Review: Crying Freeman, Vols. 1-5

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If there is one particular thing that Kazuo Koike is known for in the United States, it is most likely his long running samurai historical-action manga Lone Wolf and Cub. Koike has written other manga as well, and all of them are pretty strange. Indeed most of the series he has written are the type of manga you read as a sort of guilty pleasure. Crying Freeman is that kind of title; it stars a ridiculously handsome super-assassin named Yo Hinomura and his perfect lover Emu Hino. The bulk of the series is Yo murdering rival gangs and secret societies, all the while being beautiful and having pornographic sex with the many women of the show.

Wait, wait, let’s rewind a bit. The story starts out as a young artist, Yo Hinomura, reports a murder, and ends up being kidnapped by a gang called the 108 Dragons. These Chinese gangsters use acupuncture and hypnosis to turn Yo into the perfect assassin. His nickname soon becomes “Crying Freeman” because after he kills, he is released from posthypnotic suggestion and weeps for the person he has just murdered. Emu Hino sees him murder someone, and expects to die because of it – instead, Freeman spares her and makes her his wife.

Later, the series devolves in to the weirdest, kinkiest gangs and secret societies doing battle with one another with Crying Freeman at the lead. He fights gangs made up of Vietnam veterans, strange-ass bear worshipers, an African terrorist group, and others. The stories are all interchangeable, because Freeman is perfect and unkillable. After the beginning of the series, you could read all of the volumes out of order and still maintain the same storytelling. Freeman gets involved in some conflict, it turns out someone is trying to destroy the 108 Dragons, he intervenes as its leader, has fabulous, hot, pornographic sex with some buxom beauty, and then murders a slew of bad guys who can’t hope to touch him.

What Crying Freeman could have been with a slightly different storytelling focus is not so clear, but what is absolutely clear is that this manga is like a giant fantasy. It’s machoism wank material, written in a completely chauvinist way. Defending the content as anything more than that would be a gross overstatement of its purpose and intent. But the manga itself is something of a strange creature, because even though there is all this murder and sex, the books are actually rather boring, likely due to the same repeating storyline.

The art of Crying Freeman is ridiculously complex and lifelike – The artist who illustrated Crying Freeman also illustrated another of Viz’s Pulp titles - Strain. It is the mix of absurdist story and hyperrealistic art that gives Crying Freeman a shot. Without the realistic art, this series would have floundered; it needs that weight to transmit its story.

The art may be complex, but it isn’t always pretty. Crying Freeman, Vol. 2.

If anyone that likes the idea of Crying Freeman enough to want to own it actually frequents this blog, I would be surprised – however, getting a copy of all 5 of Dark Horse‘s print run is not that hard. I picked up a set on eBay, and it took me the better part of 2 years to finally getting around to reading them. But now that I’ve finished the series, I can understand the appeal, especially in the 1990s where something like Crying Freeman could potentially do quite well in the direct comic market. You do have to understand what it is, and its major failings, which I have mentioned. You have to want to read the kind of story that Crying Freeman is telling. For me, that story isn’t worth keeping (or even worth reading, honestly). And for many, Crying Freeman is a relic of a male dominated manga market that has not held up well over time.

The current Dark Horse versions are out of print, but are easily accessible secondhand, either through Amazon or through eBay. This is not a comic I would give to strangers or young adults; it’s hardly a manga I would give to another comicbook reader. But there may be some that will enjoy the hyperrealistic violence and sex that is a major component of Crying Freeman. It’s just not my cup of tea.

Manga Widget Investigates: 3 AM Dangerous Zone

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While I am not back to full speed on the blog, I wanted to bring back a few of the long-running series that I have worked on in the past – the most popular of these is Manga Widget Investigates, and so we are back for more license requests and grovelling.

I have complained about the lack of josei manga published in the USA again and again, and to be honest, there still isn’t a lot published in the USA. We can call Bunny Drop josei, and there is plenty of BL, but there isn’t a whole lot of material besides that, and it’s a pretty big shame.

