In this week’s installment, Isaac finds volume three of Black Lagoon (Viz) to be shameless fun, Michelle renders her opinion on the final two volumes of Her Majesty’s Dog (Go! Comi), Ken is not bowled over by volume 36 of Naruto (Viz), and Melinda finds volumes two and three of Ultimate Venus (Go! Comi) to be silly but surprisingly good.
By Rei Hiroe
Viz, 210 pp.
Rating: Mature
To paraphrase my first review of Black Lagoon, this manga has no redeeming qualities whatsoever but makes up for it with shamelessly fun high-paced kinetic action. Even though the plot and character depth range from laughable to nonexistent the series doesn’t truly try to be about anything besides the action. And man is there a lot of action. From massive standoffs between the Russian mafia and homicidal child assassins to Islamic terrorists leading a high-speed car chase through the Philippines to try and catch Rock and his mercenary cohorts, the series revels in absurdity and bloodshed.
What I find most interesting about this particular volume two things that could have been extremely offensive pitfalls for the series are deftly avoided and keep Black Lagoon relatively inoffensive as unapologetic gorefests go. In volume three’s first story arc, the Russian mafia led by Balalaika goes on a warpath to kill two child assassins sent to take her out. No American comic would ever feature kids getting shot, especially not in a graphic and bloody fashion. Even so, Hiroe doesn’t glorify their lives but instead highlights the tragedy that kids could even end up like the assassins do. Also fascinating is that after three volumes of hypersexualized and scantily clad women, the series manages to avoid overt sexism. Revy doesn’t put up with objectification from any men in the manga and is fiercely independent. She is unapologetically badass, and for nobody’s sake but her own.
This is by no means a quality manga, but if you’re looking for a tasteless bit of fun between volumes of Hellsing give Black Lagoon a shot.
Volume three of Black Lagoon is available now.
–Reviewed by Isaac Hale
Her Majesty’s Dog, Vols. 10-11
By Mick Takeuchi
Published by Go! Comi
Rating: Older Teen
Amane has returned to the Kamori family island to take up her position as clan leader and dutifully accept the marriage arranged by her family. After several volumes of build-up, the identity of the traitor who has been hiring a renegade koma-oni (guardian demon) to perform violent acts is finally revealed. Guess when a surprise is not a surprise. When there’s a great big spoiler on the front cover, that’s when!
The traitor interrupts Amane’s succession and takes control of the clan and Hyoue. Muddled plotting, in which character motivations and revelations concerning Amane’s family are rather confusing, follows. Amane briefly returns to Tokyo in defeat, but after encouragement from her friends and some special training to perfect her skills, returns to the island to get Hyoue back.
I’ve found the biggest flaw of this series is its tendency to undercut serious scenes with “comedy.” This has happened so many times in the preceding volumes that one starts to think, “Here’s a pretty cool scene. I wonder how it will be ruined.” Anytime something pivotal occurs, I’m half afraid to turn the page to see what gag awaits me. Thankfully, these incidents are few in the final volumes, and eventually some satisfying stuff between Amane and Hyoue is allowed to happen without interference.
The best part of these final volumes is finally getting to see Amane grow as a person and as a character. She has been attempting to squelch her emotions for a long time, which has hindered her ability to use her powers fully. Finally, she faces up to the ugly side of herself and confidently makes a decision* about what it is she really wants.
On the whole, Her Majesty’s Dog isn’t a bad series, but if, like me, you get annoyed when dramatic moments are sabotaged by cheap gags, then it may not be for you.
* Includes a speech about precious memories.
Volumes ten and eleven of Her Majesty’s Dog are available now.
–Reviewed by Michelle Smith
By Masashi Kishimoto
Viz, 192 pp.
Rating: T (Teen)
The volume opens with a lengthy training sequence which sees Naruto attempting to further his abilities with the Rasengan attack. We get pages of Kakashi explaining the intricacies of chakra manipulation, including the differences of altering its state and altering its form and how the two can be combined to devastating effect. Apparently the Rasengan is an incomplete technique and only involves altering chakra’s form, not its state. It’s not really gripping or exciting stuff, but then again I’ve never been a big fan of lengthy or obscenely detailed training sequences. But hey, to each their own.
Thankfully, though, that’s not all that happens in this volume as a large chunk of the book is dedicated to a fight sequence between Hidan and Kakuzu, two members of the Akatsuki, and members of a squad of Leaf Village ninjas pursuing them, including Shikimaru and his old teacher Asuma. This is really the highlight of the volume and it almost makes up for the boring beginning. Almost. While Kishimoto does a good job at depicting the battle, I couldn’t help but feel that the flow was a bit stilted as it constantly pauses while the various participants attempt to work out the limitations and nature of their opponents’ various attacks. It’s a fairly important volume due to the resolution of said fight, but you’ll just have to read it to find out why that is. All in all it was okay read but failed to really bowl me over.
Volume 36 of Naruto will be available on Februrary 3rd, 2009.
–Reviewed by Ken Haley
By Takako Shigematsu
Published by Go!Comi
Rating: OT (16+)
At the end of volume one, Yuzu was left wondering why she’d been saved by her chief rival for the Shirayuki fortune, Iyo Hayashibara. As volume two begins, she and her bodyguard, Hassaku, head to the Hayashibara estate to confront Iyo, and instead find out that he is actually the body double for the real Hayashibara heir who is none other than Yuzu’s close friend, Haruka. Iyo is beaten and tossed out for his betrayal, and is later hired by Hassaku to act as a second bodyguard for Yuzu. Meanwhile, Yuzu realizes that she is in love with Hassuku, though he is careful to keep her at a distance. Things are further complicated in volume three by the introduction of a young filmmaker, Masaya, to whom Yuzu discovers she has been promised in marriage.
Though little more than a silly soap opera on the surface, Ultimate Venus offers some surprisingly rich moments. Yuzu’s private display of grief after discovering that Haruka’s friendship with her was a sham is truthful and touching, as is her distress when she is fooled into believing that Iyo has taken a bullet for her. The story’s constructs are melodramatic and packed with cliché, but underneath it all is a real story of a real girl growing up and discovering what’s important to her. In volume three, once Yuzu decides to be honest about her feelings for Hassaku, she finally begins to show some real confidence in her own strength of heart. Another treat in these volumes is the further development of Iyo’s character, which reveals him to be an unusually perceptive and complex young man.
Volume three ends on a rather dramatic note, as Yuzu determines to stand up to her grandmother, Mitsuko, and refuse the arranged marriage, promising more drama as well as more “screen time” for the stylish, sagacious Mitsuko, whose appearances were notably few in these volumes. Fortunately, with Yuzu’s growing confidence and resolve, Mitsuko is no longer the only strong woman in the series, a trend that will hopefully continue! It is the strength of Shigematu’s characters that allows this series rise above its superficial premise to deliver some genuine insight along with the fun.
Volumes two and three of Ultimate Venus are available now.
–Reviewed by Melinda Beasi
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