By Yun Kouga
Viz, 200 pp.
Rating: 16+

I never imagined I would read a manga that included stat sheets for its characters. I have read fantasy novels and manga for years, but never have I encountered an author who would have a character cast a spell and then tell me how much MP it cost. There’s a very good reason for avoiding terms like HP and MP when telling a story: it sucks the reader right out of the story. If I wanted to know a character’s level (seriously, the characters have levels) or how much MP it costs to cast a spell, I would play Dungeons and Dragons.

Gestalt has a story that may yet hold some promise. There’s a creation myth about eight gods and the rebellion of the one named Gestalt. A priest named Olivier—who has an anti-badass mark of a star on his forehead—has abandoned his holy order in search of the island to which Gestalt was banished. Apparently, those who seek out the island and meet Gestalt will have any wish they want granted. Why anyone would think Gestalt is a bad guy is beyond me. That sounds like a pretty sweet deal.

Wandering Olivier winds up in possession of a young, mute (and, of course) sexy slave girl. Someone cast silence on her, so she has to communicate with signs. Once she regains her ability to talk, she reveals that her name is Ouri and that she is from “the newly freed island.” This baffles everyone. She also has six siblings. Hmmmm… one supreme god… seven subordinate gods… I wonder what Ouri might actually be.

The party grows as they travel from town to town, although the two supporting characters both have paper-thin reasons for joining in. Suzu, the dark elf, and Shazan, the fortune teller, have very little to add to the story. Suzu mainly serves as eye candy while Shazan is, for the time being, devoid of any personality or usefulness.

Then again, most of the characters have poorly thought out motivations. When asked why she is part of the same priest order as Olivier, Suzu responds “because I fear them.” Her reason for following Olivier to the island of G? “I’m starting to think I’d rather keep traveling with him.” That’s deep.

While it does little more than follow a generic RPG plot in this first volume, there is plenty of room for this manga to develop. Ouri is seeking out her siblings, intent on killing them—intriguing, to say the least. Watching Ouri change from a ditzy slave girl to a ferocious spell-caster works well, if only because the rest of the main cast is so bland. I’m a sucker for mythology, so I’m fervently hoping that the story of the Gestalt’s rebellion gets some spotlight time in the next volume.

Volume one of Gestalt is available now.