 | | ▪ | RELEASED BY: | | TOKYOPOP | | | ▪ | AUTHOR / ART: | | PARK HUI-JIN / YEO BEOP-RYONG | | | ▪ | FORMAT: | | ENGLISH / B&W | | | ▪ | PAGES: | | 504 | | | ▪ | RATING: | | T | | | ▪ | RELEASE DATE: | | 04/08/2008 | | | ▪ | REVIEW DATE: | | 05/29/2008 | | | ▪ | REVIEWED BY: | | SCOTT CAMPBELL |
Rey Yan was an orphan with no home, no skills, and no purpose. But when he comes upon the PaSa sword, a cursed blade made from the bones of the demon king, he suddenly finds himself with the power to be a great hero. But after him is the sword's creator - the evil imperial minister who needs the sword to release the demon king! This book covers the first three volumes of the hit series collected in one action-packed volume. Chronicles of the Cursed Sword is a great action/adventure/fantasy series with a lot of kick. Not only is the plot involving, and the action intense, but there are even elements of comedy thrown in there for good measure, resulting in a very well-rounded manga. To add to the goodness that this book is, it just so happens to contain the first three volumes of the series for $12.99 US, so really it’s like getting two books for free, on top of the one you’ve paid for, since manga are on average about $9.99 each. It’s just really hard to go wrong with getting this much book for so little buck, especially when it is as good as Chronicles of the Cursed Sword is. Rey Tan and his sister travel a great distance and meet a menagerie of good and evil characters and demons on their quest to do right with the awesome power of the PaSa sword – it’s fantasy at its best with a good blending of other genres into the mix that make this series pretty entertaining. The art style is a lot of fun – it’s classic fantasy genre sword and magic affair complete with goblins, demons and some pretty powerful sorcery delivered by Shyao, Rey Yan’s somewhat ditzy magic-wielding sister. It’s reminiscent in a way of anime and manga like Slayers and Rune Soldier – fans of these series should certainly check out Chronicles of the Cursed Sword incase this checks out well enough that they would enjoy it just as much. The art shines in all instances, but of course it especially does once the manga gets into a face-off and resulting fight between two characters or our heroes and some giant nasty beast, as often happens in this manga. The fights are dynamic and flow sweepingly across the pages. As for extras, Chronicles of the Cursed Sword include some cover art designs in the back and a preview of the continuing story in volume four: “Rey Yan is two spirits struggling within one body. The aged master Chen Kaihu sees in Rey a pupil capable of mastering his ultimate technique. While the others wait at the foot of the mountain, Rey and Chen begin a rigorous training routine that might help Rey’s human side control the demon within. Meanwhile, Jaryoon struggles with his own inner demons as he confronts the fact that his brother might be in league with a madman.”
IN SUMMARY:
Chronicles of the Cursed Sword is an exciting action/adventure/fantasy manga well worth the inexpensive price to own. Nothing quite beats getting a large quantity of quality reading material for a low price – this manga has got the right formula going on! |
