Friday, March 02, 2007

Wild Adapter, v.1

by Kazuya Minekura ublished in the U.S. by Tokyopop



Slugline: We meet Makoto as his path begins to cross that of a strange new street drug.

It's taken me a week or so to sort out my opinion of this volume. There's not much that's easy about it -- particularly, it's not easy to sympathize with the characters and that makes it difficult to stick with. Makoto is an assassin, and possibly a serial killer or at least a mass murderer, and the author offers only a few hints of complexity behind the face. His friend Komiya is a bit more human, but it's not a lot to hang a story on.

And on the other hand, it's well written in the gritty action style ("noir" the back cover says, and it's a very modern, sociopathic noir.) The art is harsh and angular, which complements the story well. It comes shrink wrapped due to a few stray boobs and butts.

The other problem is that the back cover actually tells you more about the big picture than the book does. I think this all averages out to a mild recommendation, with hopes the writer cashes in on the potential this story has.



Wild Adapter is also available from Right Stuf, Intl., an online retailer specializing in anime and manga.

- Miranda

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