Flying close to the sun!
Creative Staff
Story/Art: Hideaki Fujii
Translation: Tetsuichiro Miyaki
What They Say
Van Yamano, Hiro, and Laura combine their LBXs together into Sigma Orbis, the Super LBX, in order to defeat the Slayer Droid, a machine created to destroy all LBXs! Van and his friends are in for a tough battle when they are confronted by the Detector’s strongest guardian… Asuka Carter, a legendary LBX Player who has never been defeated in a tournament.
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers):
Following up on the cliffhanger from last time, our heroes go on the assault with their combined LBX Sigma Orbis, with Van controlling the movements, Hiro the attack, and Laura the defenses. Of course Sigma Orbis turns out to be massively powerful and makes quick work of the Slayer Droid, but when they turn their backs to take out the computer hub, their opponent lets loose another attack and destroys the floor. Hiro’s controller breaks in the process, leaving them unable to attack, and they’re backed into a corner. However, Van proves he doesn’t need weapons and defeats the foe by literally tossing it off of the roof.
Our heroes then get a call from the American Union President Claudia Lenton and her Vice President Alfred Gordon. With the added inspiration they make quick work of the fourth hub, leaving them with only one left! Furthermore, Vice President Gordon informs them of a new government communication satellite named Eden that is being created to prevent tragedies like this one from ever reoccurring. However, the last hub won’t go down easily, as it’s guarded by a (mind-controlled) LBX player named Asuka Carter, who has never lost a single battle. Will our heroes combined strength be enough to defeat her frightening LBX Werecat, or have they finally met their match?
Though our heroes believe that they’ve saved the day and defeated their enemies, it turns out the battle isn’t over yet. When the masked Director reveals his true face and his plan to use Eden, will even the new LBX Icarus Zero and Icarus Force that Van’s Dad sacrificed himself for prove enough to finally bring an end to the fight?
In Summary
Once more, we’re treated to a decent yet not particularly amazing volume. There are three proper fights on display here, and two of those are used to show of what the heroes’ new toys can do. These aren’t exactly bad battles, and the first one actually has a pretty cool ending to it, but it’s also a shame that the villains don’t really get involved or put up much of a fight. The other one is pretty fun and does a good job of keeping the action intense, but it sadly doesn’t quite measure up to the best fights in the series. Add in some mediocre plot twists that are telegraphed a mile away, and you have a volume that should keep readers occupied, but likely won’t blow anyone away.
Content Grade: B
Art Grade: B+
Package Rating: B+
Text/Translation Rating: B
Age Rating: All Ages
Released by: Viz Media
Release Date: May 5th, 2015
MSRP: $9.99
