A few new characters and plot twists do a lot to spice up this second volume.
Creative Staff
Writer/Artist: Akimine Kamijyo
What They Say
As Sakura attempts to keep Rei from killing people, they are joined on a mission by Toki, another Code:Breaker. But under Toki’s affable exterior lies the heart of a ruthless executioner, and now all three of them are pitted against a politician with an army of guards and a deadly plan!
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers):
As the volume begins, we find Rei igniting some police officers, much to Sakura’s dismay. This prompts her to throw herself in front of the only policeman left alive in the room, only to find that he’s not quite as nice as his profession may imply. Pointing a gun to her head, he exclaims that the entire police force in the precinct was corrupt, from the captain on down, and were making deals with the mafia members Rei just barbequed minutes ago. Despite the situation being stacked against them, Sakura and Rei manage to turn things around and take down the police officer and his captain.
In the next chapter, we are soon introduced to Sakura’s upperclassman, Nenene Fujiwara, who has the interesting hobby of groping Sakura’s breasts (which Sakura begrudgingly allows, oddly enough.) When she removes her glasses, revealing her that her eyes are different colors, Rei freaks out and almost burns her before coming to his senses and saying he mistook her for someone else.
The next few chapters are spent on Rei’s mission with fellow Code:Breaker Toki (a master of magnetism), a somewhat aloof fellow with two different colored eyes who doesn’t quite get along well with Rei. Their mission is to take down a corrupt politician, who we soon learn has been dabbling in some incredibly devious trades. It takes a surprising bit of effort, and a few moral dilemmas rear their ugly heads before things our through, but our “heroes” manage to come out on top in the end.
As the volume closes, we see a old classmate who used to know Rei from a previous school pop up, and begin to hear talk of a mysterious arsonist about town.
In Summary:
The handful of new characters introduced here do the series a surprising amount of good, bulking up the cast from a mere two and helping flesh out the pacing into something more palatable. Instead of purely being fixed on solely Rei and Sakura, we now have the eccentric Nenene, goofy yet twisted Toki, and villains that feel like more than simply cardboard cutouts. Not only that, but this volume starts to hint at a number of deeper plot threads waiting to be revealed, and even toys with the ambiguous morals of its characters in a more profound manner than what was done previously. Hopefully, the author can improve the quality even further in the next volume, as they’ve already managed to take the concepts introduced in the first volume and polish them into something with a lot of potential.
Content Grade: B+
Art Grade: A-
Packaging Grade: B+
Text/Translation Grade: A
Age Rating: 16+
Released By: Del Rey Manga
Release Date: October 26th, 2010
MSRP: $10.99
