and sharp…with just the right amount of screen tones. I especially like the use of ’special effects’ during the fight scenes, which help create a sense of motion.

Rating

Tenjho Tenge, Volumes One – Six gets 2 outta 4 Hammies!

Retail Info

• Publisher: CMX
• Retail Price: $9.99 each volume
• Language: English

Additional Reading

Official Tenjho Tenge Manga Site