 | | ▪ | RELEASED BY: | | VIZ MEDIA | | | ▪ | AUTHOR / ART: | | NAKED APE:
SAKI OTOH & NAKAMURA TOMONI | | | ▪ | FORMAT: | | JAPANESE / B&W | | | ▪ | PAGES: | | 184 | | | ▪ | RATING: | | OT | | | ▪ | RELEASE DATE: | | 11/10/2009 | | | ▪ | REVIEW DATE: | | 11/08/2009 | | | ▪ | REVIEWED BY: | | SCOTT CAMPBELL |
Kai Eto may look like a squeaky clean kid, but the greater Kanto Narcotics Control Division’s new investigator hides a violent alter ego and a dangerous past. Together with his stoic partner Hal Kurabayashi, Kai is assigned to track down and stop the distribution of a dangerous new drug – Dragon Speed. But Ryugen, the syndicate trafficking the drug, is almost impossible to infiltrate. Add street violence and a jurisdiction war with the Meguro Police, and poor Kai is in for some very long days at the office. In volume eleven, Switch begs the question: “Can the Narcotics Control Division save the streets from drugs' invisible threat?” Kai and his team may have managed to keep the dam from busting so far, but volume eleven is a pinnacle of danger when things start to go wrong, and no one can be sure who is who any longer! Hiki and Kajiyama nail a small-time student drug dealer. The student folds like a napkin, and they turn him into an informer. But when things start going wrong, Hiki gets suspicious of their new stoolie and begins to wonder who is really playing whom… This is another very tense volume of Switch – the storyline is thick with mystery and uncertainty, and it’s a joy for the reader to try to figure out who is behind what, and what is actually going on. Who doesn’t love a good mystery or two?! Much like shows like C.S.I. or Dexter - or any of those modern favorites – Switch deals with police work and the underbelly of society in a way that draws the viewer in and lets them be a part of the cunning plot that is unfolding for the characters within. It’s quite involving and a great escape – what else can you ask from a good book? Well good art wouldn’t be too bad either, but Switch covers that as well. People with a mature taste for different and varied art styles would likely appreciate the way Switch is drawn and formatted. It’s nice to see something mature and produced on a “higher” level for us “older kids.” The use of contrast in the art is really cool – the straight up black and white mixed with hard lines gives Switch a really appealing look. To top it off, this series is one of those interesting series that manages to be appealing to both genders because of the variety of features it possesses. Not all manga can say the same, so this fact makes Switch more widely appealing for sure. The author and artist have a good formula that they’re working with, and I hope they continue to stick with it because its proven itself wonderfully so far! As for extras, there are a number of preview advertisements for other book series from VIZ Media. A little about the author and artist for your educational enjoyment: Naked Ape is the collaboration of Tomomi Nakamura and Otoh Saki, who were born just three months apart. Nakamura, the artist, takes things at her own pace and feels no guilt for missing deadlines. Saki, the writer, also does cover design and inking and is called President by the assistants. Naked Ape’s other works include Black Tar and the ongoing futuristic crime thriller DOLLS.
IN SUMMARY:
This volume of Switch is a tense read that will leave you at the edge of your seat. The art and story come together to deliver an involving and stylish manga that will entertain readers yet again in this latest book. |
