Semi-Perpetual Book-Reading Blog, 2022

[Quatermass]

BOOK 138

One Piece New World 64-65-66 by Eiichiro Oda.

So, here I am, reading the second half of the Fishman Island arc of One Piece. But how would it fare? Let’s find out…

Hody Jones has taken over Fishman Island, intending to wipe out any dissidents who dare to support the ideals of Queen Otohime or show sympathy to humans. But the Strawhats still oppose him, and the pacifistic Princess Shirahoshi still has a mysterious power sleeping inside her. Can Luffy and his allies defeat Hody before his hatred consumes everything?

Once again, the surreal nature of One Piece proves to be something of a hindrance to enjoying this series. It doesn’t help that a lot of the time, Hody is basically Arlong Lite, and the reasons behind his actions, while realistic when dealing with bigotry and xenophobia, are still disappointing. Plus, most of this omnibus volume is a series of running battles.

Yet to see the Strawhats fighting against bigotry and xenophobia is wonderful, and the themes of this volume are fine enough. Plus, the revelations about Poseidon and the mysterious Joyboy are setting things up for the future, as is glimpses of Big Mom. And seeing Hody and his minions get a very fitting comeuppance is enjoyable.

Overall, this was a decent conclusion to the Fishman Island arc. Time will tell if future arcs do better or worse…

****

 

[Quatermass]

BOOK 139

The Wrong Way to Use Healing Magic volume 1 by Kurokata.

Another day, another isekai story. This one, The Wrong Way to Use Healing Magic, I wanted to give a go because of a somewhat novel concept. But how would it fare?

It’s the same old story, where a fantasy world summons teenagers from another world to fight evil. Only, along with the intended summonees Suzune Inukami and Kazuki Ryusen, they get an unintended tagalong, Ken Usato. And when they discover Usato has affinity with healing magic, a magic considered almost useless in most parts of this world, all hell breaks loose. For Usato is soon conscripted by driven and ruthless healing mage Rose, who puts him through hellish training, all to become part of her powerful healing corps…

This first volume of this series has, admittedly, more than a few faults. The hellish training is played a little too much for laughs, Rose takes a little too much time to become likeable, and it’s filled with a lot of the isekai clichés. Not to mention that this volume cuts off the plot with not only a hell of a cliffhanger, but without any leadup to the true climax.

However, it’s still an immensely entertaining story. Usato and Inukami are fairly interesting characters, as is Rose, albeit by dint of their rather strange quirks. In addition, it adds a fairly novel twist to fantasy tropes, using healing magic as a cornerstone for surprisingly immense power.

Overall, despite its many faults, this book was an entertaining yarn. I just hope the next volume is more satisfactory…


***½

 

[Quatermass]

BOOK 140

Chainsaw Man volume 1 by Tatsuki Fujimoto.

Chainsaw Man is one of the most notorious manga series to come out of Japan with a striking if somewhat sensationalist title. So I thought I’d give it a go if nothing else. But how would it fare?

Denji’s got a bad life. His father killed himself, leaving Denji to pay off his father’s debts to the Yakuza as an amateur Devil Hunter, helped by his demonic pet Pochita. But when the Yakuza betray him, Denji only survives by fusing with Pochita, becoming the gruesome Chainsaw Man. Conscripted by Makima, a senior Public Safety Devil Hunter, Denji’s days won’t be boring, to say the least…

As with most initial shounen manga volumes, a lot of the first volume is taken up with worldbuilding with little actual plot. In addition, this series is very grotesque and gory from the get-go, though given the subject matter and title, that’s hardly surprising. In addition, I have ambivalent feelings about Denji, especially given his vulgarity going beyond what I would expect.

Yet despite these serious flaws, there’s some good points too. Denji is refreshing in his simplicity, and we have interesting characters in Makima and Power. The concept of Devils being embodiment of phobias is also an intriguing one.

Overall, the first volume of Chainsaw Man is a considerably flawed and grotesque story, albeit one that was still entertaining and intriguing. Maybe the next volume will pick up…


***