I’ve campaigned for other josei series in the past - so my bias for the content is pretty clear. Those other josei titles at least had a running chance at being licensed. However, the title I’m focusing on today is more of a long shot – not because it isn’t potentially a good series, but because it focuses on two things that are a little foreign to the US reader – salary-manga, and pachinko.

3 AM Dangerous Zone (午前3時の無法地帯 or Gozen 3 Ji no Muhouchitai) by Nemu Youko is a story about a girl recently graduated from college intending to become an illustrator, who ends up working for a design firm that does nothing but designs for pachinko machines, a popular form of gambling in Japan. These games are somewhat like the game of Plinko in the United States, and they revolve around acquiring metallic balls from machines. While Japanese law prevents exchanging the balls directly for cash, they are generally exchanged for some nominal token prize which is then “sold” to a handler for cash.

In 3 AM Dangerous Zone, the main character, Momoko, ends up getting sucked into the life of the firm and works like crazy to get experience and to get some sleep (she is constantly working all ends of the night). The series supposedly deals with her dislike for her working environment, her relationship with her boyfriend and other men in the department, and the comedy/drama that ensues from working at such a crazy company. Also, look at that haircut! And these covers!

Published in Shodensha‘s Feel Young josei anthology, this series seems like it has a mix of exuberance and romantic drama that would make it a fun read. It clocks in at a scant three volumes, however it also has two separate sequels, 3 AM Terrible Zone and 3 AM Dissonance Zone.

From what I understand, TokyoPop previously did work with Shodensha, including their line of books from Erica Sakurazawa and Happy Mania from the author of Sakuran, Moyoko Anno, but it is unclear what their current relationship with that company is; my assumption is that it is like most other relationships that Tokyopop has with publishers – broken.

Of note, critically acclaimed (and as of yet unfinished) Suppli is also from Feel Young. Still waiting to hear back on when I am going to get more volumes of Suppli.

I doubt that this manga has much of a life in the world of print manga, so my assumption is that the biggest target for a request here is JManga, which has already published Shodensha‘s COUSIN and Love My Life through their online platform. This book may add to JManga‘s growing josei presence on the internet, and seems like a small and fun license. At 3 volumes, it’s not a huge risk, and if it turns out to be very successful, we can also get all the sequels associated with it. A win-win for josei fans and JManga!

One thing of note here – most publishers are listening, especially JManga and Vertical. These publishers take great steps to connect with fans via social media, and I think that’s a great way to express your wants and desires. So JManga, you are officially on notice – I want more josei, and I want it to be like this. Pretty please?

Review: House of Five Leaves, Vol. 4

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Getting halfway through a series and finding things to talk about can sometimes be quite challenging; with Natsume Ono’s work, it’s a fairly simple matter. It may be my love for her characters, her designs, and her writing, but the complexities are fascinating and are great for discussion.

Volume 4 introduces us to the cast again, and in this volume, introduces us to a new character, Ginta. Ginta is a self-styled negotiator, and works with a rival gang to help them negotiate hostage returns. He tries initially to insert himself into the gang, and after a first failed attempt, becomes more direct in his actions. He eventually succeeds, and ends up working with the House of Five Leaves.

Masterful character drama is not always about profound moments and sweeping changes; but at times, these things help bring tension and change to what could be a fairly noninteractive script. Clearly there is some of that in this volume of House of Five Leaves; the introduction of a new cast member, Ginta the negotiator, shakes up the crew, and a certain scene involving Yaichi, which I won’t spoil, also reveals a lot about the future tone of the series. There are also the quiet moments that I have come to expect from Ono in this series. Masa’s interactions with the whole cast are endearing at times, and he is an excellent focus on what has clearly become a very broad and complicated story.

