Volume: 1 (of 3+)
Creator: Hiroya Oku
Format: Right-to-Left
Original Publisher: Kodansha
US Publisher: Kodansha Comics
Release Date: 8/25/15
Pages: 208
ISBN: 1632361213
MSRP: $12.99
Genre: Seinen
Rated: OT (Ages 16+)
Description: Ichiro Inuyashiki is down on his luck. While only 58 years old, his geriatric looks often have him written off as a pathetic old man by the world around him and he's constantly ignored and disrespected by his family despite all that he's done to support them. On top of everything else, his doctor has revealed that he has cancer and it appears that he has little time left in this world. But just when it seems things couldn't get any worse, a blinding light in the night sky strikes the earth where Ichiro stands.
He later wakes up to find himself unscathed, but he soon starts to notice that there's something... different about himself. However, it turns out that these strange, new changes are just what Ichiro needs to take a new lease on life and now it seems like there's nothing to stop him from being a hero worthy of the respect that he never had before... unless, that is, there was someone else out there with these same "changes"...
Contains Chapters 1-8:
- Chapter 1: The Vicissitudes of Life
- Chapter 2: Abnormality
- Chapter 3: Oh My God
- Chapter 4: No Tears
- Chapter 5: Violence
- Chapter 6: Help Me God
- Chapter 7: Ichiro Inuyashiki
- Chapter 8: Man Without An Inside
Review:
Cover Art: The front cover features our protagonist, Ichiro Inuyashiki, smiling wide on a green cybernetic looking background. The series title is displayed on the right side, going down the cover vertically. The volume number and mangaka are on the bottom left corner.
The spine from top to bottom has the publisher, series title, volume number, and mangaka.
The back cover has the volume description on a light green background, displayed on the left half of the cover. The right side has more of the cybernetic background effects on a darker green color.
I honestly like the cover for this series. It isn't too busy and it shows the carefree look of our hero. If you don't know what the series is about, it kind of doesn't appeal to the overall series, but it does give somewhat of a carefree innocent backdrop for what this title really contains.
Artwork: Hiroya Oku is a pretty famous mangaka already, with a bit of a darker appeal to readers (his other work was GantZ). The style used in this volume is very similar to his drawing style from GantZ, which I honestly have no need to really complain about. He really pays attention to detail and never does he try to make anything look simplistic.
Translation: The translation was pretty accurate for the volume. All Sound effects and names were left unchanged. I also really liked how they included tons of Shonen Jump, One Piece, and GantZ references. Since Kodansha doesn't own the rights to any of the above titles, it was surprising they were still allowed to use them.
Extras: N/A
Content (Warning: May Contain Spoilers): Ichiro Inuyashiki just moved into a new house with his family. He looks a lot older then what he is cause he has worked such a hard life, and his family treats him like crap because of it. None of them want him in their life, nor do they really want to be a part of his. Ichiro gets a dog however and the dog seems to show him the compassion he is lacking.
One day, as Ichiro is at a doctors appointment, he learns that he has cancer and has about three months to live. He doesn't know how he is going to tell his family, as none of them really have the time to hear about his problems. That night he goes for a walk with his dog to a nearby park, when a mysterious object in the sky crashes down and kills Ichiro and a nearby person. Whatever killed them rebuilds their bodies as living weapons and cover up the hole in the earth that was left by the object.
The next day Ichiro wakes up in the park not knowing what actually happened to him, but he quickly begins to see that his body is different, and with his new power, he decides to use it to help others as well as making himself feel good along the way.
I am not going to spoil any more then what i have already covered. This was an amazing read from cover to cover. I loved the pacing of each chapter as it never left me bored for a second. My only real problem is that I loved GantZ, and I was expecting a bit more violence then what was presented in the first volume. I won't be lowering the score based off of this though as I was still quite surprised by the entire read. We did get to see a glimpse of the other person at the very end who was also killed in the accident, but it doesn't look like we will be seeing much of him and his GantZ manga obsession until V.02, which I am very much looking forward to. This is a must read for the older manga crowd, especially the sci-fi readers.
Objectionable Content:
- Language: Yes
- Violence: Yes
- Nudity: No
- Sexual Situations: No
Overall Rating: 10/10
Where Purchased: Barnes and Nobles
Original Review Date: 8/26/15
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