Another round of battles and some hints of revelations to come.
Creative Staff
Story/Art: CLAMP
Translation/Adaptation: William Flanagan/William Flanagan and Philip Simon
What They Say
A battle for supernatural supremacy rages in Kyoto! When a strange dimension overlaps with our reality, Hana and the members of her Inou Squad use their mystical dominion over the elements to protect humanity against a torrent of invading creatures. Thrust in the middle of this war, Chikahito is a seemingly ordinary boy who’s been accepted into Hana’s group – but it’s possible that he has latent powers of his own!
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers):
The battle lines are being drawn and the various sides are moving with a new sense of urgency now that Tokugawa has shown his face, but each new potential ally is also a potential enemy so care must be take in approaching them while each new prospective ally must also test those who would have them join lest they join a losing cause and so each will new person encountered will have their own reasons and possibly conditions as well for joining.
The volume starts in the middle of such a challenge as Sakura faces off against Yukimura Sanada in order to decide if Yukimura and his ten braves will join Hidetsugu’s side or not. As Chikahito watches the battle he learns part of the cost and danger that comes with these conflicts as damage to a user’s Oni or created weapon is transferred back to the person that they are contracted with, a situation which raises the stakes as he now recognizes the battle’s potential price.
But Chikahito may not be ready to comprehend all of what is going on yet and he still needs to live his normal life, which in this case means going to his new school the next day. While he gets a companion in the form of Hana who walks part of the way with him it is after the two split that things will get strange. Before he can get to school he bumps into a familiar looking young man he’d seen before and was warned about but as he looks at the youth he sees brown eyes instead of purple and assumes that he was incorrect the first time as he walks with the youth who identifies himself as Yuu Aoi, though with his guard down Chikahito completely misses the sinister gleam in Yuu’s eyes.
After school isn’t any easier though as a new battle awaits and Hana has some cryptic knowledge that Chikahito may not be quite the uninvolved party he believes himself to be as he watches the consequences of the conflict which are drummed even further into him- and which tempt him to act. What hold does the past have over the present and what is it that Hana knows about Chikahito that even he is unaware- and will Chikahito stand a chance to discover these things surrounded by such powerful beings acting for their own reasons?
The third volume of Gate 7 provides a number of things that series readers have seen already- some impressively illustrated battles along with some rather interestingly tilted takes on some historical figures along with no small amount of talk about the dangers ahead, though at least some of them are shown this time. What the volume does provide though is some more tangible teases that Chikahito has a far bigger role to play in events than just his seeming initial role of being the audiences avenue into this strange new world. Oddly though these hints and intimations seem to be far less hidden or subtle than some of the other works that CLAMP have done and so one wonders if this is merely an aspect of a story that isn’t going to reach some of their past heights or if perhaps the presence of such easy information might not be a ruse to lure the reader in.
In any respect the volume introduces a rather attractive new character and her Oni which allow CLAMP to both display some new ideas on how these Oni battle play as well as to allow some of the other characters to show that despite their somewhat comical at times demeanor that underneath there is a very focused and potentially dangerous side to them as well. Along with this there is also a bit of delving into some of the characters and the particulars of their life and this conflict that haunts them and which has already extracted a heavy price from them but for the most part much of this takes place in relatively few panels as most of the events surround Chikahito and those near him which now includes a very dangerous opponent who he has mistakenly misjudged which portends that danger may lie soon in the future.
Three volumes in though it is starting to get a bit annoying that so much of the story seems to be revolving around this twist to some historical figures even with the supernatural update and it is probably at a point where the non-really obsessed CLAMP fan may decide that the title has had its chance and it is time to move on to a series that does seem to want to develop its characters. I’m not at that point yet myself, but I can’t blame anyone for bailing and if it weren’t for the wonderful translation notes where William Flanagan provides some context and added value I’d probably be looking at possibly heading for the exit myself as this seems to be a series that wants to show off a lot of flash, even if it is at the expense of substance.
In Summary
The third volume of Gate 7 brings yet more action to the table as well as moves a major threat closer to Chikahito who is discovering much more about this secret war than he ever could have imagined- but what is it that Hana is hinting at exactly when she intimates that he is far more than just someone who has stumbled into the wrong place at the wrong time? With secrets and machinations abounding, the former capital city of Kyoto looks to be once again immersed in a battle for power though those looking for some major character advances will probably find more disappointment than satisfaction.
Content Grade: B-
Art Grade: A
Packaging Grade: N/A
Text/Translation Grade: A
Age Rating: 13+
Released By: Dark Horse Comics
Release Date: September 4th, 2012
MSRP: $10.99
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