But what is truly interesting about House of Five Leaves, and has been from the start, is Masa’s interaction with Yaichi. The tenuous “friendship” that they share, and their interaction here is beginning to be tested by Yaichi’s past, and Masa begins to feel the weight of Yaichi’s true feelings. To complicate the story further, Masa has begun to spend more time with Yagi, a police superintendent, which makes things difficult for the gang.

Ono’s art continues to be fantastic. I’ve written about her unique camera angles before, and I think she uses them to great effect in this volume. The story reads very smoothly, and the paneling allows the timing of the story to come across perfectly.

House of Five Leaves has always been about the build up, and we are inching ever closer to it in volume 4. I expect to see some big changes in the next 2-3 volumes, and I know that I am excited to read them.

Some Initial Thoughts On Barrage

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One of the most interesting developments of the past year is Shonen Jump Alpha, and more specifically, the end of Tsugumi Ohba and Takeshi Obata’s Bakuman. While the comics running in Shonen Jump Alpha are all of the long running variety (Bakuman, one of the shorter works in the magazine, finished at a  measly 20 volumes), they are bound to end at some point, and when they do, the question of what to add in their place is an issue.

In Japan, this is not a problem. New comics are being released all the time. New one-shots and new series are being debuted at every corner, so if a comic goes out of an anthology, it’s not a big deal; there are plenty of backups to work with the missing space. However, in the one major shonen anthology, Shonen Jump Alpha, losing a series means finding a replacement, and using a replacement that is likely to be a long-term success.

When Bakuman ended, the powers that be at Shueisha/Viz decided that the newest manga for Shonen Jump Alpha would be Barrage, by Kouhei Horikoshi.

Barrage is about a young boy named Astro who lives on the streets. After the planet’s prince finds Astro and determines that they are exact look-a-likes, he forces Astro to take his place, and become Prince Barrage, with all the rights, priveledges, and responsibilities therein (including using the Orgue, something like a magical spear of destiny that can only be wielded by someone with the power to become king). What follows is a battle/adventure manga with sci-fi elements rooted in the notions of the power of family that is not your typical shonen manga and the stock bravery and guts that are oh so typical. The story pulls deeply from The Prince and the Pauper, although character designs, especially the alien in the first chapter, seem like something straight out of a Final Fantasy Tactics game. Industrial landscapes and rundown cities and towns show the decay of a ruler unable to lead his people and the ruinous results of an alien invasion.

While the content is overly similar in the first few chapters, things start to brighten up and expand as the manga moves into later chapters. We are starting to see what motivates Astro, the intricacies of the Orgue, Astro’s mystical weapon, and the struggles of the people of Astro’s home planet. The supporting cast is small at this point – only Tiamat, the royal retainer/bodyguard has become a main fixture in the cast, but like most adventure manga, I am certain that we will be collecting more characters very soon.

Barrage is like a good chocolate chip cookie. It is warm, familiar, and satisfying, but not particularly original. While the originality may Barrage start to show itself in future chapters, we are still seeing what is assuredly a mostly stock introduction, and until the series really comes into its own and builds the cast, I expect that’s what we can continue to see. Overall, Barrage makes up for its lack of immediate inventiveness for a certain amount of technical prowess; the images are sharp, the illustrations are clean, and overall it’s a fun reading experience. I am reminded quite a bit of Toto: The Wonderful Adventure by Yuko Osada, which had a similar style and flavor. We shall see how Barrage differentiates itself in the months to come.

When I first started subscribing to Shonen Jump Alpha, I didn’t know what to do with myself. I did not read scans, so hopping into these series this far advanced was very strange to me. Seeing a new series from the get-go has been an excellent eye-opener to what Shonen Jump Alpha can be, and I hope more new series are in the pipeline for Viz’s digital anthology.

