Aftokrator on the attack!
Creative Staff
Story/Art: Daisuke Ashihara
Translation: Lillian Olsen
What They Say
Humanoid Neighbors from another dimension enter the battlefield for the first time! With strange Triggers that defy explanation, the Neighbors make quick work of Border’s top agents until they start to fight smart. Can Border turn the tide of battle in time to save the Earth?
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers):
As the war continues on, Konami and some of the other agents take the field. Unfortunately for our heroes (though it’s very fortunate for the readers as it greatly amps up the excitement), humanoid enemies also join in for the first time in the series! We then jump back to a flashback of Replica explaining that the trigger users from Aftokrator use “horns” to enhance their abilities, with black triggers appearing as black horns. In a real show of power that certainly helps to hype them up, the villains then show that their triggers far eclipse those of Border, making them quite the dangerous foes.
For the first solid battle of the volume, we get to see Kazama squad face down a black trigger user named Enedora. In a bit of an unusual twist, the focus actually falls on Kikuchihara for this fight. It turns out he has a side effect of enhanced hearing, and the battle does a great job of showing just how significant that seemingly innocuous power can be. Of course, since Enedora has a black trigger he’s no pushover, with a fluid style that’s bursting with strength. As a result we get a pretty great fight, even if it isn’t using any main characters. When Enedora literally tears Kazama apart from the inside out the others want to keep going, but they’re forced to think logically and retreat.
Next, Jin sets up another plot point by talking about his powers and explaining that Chika and Osamu are in serious danger depending on how the future plays out. Finally, as the volume wraps down, we get an intense battle with another humanoid neighbor, Ranbanein. Will Border’s strategy and numbers prove enough to take down these overwhelming enemies, or is the future doomed to be a nasty one?
In Summary
As the war rages on, this volume finally seems to show everything clicking into place for the series. We finally get some humanoid enemies, and they’re fortunately a varied and interesting lot. Perhaps more importantly, though, they’re absolute powerhouses, which makes their battles really enjoyable to read. By spending time in the past setting up the specific limits and abilities of Border’s triggers, the series is able to really blow the reader away by showing triggers that far eclipse those of the heroes. This also creates a rather interesting dynamic, as all the battles are about teams of characters using their numbers and strategy to outthink a single powerful foe, which isn’t often the norm in battle focused series. This leads to some great shows of teamwork, as well as allowing a variety of characters to shine. If there’s one negative to be had here, it’s that the focus is definitely on the multitude of side characters, and to be frank most of them simply don’t stand out that much. Even so, this volume helps to change that bit by bit, with Kikuchihara in particular becoming a really interesting character here. Hopefully the main cast will move into action a bit more as things continue to heat up, but this really is a great entry that does a great job showcasing the potential of the series.
Content Grade: A
Art Grade: A-
Packaging Grade: A-
Text/Translation Grade: B+
Age Rating: 13+
Released By: Viz Books
Release Date: October 6th, 2015
MSRP: $9.99
