This week we bring you manhwa, boys’ love, all-ages fantasy, and shonen battles galore! Ken is disappointed by the conclusion to Heavenly Executioner Chiwoo (Yen Press), Connie enjoys volume eleven of Hoshin Engi (Viz), Isaac has mixed feelings about Two of Hearts (Aurora/Deux), and Michelle weighs in on volume four of The Palette of 12 Secret Colors (CMX) and the finale of Two Will Come (NETCOMICS).
Heavenly Executioner Chiwoo, vols. 4-5
Story by Lee HaNa, Art by Park KangHo
Published by Yen Press
Rating: Teen
The final two volumes of the series find Chiwoo and his allies, Ma-Na and Ju-Ah, facing off against nigh impossible odds and pushing their respective abilities to the limits. Most of volume four is dedicated to a lengthy fight scene between Chiwoo and his comrades and one of the four generals to the Heavenly Emperor.
The artwork is pretty and slick with the fight scenes being fairly easily to follow and pretty dynamic as well. The various abilities and techniques used don’t get much explanation, which is a plus in my book. It’s just a trope that I tend to find patronizing. Anyway! None of the character designs really lit me on fire but at the same time I didn’t have much of a problem telling the various characters apart from one another, either.
The story itself left me a little confused, but then again, I haven’t read the previous three volumes so that’s to be expected. Still, I did manage to muddle it together myself. Chiwoo’s on the road to becoming a heavenly executioner who seeks out and punishes evildoers. Meanwhile his father, a former heavenly
executioner himself, is apparently missing and highly sought after. His enemies instead turn their attentions to Chiwoo, the biggest among them being the mysterious Heavenly Emperor himself. I’m a little vague on the exact mythology of the series as several short essays within each volume seems to indicate that it has some basis in actual myth and legend, but at the same time it’s not so complex as to be impenetrable. The characters themselves feel like your typical shonen action heroes, though, with the exception of Ju-Ah who would probably be a villain in any other series. He comes off as a bloodthirsty pretty boy yet he’s helping the heroes; it’s not much but it is a nice little change of pace.
I suppose the big question is, how do the final two volumes do at wrapping up the series? Well, sadly they do rather poorly in that regard. The final volume simply ends. No resolution is given to anything in the story. No final showdown with the Heavenly Emperor, no explanation as to where Chiwoo’s father currently is, etc. It was a fairly strange and disappointing climax, one that I can only assume will be worse for fans who have been reading since volume one.
Volumes four and five of Heavenly Executioner Chiwoo are available now.
–Reviewed by Ken Haley
By Ryu Fujisaki
Viz, 192 pp.
Rating: Teen
The battle with Chokomei continues through the end of the volume, and the party goes from floor to floor in his unique battle arena to take on his disciples. Help comes from unexpected places, but with every fight Taikobo’s team drops by one member. Taikobo may have to take on Chokomei by himself, and he doesn’t have any of his doshi powers at the moment.
This volume was actually the most enjoyment I’ve had from this series in some time. The thing that makes Hoshin Engihard to read sometimes is the excessive number of characters, and that’s been neutralized in the last couple of volumes since the focus is on a core group getting through the Chokomei challenge. The battles themselves are pretty fun, and this is the type of series that uses different strategies and challenges and scenarios so that it’s not just fight after fight of physical/magical strength.
The end of the volume also shows off another amusing lie from Taikobo, and it promises that we’ll get to see him fight all-out next time. Taikobo is an interesting character, and the primary reason I’ve stayed with this series. He doesn’t get featured very often, so the next volume should be a real treat.
Volume eleven of Hoshin Engi is available now.
–Reviewed by Connie C.
The Palette of 12 Secret Colors, Vol. 4
By Nari Kusakawa
CMX, 192 pp.
Rating: Everyone
This is the story of Cello, an aspiring Palette or “color magician,” who has had to repeat her first year of training school because her abilities are a bit different than those of her fellow students. The Palette of 12 Secret Colors is a very episodic series, and this volume is no exception. On the agenda are a separation from her avian partner that prompts Cello to strive to be her best, a rampaging drunken ostrich, and a swimming competition.
