Manga has a couple advantages over anime. It’s cheaper to buy, for one thing. And unless you’re reading digital manga, you don’t need any sort of electronic device to enjoy it. All one need to do is pull a book off the shelf or out of their bag and start reading. These are the two main reasons why my manga collection is currently bigger than my anime collection (that and I need more shelf space for my DVDs). I have sort of a reading list of manga that I cycle through each year. The list has changed a bit over the years due to my collection growing to include more complete series’ than there was before. But much of the manga on my list has remained constant. And one such series is one that I finished re-reading earlier this month, Buso Renkin.
Plot: While checking out an abandoned factory behind his school, high school student Kazuki Muto comes across a girl about to be devoured by a horrid monster. In attempting to save the girl, Kazuki is stabbed through the chest and killed by the beast. Fortunately for Kauzki, the girl he tries to save is the far from helpless Alchemist Warrior, Tokiko Tsumura, who brings Kazuki back from the dead using an item of alchemic creation known as a Kakugane to replace his heart. Now thrust into a world of alchemy and monsters, Kazuki fights to protect his friends and the world itself.
Once upon a time, I was subscriber to a little magazine publication called Shonen Jump. I mainly subscribed to get free Yu-Gi-Oh! cards, but the magazine itself turned out to be a good way to check out manga without actually buying a whole volume of it. Unfortunately, the only manga I liked running in Shonen Jump at the time was the Yu-Gi-Oh! manga. Bleach was okay of course, and I even liked Naruto a bit. But not a lot of the Shonen Jump manga really appealed to me. Then in one issue they previewed the first chapter from Buso Renkin, and right away I was intrigued. One thing I should mention before moving on is that Buso Renkin is from Rurouni Kenshin creator, Nobuhiro Watsuki. I’ve yet to read Rurouni Kenshin, but I’ve heard a lot of good things.
Pros: One of Buso Renkin’s greatest strengths is perhaps its cast of characters. Kazuki is a likable and perhaps old school protagonist, and Tokiko is quite the strong female lead. Plus the original main villain of the series, Papillon Mask, quickly becomes a rather fun arch nemesis/rival. Another of Buso Renkin’s greatest traits is the level of comedy present in the series. There are several funny moments throughout the series. Though some of it can be a bit curd. Lastly, the designs for the weapons and some of the monsters in Buso Renkin are excellently done.
Cons: As much as I like Buso Renkin, there are some fairly big flaws that some might not enjoy. As a whole, Buso Renkin perhaps isn’t the most original series. But its biggest flaw is probably that there’s very, very little character development. I contribute this flaw to two things. The first is the length of the series. Ten volumes might not have been quite enough room to allow for proper character development in this kind of series. The other big factor in Buso Renkin’s lack of character development is the curse that a lot of Shonen manga suffers from. Too much time spent on the battles and the individual weapons/powers of the characters. Almost every chapter in Buso Renkin is a long battle scene. Which isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but there’s a right and wrong way to do it. Another flaw with Buso Renkin is that the ending is a little rushed and perhaps a bit corny for some. Volume ten of the series makes up for that a little with an epilogue that provides more humor and a little bit of back-story for one of the main characters. Though perhaps not enough as some might like.
Overall: While this series might never be considered Nobuhiro Watsuki’s greatest work, it’s still quite the fun ride. So for those looking for a decent sci-fi/action series with good characters and a lot of comedy, I strongly recommend giving Buso Renkin a try.
Rating: 3.6 out of 5 stars