Quick Picks: Jiu Jiu, Vol. 1

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Jiu Jiu, Vol. 1

Viz Media is releasing a new title through their Shojo Beat line up next week; Jiu Jiu is a 5 volume series serialized in Hana to Yume, the same anthology as Fruits Basket, and I’m looking forward to getting my hands on it. The two posing in  front are werewolves who have been adopted by the sword-wielding main character;. It sounds like a lot of fun. Check out Brigid Alverson’s advance review at MTV Geek.

More Thoughts on Kickstarter

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Earlier this week, Digital Manga Publishing (@digitalmanga)’s UNICO Kickstarter fund hit its $20,500 publishing goal. This means, without snags or any unforeseen problems along the way, DMP will be publishing UNICO at the end of 2012, and will likely be publishing Tezuka’s A•TOMCAT in March of 2013 if the project meets its $26,000 funding goal.

As it was last time, voices have come out from the blogging community (Chris Butcher, Comics212, Johanna DC, Comics Worth Reading) questioning the use of the crowdsourcing platform Kickstarter. Last time we discussed the use of the Kickstarter platform, it was about the use of Kickstarter and its emotional heft, the use of guilt and marketing, my thoughts on the fan’s ability to commission work, and it eventually led to a fantastic discussion on Manga Out Loud with Digital Manga’s own Ben Applegate.

Christopher Butcher made some very pointed remarks in regards to the use of the platform for publishing that Johanna echoed:

- The basic acts of publishing are printing and promotion. If you are a publisher but you can’t print or promote, are you still a publisher? Some very smart people say yes, and I’m honestly not sure, because you’re unable to fulfill your basic roles and are counting on others to do that, and that’s where my conflict is.

As I, and many other more eloquent people of mentioned, the act of publishing a Japanese comic is not merely printing and promotion. the act of licensing the book, translating the original language into English, lettering and cleaning the art, quality control, and project management are all a large part of what a publisher does with a manga project: this is just the stuff that is apparent to me, someone who is not a part of the industry.

The question again comes back to what was originally posed in our original debates – if the “publisher” does not accept any of the risk associated with the printing of material, are they actually a publisher? To get to my answer, we need some background information.

Kickstarter plays by a completely different set of economic rules that the regular capital market. In the “old” publishing world, a publisher takes a risk on a property and decides to publishing it. Depending on the format, the author might get an advance on royalties and the publisher has to print the book; in the case of manga, there is an upfront licensing fee, all the costs to adapt the work for an English-speaking audience, and a printing fee. The publisher fronts the risk on this property and hopes/expects to get their money back from sales on that property.

Kickstarter changes the math significantly by changing the initiating question. In business, we ask the question, “Will this sell?” Kickstarter has no qualms about selling or not selling. Kickstarter’s question is, “Do enough people want this to happen?” This difference impacts the entire process of publishing. The change in question manipulates the model in such a way that we are moving from a supply and demand style economic system to a commission-based system.

I think that any person who is focused on “what a publisher is” or “publisher’s responsibility” or who has said anything like, “I don’t think DMP should be using Kickstarter because they are an actual publisher,” misunderstands the basis from which Kickstarter is working from and the fundamental change in monetary need. If you are working on Kickstarter, you are no longer working in the direct market model.  You can pull books back into that model later, but once you are in a Kickstarter, you are operating outside of  that model for as long as you have pledges to fulfill.

I’ve had my words about commission-based systems before, but for publishing, I will put it simply – while the Kickstarter system isn’t the most ideal (there is a lack of consumer protections, for example) it is a form of commerce that has existed for thousands of years. Consumers are still purchasing books; the publisher is still printing books. The format of how money exchanges hands changes, and how risk is applied changes, but that direct relationship, where the publisher creates a bound book, and I buy it, does not change. As long as that relationship is intact, and with the other duties that a publisher must perform (as previously mentioned) I feel it is downright silly to say that a publisher isn’t “real” because they are using Kickstarter.

TL;DR – a publisher using Kickstarter as its funding source? Still a publisher.

