by Yuhki Kamatani
Yen Press, 180 pp.
Rating: Older Teen

Let’s play a game! Read the following passage very carefully.

Our main character is a boy who has had a mystical power sealed inside of him. Everyone around him seems to know about it, even though he does not. Mysterious people show up to attack him to attempt to steal his power for themselves. He finds himself teamed up with a male classmate, a female classmate, and a teacher. Characters use hand signs and channel their inner energies to perform ninja techniques. Early on, the main character’s inner power is unleashed and he has issues controlling it.

Here is the million-dollar question: what does this plot summary remind you of? Naruto, you say? Why, yes. Yes, it does sound a lot like Naruto. The main difference between these two ninja-centric titles is the quality of the story.

The main character of Nabari No Ou is Miharu Rokujou, a boy whose standout personality trait is his apathy. While it is obviously an attempt to buck the cliché of the young boy with fiery determination, it backfires spectacularly. Miharu’s apathy is so extreme and so inexplicable that it ensnares the reader as well. If the main character cares about nothing in the story, it does not exactly inspire the reader to care, either.

Rounding out the cast is a stable of bland supporting characters. Miharu’s English teacher (who has a creepy romantic leaning towards his student) is a shinobi who is trying to convince Miharu that his inner power is something that needs to be protected and used to bring unity to the ninja underworld. Male classmate Kouichi has some knowledge of the ninja arts, but has little to contribute to the story so far. Finally, there is the chatty, energetic Raimei: a girl who claims to be a samurai, and swears to kill Miharu if he ever sides with the wrong ninja clan.

Kamatani’s fight sequences are the brightest parts of the manga. They are well choreographed, flow beautifully from panel to panel, and dispel the apathy that otherwise infects every page. When Miharu looses the “wisdom” within, it triggers thousands of kanji to flow out and cover every inch of his skin. It is one of the more detailed, original transformations I have seen in recent years, and makes me wonder how long it takes before certain manga artists develop carpal-tunnel syndrome. In this first volume, however, it is so incredibly difficult to root for anyone in the fights, as the stock villains have far more personality than any of the protagonists. Case in point: the bad guys have someone who can point at people and cut them in half. He does not talk, but he has no need to—his badass method of killing people speaks volumes.

My guess is that Miharu’s apathy will ebb and then vanish as the series progresses. There are cracks in his stalwart facade towards the end of the volume when his teacher is getting smacked around by another ninja. There is certainly room for improvement in further volumes. If, however, the central cast continues to lack charisma, I cannot imagine why this story would be worth continuing.

Volume one of Nabari No Ou will be available on May 31, 2009.