Review: THE LEGEND OF MOTHER SARAH

It's time for yet another Old School Month here at the Manga Test Drive, and we're digging deep into the Dark Horse library to dig up a forgotten story from one of manga's most legendary creators.

THE LEGEND OF MOTHER SARAH (Sara), by Katsuhiro Otomo with art by Takumi Nagayasu.  First published in 1990 and first published in North America in 1996.

PLOT:

In the future, nuclear devastation has driven humanity to space stations in low orbit.  A civil war broke out between those who wanted to stay in space and those who wanted to use an experimental bomb to reboot Earth's ecosystem and were unafraid to bomb those space stations to prove their point.

Only a small portion of humanity made it back to Earth, struggling to survive in this post-apocalyptic world.  One of those survivors is Sarah, who wanders the world in the hopes of finding the children she lost during the evacuation.  In the process, she finds herself in a mining town ruled by a tyrant.  There, water is just as precious as gold and there are plenty who would fight to control them both.

Review: PLANETES

 This month we're reviewing science-fiction manga, and you'd be hard-pressed to find one that's more "hard" sci-fi than this one.

PLANETES (Puranetesu), by Makoto Yurikuma.  First published in 1999 and first published in North America in 2003.

PLOT:

In 2074, humanity has finally ventured beyond Earth, thanks in no small part to the discovery of practical nuclear fusion and the beds of helium-3 needed to fuel it.  One of the side effects of all the increased space travel is an increase in space junk orbiting around Earth itself, where every piece is a potential threat to every ship and satellite that passes by.  It's up to lowly junk collectors like Hachi, Fee, and Yuki to collect this low-orbit garbage while dealing with the highs and lows of their everyday lives.

Holiday Review #11: DUR-AN-KI

 There was some original fantasy manga to be found in 2025.  Fittingly enough, some of it came from the team that helped to craft one of manga's greatest fantasy epics.

DUR-AN-KI (Duruanki), written by Kentaro Miura with art by Studio Gaga.  First published in 2019 and first published in North America in 2025.

PLOT:

Long ago, the gods of ancient Greece and the Fertile Crescent combined their waning powers to create a child with the qualities of both man and god, man and woman.  This child, Usumgal, grows up carefree in the hillsides among the livestock and natural spirits.  Eventually they make friends with some of the boys from the local village, using their talent to make helpful devices and aid them on their hunts.  The more Usumgal spends time with other people, the more they learn about the human world for both good and ill.

Review: SCHOOL ZONE

It's the perfect time of year to look at yet another series from a legendary horror mangaka...just maybe not her best one.

SCHOOL ZONE (Sukuuru Zoon), by Kanako Inuki.  First published in 1996 and first published in North America in 2006.

PLOT:

It looks like just another ordinary school building, but within it boundaries are terrible things.  There are murderous ghosts, identity-stealing yokai, abandoned dolls, and more.  Only a few unlucky children can perceive these terrible apparitions, and none of them are quite the same afterwards.

Holiday Review #23: CAPTAIN MOMO'S SECRET BASE

Another year, another opportunity for Dark Horse to release a new Kenji Tsurita manga.  What can this one offer that Emanon and Wandering Island could not?

CAPTAIN MOMO'S SECRET BASE (Momo Kancho no Himitsu Kicho), by Kenji Tsurita.  First published in 2017 and first published in North America in 2024.

PLOT:

In the far future, interstellar cargo deliveries are an everyday thing.  The companies that run them operate on tight margins, employing only a single pilot, basic amenities, and just enough battery power to get to the delivery site.  Moshi-Moshi Momo is one of these pilots, but she's not one to follow the rules.  She sneaks on her cat Grandpa John, hangs around stark naked, fills every space possible with physical books, and is always scheming new ways to tweak the ship's systems so she can get a little extra power to replicate better food, even if every instance means she is that much closer to running out of power before she gets to her destination.

Holiday Review #21 INNOCENT

 Y'all know I love historical manga a lot, and I've always had a fascination with the French Revolution and the time period around it, so this manga in particular was practically made for me.

INNOCENT (Inosan), by Shin'ichi Sakamoto.  First published in 2013 and first published in North America in 2023.

PLOT:

Charles-Henri Saison is the heir not just to his noble family but to their terrible role in the French royal court: executioner.  They are outcasts among both the nobility and the peasantry, and Charles wants no part of their grim legacy.  Charles struggles in vain against both the literal and spiritual torture he is subject to, but in the end he submits.  On that day he vows to become the last executioner of the family, taking the first steps towards becoming the man behind the guillotine in the bloody revolution to come.