This is not even mentioning Kickstarter’s other potential uses for a large company, such as potential for publicity/marketing, research, community outreach, etc., which I don’t have the space to get into today.
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However, this isn’t the only content bouncing around the web right now.

To complicate things, some publishers have also voiced their opinions about the Kickstarter platform:

While Manga University’s opinion originally seemed to be just a bunch of sour grapes, after a bit of thinking, the line of thought is very valid. Twitter right now is a veritable tweet-storm of content regarding DMP’s efforts to get UNICO published and all the fans ticking down the dollar count. Certainly there is no storm of attention surrounding the release of one of Manga University’s “How to Draw Manga” books.

I think that the reason for this is the way fans currently interact with properties and artists that they love. Fans of a specific manga (say Negima! for example) have the ability to interact with other readers via chat boards or forums online, interact with the writer in some cases by sending letters or fan mail; they can manipulate the content by writing or drawing fan fiction; they can meet up with other fans at conventions to discuss the series. They can buy merchandise, buy the manga, buy anime spin-offs, and even buy a second manga spin off if they so choose. They can try to interact with the publisher by sending letters or meeting them at big comic conventions.

Something that is missing from this list that Kickstarter allows fans access to? The ability to impact the publication of the final manga. This allows fans to get into a whole new level. They have the ability now to pledge to help their favorite (or even not so favorite publisher) get a book they want from concept to the printer. They have the ability to get cool backers-only rewards. There is a feeling of direct involvement in the project even without having a say in the production values or images or anything of that nature.

DMP has actually stepped it up by allowing a select number of people to be on the UNICO and  A•TOMCAT Steering Committees, which, for all intents and purposes, allow fans to become even more entrenched in the workings of the publisher. This is hands-on in a way that most fans can only dream of, and it stands to reason why some people are very excited about these Kickstarter projects.

Ed Chavez, from Vertical, pointed out that his issue stemmed not from the Kickstarter platform itself, but rather from the content:

One could easily argue here that DMP has essentially been exploiting the hard work that Vertical has done for the past 7+ years bringing quality Tezuka products to an English speaking audience. Indeed, Tezuka’s works are generally thought to be good enough sellers that they could be sold using the regular publishing model.

But this brings up the differences between two publishers, and an area of speculation I don’t really care to walk into; the way that Vertical does business compared to the way DMP does business is fascinating, but ultimately, the decisions they make are theirs.

Ed seems to be making the point that Kickstarter is a fine platform for works that are tenuous, risky, or have the potential to fail, but Tezuka is none of those things. I tend to agree, although DMP may differ based on their financials or printing estimates. That being said, Tezuka is a powerful brand. His work commands an amount of attention only held by three or four other mangaka in English-speaking countries right now. It seems to me that any book published with the Tezuka name would sell a decent number of copies. What is less clear is whether most companies would take a “traditional risk” on a majority of these titles. Ed has gone on record saying Vertical would only like to publish another “half-a-dozen Tezuka titles,” meaning that something like a Kickstarter campaign from DMP might be the only way to get a Tezuka fix in the near future.

I think that what DMP is doing with Tezuka titles here is great. But, as some have mentioned, DMP runs the risk of killing the goose that lays the golden eggs if they continue to run Kickstarter campaigns focused only on Tezuka material. I would love to see DMP utilize Kickstarter for josei and seinen projects outside the scope of Tezuka, and hope to see that in the next Kickstarter campaign.
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Kickstarter is a fantastic tool; but as a tool for publishers, it is one that if not used properly, could fall by the wayside. I think that the newness of Kickstarter campaigning and the strength of the Tezuka brand have a lot to do with the recent successes of current Kickstarter programs. It is certainly not something that will fix all the ills of the manga publishing industry, nor will it be the tool that revives all of the long lost licenses still stuck in limbo. It may offer a solution to some publishers in order to print a select number of products, and it hopefully will allow publishers to explore less traditional content. I am looking forward to a less well known manga series being presented in a Kickstarter campaign before I make any longer-term prognostications about its use long term in the industry.

