 | | ▪ | RELEASED BY: | | BROCCOLI BOOKS | | | ▪ | AUTHOR / ART: | | KANAN | | | ▪ | FORMAT: | | JAPANESE / B&W | | | ▪ | PAGES: | | 224 | | | ▪ | RATING: | | T | | | ▪ | RELEASE DATE: | | 10/28/2007 | | | ▪ | REVIEW DATE: | | 05/16/2008 | | | ▪ | REVIEWED BY: | | SCOTT CAMPBELL |
Several years after Milfeulle and the Angel Troupe defeat Eonia's forces in EDEN, a new galaxy called NEUE is found, with Milfeulle the keeper of the “gate” that connects it with EDEN. The Moon Angel Troupe has disbanded, and each troupe member now works on the expansion into NEUE. Apricot Sakuraba is a member of the Lune Angel Troupe, and Kazuya Shiranami from NEUE joins the reformed Angel Troupe in the search for other gates and gatekeepers. In this new adventure, a mysterious sorceress leads a coup d’état, and a cloud of betrayal hangs over NEUE. Lily C. Sherbet arrives with the news of a royal kidnapping and a sudden uprising in NEUE. But is Lily really who she says she is? Her identity might be questionable, but one thing is for sure: Kazuya is not her favourite person. With the king’s life in the balance, can the Rune Angel Troupe come together before it's too late? The Angel Troupe themselves are a diverse number of characters with both seriousness and comedy in mind. Apricot matches her uniform more closely to the regulations than anyone else in the Rune Angel Troupe. Her flowery ribbon looks a lot like Milfeulle’s. She is mainly serious and honest as a character. When Anise first joined the Rune Angel Troupe, she wasn’t wearing the uniform because she didn’t have one. Even now that she has joined the team, she still only wears the jacket because that just suits her – she’s not much of a conformist. She is a portrait of determination, and a total tomboy at best. Kahlua/Tequila (one character) is certainly an interesting case. With her flowing cape and bejewelled tiara, Kahlua looks much like a witch. When Kahlua turns into Tequila (this happens when she consumes alcohol – go figure), her hair and eye colour change, along with the shape of her eyes. Kahlua’s face is friendly and warm, but Tequila is much more aggressive as a character. Its characters like these that make Galaxy Angel such a riot – especially since they all have to mix together as they try desperately to complete tasks of great purpose, or little purpose at all! The art style is a lot of fun – anyone who is familiar with the Galaxy Angel universe knows that it is full of cute characters and ridiculous situations thrown in amongst more serious things from time to time. The pages are busy and full of action, even during conversations, of which are usually heated or made dynamic through super-deformed facial expressions and the like. The series makes really good use of gradations and patterns, especially in the backgrounds to make the art all flow really well together as a whole. The text itself within the word bubbles is an especially good size – it’s noticeable. This makes the story all that more easy to read and follow. Visually, Galaxy Angel works really well and should prove entertaining to new fans of the series, and old alike. This volume of the series contains a number of interesting extras, including interviews with the creators, and translation notes. Another appreciated little feature is a preview of the next volume which will get you ready for the next story arc: When the Rune Angel Troupe finds a mysterious white Emblem Frame, they also find a young woman inside of it. The girl – Mimoza – claims that she’s from the past, and that she wants to go back to her world. Mimoza senses there is something special about Kazuya, and she takes him with her to Planet Cocoon, where a certain project called “Brave Heart” was started. What is this strange project, and how does Kazuya play into it? And after discovering a part of himself he never knew, will Kazuya be able to get Mimoza back home?
IN SUMMARY:
Galaxy Angel II is a great addition to the Galaxy Angel universe – it’s filled with much of the same humour we’ve come to expect from the series, but knows how to get serious about a story arc or a conflict as they arise. It’s a well-balanced manga, and an entertaining read. |