Review: TRIGUN

 Let's wrap this month up with a series that's had a recent resurgence, but how does its original source material hold up?

TRIGUN (Toraigan), by Yasuhiro Nightow.  First published in 1995 and first published in North America in 2003.

PLOT:

Vash the Stampede is a legend.  He's the Human Typhoon, a man with a 60 billion dollar bounty on his head for bringing unimaginable amounts of damage to the world of Gunsmoke.  Every cut-rate bandit and bounty hunter wants Vash dead, while Meryl and Milly of the Bernadino Insurance Company simply want to find him to keep his damage (and their premiums) to a minimum.  When they do find him, he's not a monster but instead a goofy, donut-loving man who wants to avoid violence instead of creating it.  Unfortunately for Vash, trouble is determined to find him and he's the only one who can stop it.

Holiday Review #9: CAT + GAMER

 Sometimes though, you don't want bodice-ripping smut or complicated emotional masterpieces.  Sometimes you just want a simple story about an adult lady having a good time with a cute cat.  Luckily, Dark Horse Comics has you covered this year.

CAT + GAMER (Nekogurashi no Gamer-san), by Wataru Nadatani.  First published in 2018 and first published in North America in 2022.

PLOT:

Riko is a no-nonsense office worker who works hard so she can leave work right at 5PM.  That allows her to focus her spare time and energy on her favorite hobby: video games.  One day she takes in a stray kitten on an impulse.  Even though Riko has no experience with pet ownership, she's determined to apply the same mindset she takes to gaming to pet ownership.

Review: REBEL SWORD

It took me a bit to recover from the excitement of Otakon, but I'm back to deliver yet another Old School Month!  Let's start with an obscure little treasure from my own personal collection.

REBEL SWORD (Kurd no Hoshi),  by Yoshikazu Yasuhiko.  First published in 1985 and first published in North America in 1994.

PLOT:

Jiro is a half-Turkish, half-Japanese boy who hasn't seen his parents in years since they disappeared somewhere in Turkey.  Out of the blue, he gets a letter from his mother urging him to come to Istanbul.  What Jiro finds is a strange man and a strung-out belly dancer claiming to be his mother, but that's the least of his worries once the military show up.

Review: ASTRO BOY

 This month we're going to look at some science fiction manga, and if we're going to do that we might as well start with the sci-fi manga that changed everything.

ASTRO BOY (Tetsuwan Atomu), by Osamu Tezuka.  First published in 1952 and first published in North America in 2002.

PLOT:

In the not-too-distant future, humanity and robots live and work alongside one another, if not always in peace and harmony.  The most advanced robot of them all is Astro, built by a genius scientist to replace his dead grandson but abandoned in a fit of pique.  Taken in by the kindly Dr. Ochanomizu, Astro uses his power to help those in need, be they human or robot.

Review: TOKYO BABYLON

 Since we have been mercifully spared the anime adaptation of this series until the spring, now's the time to talk about one of CLAMP's most underrated works.

TOKYO BABYLON, by CLAMP.  First published in 1990, and first published in North America in 2004.

PLOT:

In the bustling city of Tokyo, there are mysteries too strange for any detective and too personal for any doctor.  In those cases, they need the help of young Subaru Sumeragi.  The latest in a long line of onmyoji, he serves as as sort of exorcist to save people from dark, nebulous forces around and within them.  Subaru achieves this not only with his power, but with his inexhaustible kindness and empathy for others.  In turn, Subaru's stylish, vivacious twin sister Hotaru looks out for him, along with family friend/local vet Seishirou.  Yet Subaru can't help but find himself drawn to Seishirou, for reasons he can't quite remember...

Holiday Reviews: KEEP YOUR HANDS OFF EIZOUKEN!

We've spent most of this month honoring some of the best (and worst) art that manga in 2020 had to offer.  It's only fitting then that we look at a manga that's all about making art - animation, in this case.

KEEP YOUR HANDS OFF EIZOUKEN! (Eizouken ni wa Te o Dasu na!), by Sumito Oowara.  First published in 2016 and first published in North America in 2020.

PLOT:

Ever since she was little, Asakusa has been fascinated by animation and exploration, filling up sketchbooks full of wild landscapes and mechanical ideas.  One day, she and her money-best friend Kanamori get swept up in a chase with Mizusaki, a rich girl with a keen eye for drawing people and motion.  Together they decide that they should found a club to make their own anime, but it's going to take a lot more than talent to make their dream come true.

Review: LONE WOLF AND CUB

It's time once again for Old School Month, and not even a disastrous windstorm can keep us away forever!  Let's kick things off with one of the first manga to find an audience in the US, all the way back in the 1980s.

