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Reviewed by Chloe Ferguson "Everyone is after the legendary Girl of Water, whose blood can unlock the trans-dimensional prison that holds the fabled 88 beasts...and unleash them unto our world! The only problem is that no one knows where the Girl of Water is, nor do they know if the power she wields has awakened in whatever body she has chosen to possess. Intent on tracking her down, a host of supernatural warriors descends upon Tokyo, all thirsting for the imminent destruction of mankind. All, that is, except one rogue swordsman, who is inexplicably duty-bound to protecting the Girl of Water at all costs. The hugely popular Japanese blood-and-guts manga series has finally arrived in the U.S.!" Packing plenty of blood, action, and slick character designs, Tokyopop's widely advertised seinen license still falls far too short. From page one onwards, the clichés click into high gear. Plenty of important sounding names get thrown amidst throttling action, but it's a pity no one ever really bothers to explain what the hell is going on. The story opens with the all too familiar "mysterious prophecy" setup, and segues quickly into an intense subway brawl which, while sharply rendered, is phenomenally confusing. Sadly, even Satoshi Shiki's characters fall back onto the usual archetypes, from the cold fighter schoolgirl to the stony, undefeatable warrior. The obligatory innocent girl of the story is served up in the form of Misao, whose cheese factor is off the charts given she a) lives with a nun, and does so b) in the wake of her parents' tragic death. The plot bumbles through the first 70 or so pages until it's revealed that everyone's looking for the Maiden of Water, who assuredly packs extra special powers. These special powers pertain to 88 beasts stuffed away in some bygone era, who might return to wreak the usual havoc and mayhem, etc. etc. To top it off, nice girl Misao is cette maiden, which makes her house the perfect backdrop for another round of slash and bash between the various forces looking for her. The climax of the first book features an all-out bloodbath that rages across Misao's school but allows Shiki to further showcase his skill at action pacing. Despite its predictability, the fight serves to wrap up the first volume nicely. Throughout the book, Shiki creates a decent flow between scenes, but tends to fall back onto rectangular and straight lined paneling a bit too often - although this sometimes produces better than average results. Character designs are appealing, with sharp features making it easy to distinguish who's who; for all that, the two most central female figures share a few too many physical characteristics. If Shiki could only pair a more original plotline with his artwork, the caliber of Kami Kaze would increase dramatically. For now, it remains comfort food for seinen action fans, but will leave everyone else less than awed. 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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