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Reviewed by Ysabet Reinhardt MacFarlane “Two future masters of the secret arts, Kuro-seishin and Aka-seishin will help ensure nothing may harm the world as we know it. Through a tragic encounter with the Demon Lord Garuda, the two masters gained secrets the world wasn’t to know. Did their fathers leave them with everything they intended? Wasabi and Ren have decided to pass on what they know. The knowledge gained indicates that the danger from the past is a certainty now. The years have worn the masters beyond physical capacity. Their students are the only ones in a position to deal with what lies ahead, unknowingly, that the friendships they hold, may be compromised or even broken.” (Vol. 1 back cover copy.) “Discover the world of Dimensional Manga, where each book teaches you ways to master your own mind and consciousness!” (Press release.) This debut title from UK company Dimensional Manga has grand ambitions: in the tradition of long-running action manga like Dragonball and Naruto (to use the examples to which the company’s press release compares their new contender), Demon Prince: Children of Gaia is full of battles, masters of mystic arts passing their teachings on to the next generation, and powerful friendships. Beyond that, it has a very intricate theory of the nature of reality and levels of consciousness, both of which can be manipulated, and the fight scenes follow the shonen pattern of having characters explain their every move at great length. Unfortunately, the plot--which sounds straightforward enough in the summary on the Dimensional Manga website--is presented in a badly disjointed way, making it extremely difficult to follow the story. Characters come to center stage with minimal introduction, and few of their appearances offer a hook to catch the reader’s interest. Three volumes in, I had very little idea of who most of the supporting cast were or how they connected to each other, although the dialogue seems to indicate an extensive shared history. The script would have benefited from more time in development and a lot more polish; this is an original English-language release, but it reads as if a lot had been lost in translation, both in plot and coherence. The artwork, meanwhile, is in no position to support the story--it's unremarkable at best and most panels have a distinct lack of backgrounds, leaving the characters literally adrift. Overall, I came away with the impression that there might be some interesting ideas in here, but they’re badly obscured by the presentation. Demon Prince: Children of Gaia comes across as a sort of mystical self-help/consciousness-raising tract disguised as an action manga, and while it may find a home among a segment of its target audience--it’s not impossible that it might attain some sort of cult status--it’s not recommended. Online previews of vol. 1-3 are available at www.dimensionalmanga.com. Among other features, the website also includes http://www.dimensionalmanga.com/concept.html, an area in which Dil, the company CEO and creator of this series (and possibly others in the upcoming catalogue), goes into more detail about the company’s storytelling philosophy. (This review based on sample copies provided by the publisher.) --Ysabet Reinhardt MacFarlane MangaLife Grade: F Interested in writing for MangaLife? We're always looking for talented reviewers and columnists, so drop us a line! Charles Webb Editor-in-Chief, MangaLife.com |
1 September 2010
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