In this week’s column we primarily look at some recent VIZ releases, though Isaac does start things off with a review of the Clover Omnibus Edition from Dark Horse. Next, Connie reviews volume sixteen of Hoshin Engi, Sam tackles volumes 25 and 26 of One Piece, Ken weighs in on volume seven of Takehito Inoue’s REAL, and Phil looks at the 28th and final volume of Red River.
By CLAMP
Published by Dark Horse, 512 pp.
Rating: Teen
The first thing that must be said about this book is that every aspect of it is drop-dead gorgeous. CLAMP chose to use a highly experimental and striking art style in Clover and it paid off. The combination of cyberpunk, industrial and (to a lesser extent) gothic lolita aesthetics works extremely well and sticks with you long after you’ve forgotten Clover’s relatively uninteresting story. Most riveting perhaps is the dynamic relationship between light and dark, panels and blank space, and words and pictures. The use of contrast is hard to really describe, but needless to say I’ve never seen anything quite like it. Also impressive in this volume is Dark Horse’s production effort. There are color pages interspersed throughout the volume that showcase some of CLAMP’s best art to date, though it’s nothing new if you’ve already seen the CLAMP North Side artbook.
Despite art and production values that would earn this book an “A” grade, it unfortunately doesn’t have the story to match. Beyond being simply incomplete (CLAMP never finished this series), the story of Clover is largely incoherent and uninteresting. There are military secrets, singers, milquetoast romantic hints, and pretty boys in cyberpunk visors. It’s not atrocious per say, but it doesn’t really add up to anything. While the narrative is not in itself a train wreck, the same cannot be said for CLAMP’s attempt at poetry. Kudos to Ray Yoshimoto for an excellent translation, but nothing could save the uninspired excuses for “deep” (aka pretentious) poetry.
In short, Clover is jaw-dropping eye candy that has no real parallel. The story is utterly forgettable, but this is should by no means stop you from picking up this bargain-priced omnibus.
Clover Omnibus Edition is available now.
–Reviewed by Isaac Hale
By Ryu Fujisaki
Viz, 194 pp.
Rating: T
The war between Mount Kongrong and Kingo Islands continues as the Juttenkun’s numbers dwindle and Bunchu comes out to fight the twelve elite sennin of Kongrong in a war that looks like, whoever wins, will bring about the end of the supernatural sennin world. In addition to Bunchu, both Genshi Tenson and Tsuten Kyoshu, the lords of the respective sennin worlds, also join the fray.
Unlike the recent tedious battles with the Juttenkun, this volume contains nothing but well-paced and interesting fights that are essential to the plot rather than just filler. We also learn a little more about Dakki’s true purpose, the motive behind Bunchu’s involvement in the human world, and a little more about Genshi Tenson’s intentions behind the Hoshin Project. No questions are really answered, but I still liked the mysterious discussion since it seems like a major shift in plot is coming after the sennin war. Dakki only appears briefly again, and hasn’t been around at all the past several volumes, but I suspect confronting her will come soon after the end of the war. It’s interesting that, considering she’s the villain of the series, none of what’s been going on lately has had anything to do with her plotting. This war was all Bunchu’s seemingly selfish work. Bunchu and Dakki are bitter enemies, but it seems like Bunchu’s work here will benefit Dakki most of all in the end.
I’m quite pleased to see the story make such a wonderful recovery after the last several bland volumes. Although following Hoshin Engi can be a lot of work at times, the story is pretty engrossing and very worthwhile if you have the patience.
Volume sixteen of Hoshin Engi is available now.
–Reviewed by Connie C.
By Eiichiro Oda
Published by VIZ
Rating: Teen (13+)
Volumes 25 and 26 of One Piece mark the beginnings of the Skypiea story arc, in which the Straw Hat Pirates hurl themselves up in the clouds, discovering a wondrous civilization and adventure along the way! Volume 26 encompasses the pirates’ overall introduction to this clandestine society; however, I really enjoyed volume 25 the most of this batch. The volume begins to paint a bigger picture of the One Piece universe by introducing the Blackbeard pirate crew, Whitebeard, and two of the Seven Warlords.
