Boxing brawl!
Creative Staff
Story: Yu Sasuga
Art: Ken-ichi Tachibana
Translation: John Werry
What They Say
Keiji Onizuka and Team 1 are fighting as hard as they can, but the Terraformars use a clever stratagem to put them in a tight spot. Running low on their serum, the members of Team 1 may be finished unless Akari and Michelle can bail them out. But will engaging the new Terraformar cause Akari to lose himself completely? Meanwhile, Asimov’s team goes into the pyramids, where they find the first transmitter whose signal was lost. How did it get there, and what does it say about what the Terraformars may be planning?
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers):
To start things off, we get a look back at Keiji’s past. He was a world champion boxer supporting his mother, but thanks to a detached retina that dream died, and his mother followed soon after. With nothing left to lose, Keiji accepted the offer to be part of the mission, wanting an animal with good eyesight as his base. He got his wish with the abilities of the peacock mantis shrimp, which also complemented his boxing skills with its powerful punch. Though his opponent is no pushover, with his skills and sheer determination, Keiji is able to bring his massive foe down for the count. Furthermore, Shokichi brings down his enemy in a rather flashy but short battle.
Meanwhile, Asimov and crew find the Great Carp 3, the first unmanned spacecraft that went silent. As they speculate that this means the Terraformars have gained far greater knowledge than expected, our other heroes experience that firsthand as bombs rain down around them. Alex and the rest of the crew keep applying pressure to keep from being overwhelmed, but a rainbow beetle and mole cricket type Terraformar appear on the scene. Fortunately, though, the US team appears as well, allowing for a combined offensive.
Will these reinforcements prove enough to push back these crafty and overwhelming foes? And just what secret is hidden in Akari’s background?
In Summary
Things continue to march on as usual with this volume, as more characters get their chance to shine in the spotlight. Keiji in particular starts the volume off rather well, with a nice mix of backstory and intense action, with a solid bit of theming throughout. Akari also gets a chance to really show off, and we get to see the Terraformars push to even further heights. Meanwhile, there are also some bits of reveals, twists, and questions raised once more, though nothing really comes together significantly here. Though it may not be one of the best entries in the series, it’s packed with action and more than serviceable, and should definitely satisfy fans for the time being.
Content Grade: B+
Art Grade: A
Packaging Grade: B+
Text/Translation Grade: B+
Age Rating: 17+
Released By: Viz Media
Release Date: May 19th, 2015
MSRP: $12.99