I’m not a fan of episodic tales in general, but Kusakawa manages to incorporate modest development for her lead characters and their relationship even while hijinks are ensuing. Over the course of the previous volumes, the school doctor, Dr. Guell has helped Cello out on numerous occasions and now secretly harbors romantic feelings for her. The episodic nature of the story contrives to put the two of them together, occasionally in ridiculous situations, but also provides the opportunity for many warm and fuzzy moments. The final scene between them in volume four is anything but ridiculous or fuzzy, however, and may be just what Cello needs to finally begin to see the stoic doctor in a new light.
That said, this story is certainly progressing at a leisurely pace for one with only two volumes left. I can’t help but wish for a more dramatic storyline or more tangible evidence of Cello’s progressing skills. Aww-inspiring it may be, but it’s currently too mellow to generate anything akin to awe.
Volume four of The Palette of 12 Secret Colors is available now.
–Reviewed by Michelle Smith
By Kano Miyamoto
Aurora Publishing, 208 pp.
Rating: Mature
This is my first Kano Miyamoto manga, and I must say that my reaction was decidedly mixed. Two of Hearts is a self-contained volume telling the “love” story of a screwed up high school boy and a lonely and frustrated writer thirteen years his senior. Let me start with what really impressed me about this volume. The art is gorgeous. Miyamoto’s grasp of human expression and body language is spectacular, and it made the book a real pleasure to really look at while reading. And of course, being a well-illustrated yaoi manga, the men are quite attractive. Additionally, this book contains actual awareness of society’s heteronormative pressure, a problem especially pronounced in Japanese culture. This alone endeared me to the book. 99% of all yaoi manga never acknowledge that the characters are gay, let alone living in a world where most aren’t.
Here’s where I take issue with the story, however. Maki, the love interest of the protagonist Haruya, is seventeen when the manga starts. I don’t mind this. High school love stories are awesome. He’s even drawn in a fairly adult way, lessening the skeeziness. Here’s where the problem sets in: Haruya is thirteen years his senior, 30 to his seventeen. Maki enters his life incredibly depressed and neurotic, and Haruya all but seduces him. Though Haruya does admittedly take care of Maki in his weakened state, he also takes advantage of him. When Haruya meets Maki, he decides to unceremoniously dump his boyfriend of ten years and use Maki both for sex and for literary inspiration. As I mentioned in my review of Yuu Watase’s completely unrelated Absolute Boyfriend, manga that glorify and endorse the relationships between middle-aged adults and school-age children are not only disturbing but sending a terrible message to their readers.
As much as I’d like to yell and point fingers at this manga for its terrible social message, I have to admit that I enjoyed reading it. I’m very excited to read Kano Miyamoto’s other works, where I have to assume that the plot does something other than justify desperate adults manipulating minors into dangerous and unhealthy relationships. Considering her gorgeous art and believable characters, I encourage you to check out some of her other works. I certainly will.
Two of Hearts is available now.
–Reviewed by Isaac Hale
By Kyungok Kang
Published by NETCOMICS
Rating: Teen (13+)
Jina Han was just a normal girl until she learned that she was destined to be the victim of a curse placed on her family generations ago by a magical serpent that was killed by her ancestors. Since the revelation, various people close to Jina have attempted to kill her, but she is staying strong. Determined not to let the curse defeat her, Jina tries to put together the clues and figure out whom among her friends and family could really be the one destined to murder her.
Two Will Come is an enjoyable supernatural tale, reminiscent in some ways of a horror movie, but one that emphasizes psychological suspense rather than gory visuals. I never anticipate any of the attempts on Jina’s life, and even here in the final volume they manage to surprise me. Unfortunately, I didn’t experience the same reaction to the climactic reveal, since I found it rather predictable. I do like that the origins of the curse are fully explained and all subplots neatly resolved. A chapter of side stories also fills in some backstory for a few of the characters.
While Kyungok Kang’s art certainly has a retro style—it’s supposed to be 1999 but the fashions remind me more of late ‘80s shojo—it’s also quite appealing. Kang uses the contrast of black and white spaces effectively in the context of the story while maintaining a smooth sense of flow that contributes to the overall atmosphere. This, combined with skillful storytelling, results in a very satisfying reading experience.
Volume four of Two Will Come is available online at NETCOMICS.com.
–Reviewed by Michelle Smith
Recent Comments