Overall, One Piece is still artistically safe and sound. Each and every character thrives in their individual skins and Oda really does a good job at conveying emotions, age or really anything. One thing I picked up on in volume 26—when Zolo, Robin, Nami and Chopper are in the jungle—is that from certain distances, the characters can change from serious adults to lanky awkward teens. Another aspect I really like about this arc is the world of Skypiea. I won’t ruin any details but it’s really amazing that Oda was able to create, much less envision this world and its tools. Though this is one of the more creative story arcs of the series thus far, I feel that it was really the most drawn out. It didn’t register as much of an emotional bond as others did and I wasn’t as invested in the side characters as I have been before.
Volumes 25-26 of One Piece are available now.
–Reviewed by Sam Kusek
By Takehiko Inoue
Viz, 224 pp.
Rating: T + (Older Teens)
The latest volume of Takehiko Inoue’s fantastic series introduces a new character, Ryo Mizushima, who is a former biker gang member who’s lost the use of his legs following a motorcycle accident. It also gives us some nice wheelchair basketball action, featuring the preliminary round of a tournament in which The Tigers go up against their archrivals and one of the best teams in the league, The Dreams. To make things even more complicated, Kiyoharu’s future with The Tigers hangs in the balance!
I think this might be the first volume in the series that left me scratching my head in confusion due to Inoue’s introduction of Ryo Mizushima. Throughout the series he’s used various characters to bring us different perspectives of those in wheelchairs, but Mizushima’s point of view feels a lot like Kiyoharu’s during the flashbacks that showed him realizing that it was still possible to lead an active and athletic life style despite his disability. Given Inoue’s track record I’m sure he’ll do something interesting with him, but right now Mizushima’s situation and attitude feels a bit redundant. That said, the rest of the volume is fantastic, featuring an exciting game between two archrivals and an important turning point in Kiyoharu’s life. As usual, Inoue’s artwork is top-notch. Whether it’s the fast paced and physical basketball game, or the crushed look on Nomiya’s face after hitting another dead end, Inoue shows just how versatile he can be.
This has really got to be one of the most consistently good series I’ve come across in recent years. We’re seven volumes in and this is perhaps the second time I’ve come across anything that left me wondering what was going on, and even then it wasn’t enough to detract from this volume’s overall enjoyability.
Volume seven of REAL is available now.
–Reviewed by Ken Haley
By Chie Shinohara
Viz Media, 191 pp.
Rating: Older Teen
The last volume of a series might seem a very un-ideal jumping-on point, but that’s not necessarily the case here. Chapter one closes out the long-running Red River storyline, about a modern-day Japanese schoolgirl magically transported to the ancient Hittite Empire, and the rest of the book consists of self-contained segments. There’s a day in the life of Kikkuri, a royal horse trainer; the main character Yuri’s visit to 1400 B.C. Cappadocia; and an extended tale of star-crossed lovers who must choose between their respective empires and their hearts.
Overall, the Red River finale is fluffy and romantic, and could very well appeal to audiences looking for exactly that. Despite the fact that most of this volume’s stories revolve around royalty, or occur near the seat of power, the author more often emphasizes affairs of the heart than war or politics. For example, in the “Orontes Love Story” chapter, the titular princess could stem the Hittite Empire’s decline by marrying Egypt’s Ramses II. But although the question, “Should Orontes sacrifice her own life to try and safeguard the fate of thousands?” is valid on its own, it’s also framed as, “Should she run off with this really hot, interesting guy versus being stuck as part of some old geezer’s harem?”
I guess my point is, for better or worse, Red River is lightweight. But it’s also full of strong-willed, intelligent female characters, and factoids that, if accurate, should teach readers something. There’s also precious little intense or scary conflict (the exception being the Cappadocia Story adventure, but even then, there’s nothing very gratuitous), and if not for a few instances of female nudity, this would probably be acceptable for younger teenage readers as well.
Volume 28 of Red River is available now.
–Reviewed by Phil Guie
With the exception of Hoshin Engi, review copies provided by the publishers.
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