▪	RELEASED BY:		TOKYOPOP
		▪	AUTHOR / ART:		KAZUKI YANAGISAWA
		▪	FORMAT:		JAPANESE / BW
		▪	PAGES:		192
		▪	RATING:		M
		▪	RELEASE DATE:		02/12/2008
		▪	REVIEW DATE:		03/29/2008
		▪	REVIEWED BY:		SCOTT CAMPBELL

Shin Megami Tensei Kahn is the terrifying manga based on the hit video game that started out in the early nineties. Nobu is a troubled teenager with a dark past. His old high school was sucked into the Underworld, where he and his fellow students battled hordes of demons led by the Demon Lord, Hazama. However, Nobu and a demon-possessed girl named Yumi managed to claw their way back to the Surface World, hoping to start new lives at new schools. But it isn't long before Nobu uncovers a government conspiracy to raise Hell on Earth, and he and Yumi are once again forced to face their worst nightmares...

The Demon Summoning Program has been activated. Hazama has become the Demon Lord, causing all of the inhabitants of Karukozaka High School to be swallowed up and sent to the Underworld. Many of the weaker souls fell, creating a warped paradise. However, those that were already warped were driven even further to perversion. Nobu has the ability to summon Demons. One such Demon goes by the name of Pixie. Meanwhile, the soul of a Demon rests in Yumi. Even though these events are coincidental and seemingly unrelated, something larger than the relationships between these humans and Demons occurred, thwarting Hazama’s plans. The curtain fell on this virtual world, enabling Nobu and Yumi to return to the real world. Reality begins with “if.” That is the basic key to understanding the world that lies in the pages of this book. Even though Nobu and Yumi have escaped Hazama’s virtual world, they find themselves ensnared in a place that has changed and synchronized with another alternate reality; a Progressive World where Demons and humans coexist - a place that is linked to the world of Shin Megami Tensei. The hardcore users of this game are already familiar with this place. Those unfamiliar with the game need only know that it takes place in the year 199X in Tokyo, a few months after the incident. “Reality” has just been born…

The art of the book is typical for the demon-themed anime of the 1990s, with detailed line work and grotesque monsters. Based on a 1992 Super Famicom RPG game, the events in the nine-volume series Shin Megami Tensei: Kahn are set after the videogame takes place. The franchise spawned many sequel games, most notably the critically acclaimed but controversial Persona 3 that came out for the Playstation 2 recently. The settings within this series are notably detailed – there’s always something interesting to look at in the background. The action scenes are fairly dymamic and there is always plenty of blood to spare. One of the most noticeable things that stands out about the art and the story is how violent it is, and how much sex and nudity it contains. People are ripped apart and decapitated, and there is even a scene where a middle aged woman’s guts spill out onto the floor in a very gory, detailed fashion. It’s pretty brutal, so it won’t be for everyone, but if you can stomach that (or even go looking for such things), it’s all here. Most female characters in the book end up naked at some point or another. There is a slightly drawn out lesbian demon sex scene that is sure to raise a couple eyebrows. Ah, the power of possession and demon persuasion – it often has a dramatic affect on a young girl’s mind… at least in manga anyhow. All this lands Shin Megami Tensei Kahn with a mature rating for explicit sexuality, sexual full body nudity, intense violence, and excessive gore. Well at least we know where it stands!

IN SUMMARY: 
All in all, Shin Megami Tensei Kahn is a fast pulpy read of gore and demonic horror. It’s fast and furious and doesn’t hold anything back. Anyone who enjoys some whacked out demon action and all the things that go bump in the night should add this one to their “must read” list.