”Sever yourself from the fate of killing!”
Creative Staff
Story & Art: Yasuo Ohtagaki
Translation: Joe Yamazaki
What They Say
Only the dead know the end of war. – Plato
The mission to recover Zeon’s Reuse P. Device technology leads Daryl Lorenz and his unit to the Rig, a network of oil platforms now repurposed as a floating city inside Nanyang alliance territory. The Rig is a haven for refugees and deserters from both sides of the war, all living under the watchful eye of the warrior monks of the Alliance. Ordered to infiltrate the Rig undercover, Lorenz and his team must make contact with a Zeon operative and begin a dangerous operation to learn the secrets of the Nanyang Alliance and its leader, Sojo Levan Fu, who plans to do far more than simply mass-produce the Psycho Zaku…
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers):
Gundam Thunderbolt has always been a series made up of contrasting lives. And while the series usually contrasts the rivalry between Daryl and Io, it was a breath of fresh air to have the contrasting come solely from Daryl this time around.
Volumes prior have always made a point of having Daryl make the best out of a bad situation—maneuvering through the toughest spots to get the better of Io and other Federation soldiers. This time around, though, we really get a feel for Daryl outside of his impossible-to-best soldier persona. Rather than quick flashes of his past to personify him, we’re now seeing Daryl’s disability in the present affect him. Deep undercover in The Rig, Daryl is merely one of many disabled soldiers getting overlooked by the other impoverished members of the community. Without the Psycho Zaku and his status as a skilled pilot, Daryl is seen as yet another broken body thanks to the war.
But it’s for that same reason that Daryl is able to form a bond with The Rig. Having been on previous raids on the hunt for the stolen Psycho Zaku plans, Daryl and co end up at The Rig with the intent of simply blasting first and asking questions later. The Rig, as muddled as it can be, is able to form a unique sense of culture—eking out a respectable sense of existence among so much war. It’s in this way that Daryl is able to form a bond with The Rig and discover himself as a human because of it. For far too long, Daryl has identified himself solely as the perfect soldier formed by years of destruction. So to see where he stands in society not just in the eyes of civilians, but among fellow amputees, makes him uneasy. For the first time in a long while, Daryl feels uncertain of his place in the world. If these Psycho Zaku plans have indeed been stolen, shouldn’t he simply take the side of the party in the war that has that Zaku?
Things are only further complicated when Daryl and co cross paths with Claudia Peer—the left-for-dead woman now working for the Nanyang Alliance. We’re finally given a proper introduction to Sojo Levan Fu and his powers as a Newtype. And while such abilities feel sudden, it does tie in well with Daryl’s current mindset—Sojo Levan Fu able to manipulate Daryl at his most vulnerable and finishing off the volume with a solid cliffhanger as The Federation finally returns to the story.
In Summary:
What Gundam Thunderbolt 8 lacks in giant robot fights, it makes up in character. Having the volume focus solely on Daryl rather than his rivalry with Io allows for some long-awaited introspection. Seeing Daryl’s life among civilians contrast with his revered place among Zeon forces allows us to really dig into how Daryl sees himself as a person. The war has ruined his sense of self-worth, and we see that front and center as he bounces between seeing himself as a soldier and seeing himself as a civilian.
Content Grade: A
Art Grade: A+
Packaging Grade: A
Text/Translation Grade: A
Age Rating: Older Teen
Released By: Viz Media
Release Date: August 21, 2018
MSRP: $14.99
