Different faults, but not much better than the first.
Creative Staff
Writer/Artist: Kiyo Qjo
Translation: Nan Rymer
Adaptation: Ysabet MacFarlane
What They Say
A battle 500 years in the making rages on as the effects of the mysterious drug, Zone-00, takes hold of Tokyo’s demon population. Now it’s up to Shima and Kujo to take matters into their own hands to restore order before it’s too late. Are they strong enough to prevail, or will they need to enlist help from other creature kinds as they close in on the mastermind behind the mysterious drug?
The Review:
Content:
As we open on the volume, Shima wakes up naked in a bed next to Hime, also naked, while the Kaze brother is watching over him. Of course, it’s not what it sounds like and Shima is just having his massive injuries from the last volume healed. Meanwhile, Kiyaomi the ogre awakens once again and… has a chat with Konnosuke the nine-tailed fox, and Murakumo the werewolf police inspector.
The rest of the volume is spent wrapping up the fights from the last volume. Pretty much the only thing we learn in these drawn-out fights is the meaning behind Renji’s tattoos, which is pretty useless information anyway. And even after all the time spent on those fights, both the villains escape, with only the possibility that one of them won’t end up reappearing later.
In Summary:
If the content summary above looks a little short to you, that’s because it is. While the first book in this series had far too much going on, this one has far too little occurring. There’s probably about one cool and significant looking event in the book, but the effects of that get traded off for a drug addiction. On the plus side, the slow plot in this volume allows for much less clustered panels, which actually gives you a chance to appreciate the somewhat cool artwork. One last note of warning: while the first volume contained no nudity, there are a number of bare breasts scenes in this book, one of which combines with the “gore” of the book. Hopefully, volume three will manage to strike a balance between being too hectic and too slow, and finally become something worth reading.
Content Grade: C-
Art Grade: B-
Packaging Grade: B
Text/Translation Grade: B+
Age Rating: 16+
Released By: TOKYOPOP
Release Date: November 3rd, 2009
MSRP: $10.99