Welcome Back to Manga Widget!

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Hello everyone! Welcome back!

As I am sure you have all noticed, Manga Widget has been mostly silent for the past few months; this has been due to the stresses of a pharmacy residency, which, on June 22nd, has officially over; I have my residency certificate and this part of my education is complete! After a short vacation to Niagara Falls, I am back and ready to get back into the blogosphere, and I hope that things have been more or less tidy since I left.

This week, I am relocating from one part of Cleveland to another, so while I don’t expect my blog output to be extremely high, I do want to touch on @digitalmanga‘s newest Kickstarter campaign, UNICO/AstroCat/As-Of-Yet-Unrevealed-Title and some of the publisher blowback we’ve seen. Again, I have some thoughts about the format, and I am interested to share them.

I hope everyone is well. It’s good to be back!

Review: The Book of Human Insects

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Blogging seems to be one of the things that goes to the wayside quickest in times of high stress – and with my residency moving into high gear for the beginning of 2012, I doubt that I will be able to get much accomplished in the way of writing as I mentioned late last week. I did find some time to finish up a review that I have had percolating in the background of the site, but I had planned to release this review as part of the Manga Moveable Feast for Osamu Tezuka. As you might have noticed, I missed the release date by a fairly wide margin (seeing as how we are done with the Jiro Taniguchi MMF as well!). That’s the life of a pharmacy resident, and I’m certainly looking forward to having some of my free time back once I finish the residency in June.

Tezuka continues to fascinate me with his adult-oriented comics. The Book of Human Insects is a tale similar to other Tezuka fiction (MW) but in this story, the protagonist is a sly and brilliant celebrity named Toshiko Tomura. She is apparently gifted in the worlds of theatre, directing, design, writing, and more. She confounds the media and is a complete starlet and popular darling, all because she is actually most adept at leaching the creative life-force of her mentors and stealing their best works, claiming them all as her own.
One of the things I find so interesting about The Book of Human Insects is its female protagonist – in many Tezuka titles, the male gaze is often the only one that matters. Female characters are often characterized as doormats, harpies, the innocent, or the promiscuous.  But here, in The Book of Human Insects, Tomura’s decisions are what drive the novel and her power as a character are what make The Book of Human Insects into the work of fiction that it is. It is a stepping point away from the usual Tezuka female, and while Tomura may not be a moral human being, she owns her choices. That’s more than I can say for characters like Ayako in previous Tezuka work.
The plot of The Book of Human Insects is essentially a noir tale wrapped around the excesses of a generation. The communist and capitalist sentiments of Tezuka’s time are displayed with gleeful abandon for Tomura to consume and destroy, while Tomura’s excessive childishness dominates the book, punctuating it like the repeated line of a villanelle – gone for a moment, and then back to remind us of what this character is actually like.
While no member of the case of The Book of Human Insects is a complete saint, there are those few innocents that do manage to get trampled under foot in this manga, and I think it is interesting that Tomura seems to spend most of her emotional output on one specific man, Ryotaro Mizuno, the one who has the highest capacity for love and grief.This may again be her chameleon-like nature taking over, trying to mimic his high emotional state and perhaps a desire for his love for another woman, I love she will never be able to have because of what she has done to him. Its a very unique relationship that twists the what would otherwise be completely heartless Tomura into something a little more fragile.
I wonder what The Book of Human Insects says about Tezuka’s thoughts on the world at the time of this book’s writing. In one distinct passage, Tomura exclaims, almost surprised at Mizuno, “Why don’t you steal too?” After the confrontation, she calls him a coward as he walks away. It’s a very emotional passage, and I think it carries most of  the weight of Tezuka’s message – in this world, the just do not always win. The thief can triumph over the lawful. Perhaps, Tezuka is saying, that this is the way that society is forcing people to engage one-another.
Tezuka’s penmanship and drafting are, as usual, stellar. He mixes his cartoonish character style with stark realistic backgrounds and does it in a way unlike any other mangaka currently published in English. The style is unmistakable, and while at first I was not attracted to it, I have grown to realize the strength of his craft. His page compositions are ahead of their time, and the pacing of The Book of Human Insects is perfect.
Overall, I find The Book Of Human Insects a fascinating read with a unique and singular vision. While this book is not quite as dark as some of Tezuka’s other work, it still asks hard questions about society and the individual’s role in it, and on the surface, is a really interesting noir-thriller. All in all, I am delighted with the book, and recommend it to Tezuka fans and any mature comic book readers looking to give the “god of manga” a go. The Book of Human Insects does not disappoint.

