▪	RELEASED BY:		VIZ MEDIA
		▪	AUTHOR / ART:		SEISHI KISHIMOTO
		▪	FORMAT:		JAPANESE / B&W
		▪	PAGES:		200
		▪	RATING:		OT
		▪	RELEASE DATE:		08/14/2007
		▪	REVIEW DATE:		11/28/2007
		▪	REVIEWED BY:		CHRISTOPHER SEAMAN

Why is it less and less a cause for celebration when archeologists dig something up in the backyard of humanity these days?  Look at STARGATE, where the finding of the aforementioned object brings not just the wonder of exploring new worlds but the terror of fighting hostile races down on our heads.  In TSUBASA, the exploration of ancient ruins unleashed a force that cast the main characters into an interminable quest across space and time.  Oh, and who can forget GILGAMESH, where the archeologists and scientists together managed to envelope the world in a mirrored sky. 

Yup.  Digging in the garden can be dangerous to your health.  Or it can open new opportunities for personal growth and the acquisition of vast power.  In O-PARTS HUNTER, there seems to be a little of both in the story.  Thrown into the mix is a classic coming of age riff, a host of teenage characters, a race to find the missing pieces of this recently discovered world, and lots of demons and battles.  If you have grown up with POKEMON and those many other stories about collectors and their rather dangerous hobbies, you can imagine this story as being a slightly more grown up version of the same basic theme. 

To summarize the plot based on Viz Media’s own blurb, in the not too distant future, mankind battles over O-Parts, relics from an ancient civilization.  It takes a special kind of person to unlock the full potential of these remnants from the past, and a unique breed of humans known as O.P.T.s (or O-Parts Tacticians) becomes a force to be reckoned with.  Unfortunately, O-Parts can be used for good or evil purposes.  Tied up in this adventure is Jio, a young boy with a tragic past who only trusts one thing in the world: money.  He is unaware of his growing power as one of these unique O.P.T.s, and inside him sleeps a demon of incredible ferocity.  When he meets up with a girl named Ruby, who dreams of becoming a world famous treasure hunter, together they decide to embark on a dangerous quest to discover as many O-Parts as they can.  Will Jio help Ruby realize her dream? More importantly, will Ruby help Jio realize his growing dream of nothing less than (wait for it) world domination?!  This desire is likely fuelled by a sleeping demon of incredible ferocity.  Clearly, this character has a few issues.

On the other hand, we have Ball.  Jio's friend Ball always dreamed of being strong--strong enough to help the resistance movement stop the maniacal governor Jaga who has a stranglehold on his hometown, and strong enough to defend his friends and his sister. Now that he too is an O.P.T., it looks like Ball might stand a chance! Can he, a novice when it comes to O-Parts, defeat a powerful member of the Zenom syndicate single-handed?  Can he overcome his fear and rise to the occasion demanded of him?  This volume wrestles with these issues and the ongoing struggle to obtain and control the legendary O-Parts. 

Predictably, conflict abounds and there is a lot smashing and bashing going on from one end of the story to the next.  If you want your manga saturated with posturing, action lines, oaths of vengeance and creepy monsters galore, this story is definitely for you.  The artwork is highly reminiscent of those ___MON stories, and the full gamut of manga SFX is put into action in this tale of ambition and growth.  Seishi Kishimoto has clearly studied his source material carefully, and it shows in every carefully designed frame.  The layout is easier on the eyes than many manga in this genre.  The use of boxes over crazy multifaceted panels makes the reading go much faster and the ample gutter space between panels pushes the action along at a breakneck pace.

IN SUMMARY:
What is the meaning of courage?  When is the price of power too high?  Is the dream of strong worth dying for?  Youth and innocence, ambition and a quest for unimaginable power combine forces in O-PARTS HUNTER to create the kind of coming-of-age story you can only find in Japanese manga.  Hunting magical pieces of a long gone world can be a dangerous business.  Reading about it can be a lot of fun.  Are you up for it?