Semi-Perpetual Book-Reading Blog, 2022

[Quatermass]

BOOK 198

Chainsaw Man volume 6 by Tatsuki Fujimoto.

Now, I have come to the final volume covering the Reze arc of Chainsaw Man, not long before the movie adaptation comes out. But how would it fare? Let’s find out…

When Denji reluctantly knocks back Reze’s offer to run away with her, she reveals her true colours. For she is the Bomb Hybrid, a living weapon in league with the Typhoon Devil, acting on the Gun Devil’s orders to claim Denji’s heart in a more literal manner than Denji wants. And she intends to do so, no matter who stands in her way. Can Denji prevail against a more experienced Hybrid than he is?

Once more, Chainsaw Man’s grotesque nature does work against it, with the design of the Typhoon Devil being a case in point. In addition, after all the build-up, the battle against the Typhoon Devil and Reze seems to be over a little too quickly. And, of course, there’s the usual problems with a shounen style manga, action winning out over plot.

Yet these are relatively minor quibbles to a pretty enjoyable volume. Denji being forced to confront a girl he’s infatuated with makes for good drama, and Reze shows herself to be a somewhat complex antagonist. Makima’s machinations are chilling, and we see a friendship of sorts between Aki and the Angel Devil, giving the pair of them some needed depth.

Overall, this volume was a fine end to this arc. One day, I intend to continue the series, and see how it turns out…

****½

 

[Quatermass]

BOOK 199

The Saga of Tanya the Evil volume 5, by Carlo Zen.

Once more, I have come to The Saga of Tanya the Evil. With this dark isekai series entering a prolonged story arc, I have to wonder how it would fare. Well, let’s find out…

The war against the Russy Federation is dragging on, and winter is bearing down on the Imperial Army. As the top brass are divided on what to do next, Tanya has learned that not all of the Federation’s troops are fighting for Communism, but for simple nationalism. But the vicious and cruel Loria is fixated on capturing Tanya, while Mary Sue, influenced by Being X, intends to avenge her father on Tanya…

Once more, some of the bad points are partly due to the disconcerting subject matter: we’re effectively cheering on a reincarnated sociopath fighting for Imperial Germany in an alternate version of World War I, after all. And my lack of fondness for the military fiction genre does hamper my enjoyment to some degree. It also feels like the plot has gotten bogged down somewhat, much as the coming in-story winter threatens to do the same to the armies.

Yet the story remains compelling. We have some very real humanising moments for Tanya, especially after she loses a good chunk of her unit. We also have some interesting moments for Mary, and some rather hideous moments from Loria (though given the character and who he’s based on, Lavrentiy Beria, that’s not surprising).

Overall, this was a good continuation of a good series. Here’s hoping it keeps quality up…

****

 

[Quatermass]

BOOK 200

The Mandalorian: The Manga volume 1 by Yusuke Ogawa.

Sadly, due to it being a Disney+ exclusive, I may never get to see Star Wars spinoff series The Mandalorian. Yet there are adaptations floating around. How would this manga version fare? Let’s find out…

It is not long after the fall of the second Death Star, and with it, the fall of the Galactic Empire. A Mandalorian bounty hunter, once a foundling adopted into a Mandalorian clan, has been steadily tracking down bounties. But he gets a strange offer from a former Imperial officer, to track down a mysterious target, one targeted by other bounty hunters, a mission that will send him off on a strange quest…

The manga adapts the opening episode, and to be fair, the plot isn’t much to speak of in these early days. It’s just setting up the characters and their world, and it’s basically the titular character roaming from incident to incident. Plus, it’s probably missing something from the transition from TV to manga.

Yet despite all that, it manages to capture the wonder of Star Wars that has been lacking on occasion, even hearkening back to its roots a little in Japanese cinema. The Mandalorian himself is an effective character, the dialogue is used well and sparingly, and we have the sense of a wider galaxy that has little to do with the conflict earlier in the franchise, and yet still being part of it. And, of course, we have the impact of Grogu appearing at the end, and revealing the Mandalorian’s true colours.

Overall, while not great, this was an enjoyable adaptation of a series I wish I could watch. A shame, that…

***½

 

[Quatermass]

Okay, so, an afterword. This has been filled up over a period of three years, well, nearly, anyway, and I think it's time I changed the format. No binges if I can help it, as they cause burnout. Instead, I need to read more books on an ad hoc basis, a leisurely stroll rather than a marathon. Even if I still do it in the binge way, it'll be in a new thread...