Another thrill ride of frantic action, but still little depth to be found
Creative Staff
Writer/Artist: Tsutomu Nihei
Translation: John Werry
Adaptation: Stan!
What They Say
The Data Research Foundation’s plan to transform humanity and the earth itself accelerates as the DRF locates another executor of the apocalypse, General Narein. Toa Heavy Industry agents Zoichi Kanoe and Nishu Mizunoe haven’t given up yet, and Zoichi continues his journey to Maximum Security Containment Facility 3 in search of Eon Green. To stop them, the DRF is bringing out its heaviest hitters… The battle lines are drawn, and Armageddon never looked so good!
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers)
As the volume opens, we join our bear friend Kozlov and the synthetic human Nishu Mizunoe on their search for Leif. To do this, they track down an old friend of Lief’s, a doctor who is also a first generation synthetic human, and as such has already lived several times the normal human lifespan. Unfortunately, a massive DRF robot appears and goes on the attack, spreading a mysterious fluid over the landscape before the pair can get any information of use from the doctor. A spectacular battle commences, and things are looking good for our heroes… that is, until some nearby drones stumble into the mysterious liquid, setting off a massive chain reaction. It turns out the liquid is a “reverse morphic polymer” that Leif had hidden away, and combines with geometric shapes and reconfigures them, distorting the landscape into a form as twisted as that of the drones themselves. The doctor informs the pair that the DRF plans to alter the planet’s entire landscape into a “more suitable form” with the polymer, but must first evacuate to an orbiting satellite in order to spare themselves from the sheer force of the liquid.
Meanwhile, Zoichi flings himself into the middle of a DRF base, leading to a massive battle. From there, an enemy general called Narien enacts his own plan and gains a monstrous new “immortal” form possessing what appears to be the mysterious ability to return drones to human form, the plan to release the polymer is set in motion, and Zoichi is finally reunited with Eon Green.
In Summary:
While some interesting new plot elements are introduced here, the art and action still remain king. As much as the strange liquid and the actions of Narien are somewhat exciting, the new artistic possibilities they bring far outweigh their power as actual plot devices. Still, the story is finally starting to shape up to some solid degree, and the art seems to reach new heights to create a rather stunning, yet still somewhat shallow, new volume.
Content Grade: B+
Art Grade: A+
Packaging Grade: A-
Text/Translation Grade: B+
Age Rating: 17+
Released By: Viz Media
Release Date: August 10th, 2010
MSRP: $12.99
