The future keeps shifting with this latest volume.
Creative Staff
Story/Art: Toshiaki Iwashiro
Translation: Camellia Nieh
What They Say:
A trip to the future brings Ageha face-to-face with a group of friends he thought long dead, and the story they have to tell Ageha about the events of the past decade are truly shocking. The Global Rebirthday has changed everything. Not everyone Ageha cares for has survived, and the W.I.S.E organization is more powerful than ever.
Content:
Our heroes look rather screwed at the start of the volume, with Ageha’s leg blown off and Hiryu teleported far into the sky, left to plummet towards his death. Kabuto’s powers gain them a split second, allowing him to block the blast for Ageha using his own body as a shield. However, even that hope is smothered as Oboro is spirited off and Ageha is left with no cards left up his sleeve. Just when things seem completely hopeless, some rather unexpected help arrives on the scene in the form of grown up versions of Elmore’s kids. Apparently, in the current future they no longer go to the Rebirthday, instead honing their powers until they are strong enough to confront the members of W.I.S.E. That intense training certainly pays off, as they are able to make quick work of Dolkey and even force Shiner to retreat.
With the battle over, Kyle and company bring Ageha and Sakurako back to their base, Tenju Root. As they have enlisted the help of the psionists from the Inui incident, they are able to use the power of Trick Room in order to teleport into the hideout, making it virtually untraceable. We in turn learn that the Root is under Elmore’s hospital, and once sheltered the psionists and 32 others, though that number has shrunk significantly over the years. Additionally, we see that Ageha’s purse-snatching was effective in saving Elmore herself, bringing about this brighter future in the process. Furthermore, Elmore tells her story of what occurred on the Global Rebirthday, finally shedding light on how the members of W.I.S.E. were able to create the devastated world of Psyren. By redirecting a meteor into Earth, the evil psionists were able to bring forth a strange substance which, when released, caused the Earth to shred itself apart, lifting up civilization and slamming it back into the ground. From there, they began their manhunts and experiments, bringing the post apocalyptic future world into existence.
From there, we see Hiryu save himself from near death and learn the fates of Matsuri, Ian, and Kagetora in this new future. As the volume comes to a close, Ageha and Sakurako consider what will happen to the future versions of Elmore and the kids if they manage to change the future, and a battered Nemesis Q appears before them while broadcasting a plea for help.
In Conclusion:
This volume is packed with plenty of action, revelations, and a little bit of drama and humor to top it off, making for quite a fun read. The big reveal here is particularly exciting, providing some really fantastic action and bringing some awesome back-story along with it. It even adds a lot of new life to the world of Psyren without removing any of the tense atmosphere, which is really cool to see. Add in an intriguing cliffhanger, and you have a solid and enjoyable new entry in the series. It’ll certainly be interesting to see where the series goes from here, but whatever happens, it’s sure to be a thrilling ride.
Content Grade: A-
Art Grade: B+
Package Rating: B+
Text/Translation Rating: B+
Age Rating: 13+
Released by: Viz Media
Release Date: January 1st, 2013
MSRP: $9.99