A Quick Post to Prove I am Not Dead

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Hi All!

Yes, I realize it has been almost two months since I have posted anything here on Manga Widget. This is mostly due to my residency reaching the zenith of its workload. I am extremely busy with my research project, my manuscript, attempting to find gainful employment after this year, and so my blogging time has been severely curtailed at this time. My hope and dream is to get back into the swing of things in May, but depending on how things work out, I may have a little free time in April. We shall see.

Review: Psyren, Vol. 1

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A few weeks ago, I talked about the way that Shonen Jump was changing in a review of the first five volumes of Blue Exorcist, one of the latest series from Viz Media‘s Shonen Jump line. Now that the transition to Shonen Jump Alpha has had a bit of a rocky start it has been an interesting reading experience for me (as a reader who has never read the anthology before in my life). I find myself a little out of sorts with all of the stories running in the magazine currently – they are either far ahead of where I am reading, or I gave them up after a few volumes, meaning that while I can enjoy the moment, I have to play a lot of catch up. This is not a bad thing, but I already have quite a bit of reading to do!

In the interest of beginning new things, another new Shonen Jump title has recently crossed my review stack – the first volume of Psyren. This manga focuses around a punk Ageha Yoshina who “helps people out” to the tune of 10,000 yen ($100). This generally involves kicking the crap out of some gang of losers or roughnecks. Ageha is a good guy with a Robin Hood personality, but he’s rough around the edges. After a run-in with a local stalker, Ageha hangs out with some friends and has a strange hallucination which leads him to a pay phone and a red Psyren phone card. While at first, he doesn’t think much of it, he soon discovers there is a lot more to this phone card than he initially thought. Ageha learns of the Psyren secret society and that people are willing to pay any amount of money to get their hands on the cards. But this isn’t fun and games. The first volume of Psyren shows Ageha exactly how dangerous this Psyren phone card is. Strangely, one of his friends from school, Sakurako Amamiya, also has a Psyren card, and I won’t spoil the big first twist of the volume, but it’s a whopper. Let’s be brief and say that Ageha gets to put his fighting skills to good use as he fights for his life, and the lives of a few other unlucky souls who have entered the Psyren game.

Psyren has the advantage of coming out of left field in a number of ways – it develops in a very unexpected way, and it has some really stellar art for the style of story it is trying to tell. The art is rough, sometimes sketchy, and it is very telling that this is only the second work for Toshiaki Iwashiro, (his original was another Jump comic, Mieru Hito) but he commands his style in a way that is either indicative of a sure author or a skilled editor, or some combination of the two.

My initial impressions were that Psyren was going to be a very odd conspiracy manga, something like Maoh: Juvenile Remix, a comic I originally gave high marks to, but I fell out of reading after a lull between the third and fourth volumes. The idea of a secret Psyren society and these magical red phone cards was a very interesting setup for a conspiracy thriller. But what Psyren actually delivered was something about as high energy, high violence as shonen manga can get while still being cerebral. The first volume of Psyren is a complete 360° that feels neither ratings-inspired or editor forced.

I really enjoyed this volume of Psyren, and am looking forward to reading more of the series. Having recently ended in Japan at 16 volumes, I hope that future volumes will be just as entertaining.