 | | ▪ | RELEASED BY: | | VIZ MEDIA | | | ▪ | AUTHOR / ART: | | RYOJI MINAGAWA AND KYOICHI NANATSUKI | | | ▪ | FORMAT: | | JAPANESE / B&W | | | ▪ | PAGES: | | 202 | | | ▪ | RATING: | | OT | | | ▪ | RELEASE DATE: | | 09/09/2008 | | | ▪ | REVIEW DATE: | | 08/27/2008 | | | ▪ | REVIEWED BY: | | SCOTT CAMPBELL |
Ryo, Hayato, Yakeshi and Kei are all ARMS – mere children implanted with nanotech limb enhancements that cause them to transform into grotesquely deformed and out-of-control super weapons. In volume twenty, the power of the Arms' super weapons has disappeared, leaving them free to lead normal lives. But their newfound peace is shattered when Katsumi is abducted by Keith White. Egrigori is back - this time to put Program Bandersnatch into effect. Now Ryo and the gang must go up against their Egirgori foes barehanded to get Katsumi back! Can they save her even without their otherworldly powers? Despite the change in availability of super weapons and powers that the characters usually use to tear the landscape to shreds, things still manage to explode and turn to rubble in this twentieth volume of the long running series. Both the visuals and the story pulse with all the cyber-punk goodness that has made it such a great ride thus far – in no way does a change in plot make Project arms slow down for a second. The action is still great, and there’s a real sense of climactic desperation going on here – the characters seem to know as well as we do that the story is soon to come to a close, so it had better go out with a band (I don’t think we’ll be disappointed if volume twenty is any indication of the building storm). There are some really good night time scenes in this volume, as well as some creepy subterranean bunker hallways that prove themselves as good venues for some tight battles. It’s more of what we like about Project Arms, but with a building intensity that’s just what readers are looking for in a series like this. The extras available at the back of the book are few, but quite useful. First they showcase all the sound effects made throughout the volume, which are all shown in Japanese during the manga. They basically give the reader translations for each sound effect, so that we can know what’s going on and they don’t have to alter the artwork. Besides that, they also provide some write ups about the author and the artist, including information about their backgrounds and different manga and anime projects they have worked on in the past. It’s always nice to learn something about the people that are responsible for what we are reading – it’s a good window into why the story and art are they way they are. With that said, how about some information about the author and artist?
Minagawa's collaborator Hiroshi Takashige wrote the story of SPRIGGAN. Minagawa also handles both the writing and drawing duties for PROJECT ARMS, with story concept assistance from a friend, writer Kyoichi Nanatsuki. Obviously it’s a friendship that has created great things!
IN SUMMARY:
Project Arms is all about intensity and action, and delivers both without any trouble, time and time again. Things are really building to a dangerous point in this volume, and that can only mean the next will be even better. Cyber-punk and action fans will love these series – don’t miss out on this rare offering to the genre! |
