 | | ▪ | RELEASED BY: | | VIZ MEDIA | | | ▪ | AUTHOR / ART: | | RYOJI MINAGAWA AND KYOICHI NANATSUKI | | | ▪ | FORMAT: | | JAPANESE / B&W | | | ▪ | PAGES: | | 224 | | | ▪ | RATING: | | OT | | | ▪ | RELEASE DATE: | | 05/05/2009 | | | ▪ | REVIEW DATE: | | 05/02/2009 | | | ▪ | REVIEWED BY: | | SCOTT CAMPBELL |
From Ryoji Minagawa and Kyoichi Nanatsuki comes a world of nano-machines, cybernetic assassins, powerful telekinetic opponents, and secret organization dedicated to bringing forth the next evolution of humankind. Containing all the best elements of sci-fi, spy fiction, and conspiracy theory stories, Project Arms is about kids whose arms transform into grotesquely deformed super weapons – a true joy for the cyber-punk enthusiast and science fiction fan in many of us. 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. Able to defeat an enemy with a single blow, the four high school students struggle to resolve the past with their future as the ultimate weapon. In volume twenty-two (the final volume to be exact), Ryo, Hayato and Takeshi race to stop the Bandersnatch from destroying mankind as it rampages through Tokyo. Together with Ryo's father Iwao, they gather their strength for one last battle. But the modulated Arms they're up against are more formidable than they bargained for. Can they stop the Bandersnatch's countdown to destruction? Only time will tell… So here we are at the final volume of Project Arms – it’s been quite a ride! Oh, and don’t go thinking this series has any chance of finishing off without a few explosions of considerable magnitude – this one is not signing off like a lamb, oh no. Just what we would expect from Project Arms though – the action and destruction is on an epic scale all the way to the finish line, so you won’t be disappointed. As usual, the art is heavily detailed, with great amounts of action and movement taking place within each page. This volume, as expected, has even more detail and careful attention paid to it because it is the finale (thumbs up!). Project Arms is a very well drawn, well thought out piece of entertainment that is sure to impress the mature reader looking for something that goes beyond what the masses are reading at the moment – a fact you may well be aware of yourself by now. If any recommendation could be made to fans of classics like Akira and other cyber-punk affair, Project Arms would top the list. This manga is a wonderful mess of future technology and people colliding in a way that brings out the most desperate and violent conflict. The story is good, but the visuals and the action are what make it really stand out. Sometimes it’s nice to have something that doesn’t require an overload of thought and just delivers some bone crunching, head exploding nasty stuff – and that’s something that project Arms doesn’t tend to shy away from – even in the end. The action scenes are still awesome even in these very last moments of the series - the characters themselves 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 bang (and a large one at that), if we’re all to walk away from this with a grin on our faces *wink*. Project Arms rarely disappoints if action and desperation on a large scale are what the reader is looking for - don’t miss out on how this one ends! 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! Manga artist Ryoji Minagawa drew the gritty fighting manga SPRIGGAN before Studio 4°C adapted it for the big screen to much international fanfare. Whereas Minagawa's collaborator Hiroshi Takashige wrote the story of SPRIGGAN, Minagawa handles both the writing and drawing duties for ARMS, with story concept assistance from a friend, writer Kyoichi Nanatsuki. Naturally, as an artist best known for his intense action scenes, Minagawa provided himself with many plot opportunities for ARMS fighting. His eye for excruciatingly gory details in hand-to-hand combat is well demonstrated in ARMS - he draws battle sequences in a flurry of bold black strokes.
IN SUMMARY:
Project Arms is an action series through and through, with science fiction and cyber-punk goodness strewn through it for good measure. This is a long series that is easy to get hooked on from the beginning, and will bring you all the way up to the end without an issue – give it a chance, and you’ll read all 22 volumes as well! |