LONE WOLF AND CUB (Kozure Okami), written by Kazuo Koike & art by Goseki Kojima.  First published in 1970 and first published in North America in 1987.

PLOT:

Ogami Itto was once the executioner for the shogun until his family was betrayed and his wife was murdered.  Instead of accepting death, he instead choses to fight back.  With his son by his side, he becomes a wandering samurai, taking the jobs that no one else wants so that both he and his clients can get their bloody vengence.

Holiday Review: EMANON

There were some interesting and thoughtful manga out there for those willing to seek it out, such as Dark Horse's latest offering from Kenji Tsuruta.

EMANON (Omoide Emanon), based on the story by Shinji Kajio with art by Kenji Tsuruta.  First published in 2006 and first published in North America in 2019.

PLOT:

On a long ferry trip, a young man meets a lovely, lithe young woman who calls herself Emanon.  They start talking about science fiction and current events, only for Emanon to drop a bombshell.  It seems that she carries the memories of all her ancestors, going back all the way to the primordeal soup of life.  The young man isn't sure what to think of Emanon at the time, but their encounter haunts him for years to come.

Review: NEON GENESIS EVANGELION: LEGEND OF THE PIKO PIKO MIDDLE SCHOOL STUDENTS

November means mecha manga here at the Manga Test Drive, and that means it's time once more to look at the latest Evangelion gag manga from Dark Horse.

NEON GENESIS EVANGELION: LEGEND OF THE PIKO PIKO MIDDLE SCHOOL STUDENTS (Shinseiki Evangelion: PikoPiko Chuugakusei Densetsu), based on the series by Khara, written by Yushi Kawata & art by Yukito.  First published in 2014 and first published in North America in 2017.

PLOT:

There are enormous, strange creatures threatening to destroy the world...at some point in the future.  In the mean time, the staff at NERV Middle School need to train students to pilot their ultimate weapon: the Evangelion.  It turns out that there are three (later four) perfect pilots, so it's up to Misato to train Shinji, Asuka, Rei, and Kaworu using the best method possible: video games.

Review: METROPOLIS

It's August, so once again we're focusing on old-school manga, spotlighting some of the classic titles of decades past.  Today's might be one of the oldest we'll ever cover, a one-volume wonder dating all the way back to the late 1940s. 

METROPOLIS (Metoroporisu), by Osamu Tezuka.  First published in 1949 and first published in North America in 2003.

PLOT:

The city of Metropolis is under threat by the wicked Duke Red, who ropes an unwitting scientist into creating an artificial humanoid named Michi.  The scientist fakes his death to hide himself and Michi from Duke Red, but eventually Michi escapes to learn about the world.  Meanwhile, a group of international detectives are trying to hunt down Duke Red, and these plots end up crossing thanks to Michi making friends with a couple of local children.

Holiday Review: MOB PSYCHO 100

Meanwhile, in the world of shonen that doesn't involve apocalypse and/or fantasy, Dark Horse was out there releasing one of the better examples out there to virtually no fanfare.

MOB PSYCHO 100 (Mobu Saiko Hyaku), by ONE.  First published in 2012 and first published in North America in 2018.

PLOT:

Just looking at him, Shigeo would seem like just another anonymous teen boy.  He doesn't much in the way of looks, ambition or hobbies.  Even his nickname, Mob, refers to the fact that he's just another face in the crowd.  What they don't know is that Mob has great pyschic power, although he keeps it mostly repressed.  The only person who does know is Reigen, a wanna-be spirit medium who exploits Mob's powers to hide his own lack of them.  Even then, Mob can only put up with so much frustration before his emotions and powers explode, and when they do the results are unpredictable.

Review: FATE/ZERO

The only thing harder than adapting a TV to manga form is adapting a TV show based on a light novel which is a prequel to another TV series, which itself is an adaptation of a visual novel to a manga.

FATE/ZERO (Feito/Zero), based on the novel by Gen Urobuchi and Type-Moon, adapted by Shinjiro.  First published in 2010 and first published in North America in 2016.

PLOT:

Once every generation or so, a group of magically gifted organizations gather to wage war.  They summon magical warriors torn from the pages of legend and history to fight against one another.  The last one standing will win the Holy Grail and with it, the chance to have any single wish granted.  As the fourth Grail War begins, a few new contenters appear.  This includes a teenaged magic-user looking to prove himself, a murderous priest, and an assassin who hedges his bets with technology and guns.

Merry Month of Manga Review: DOMINION

Once upon a time, Masamune Shirow could be relied on to churn out all sorts of interesting one-shot sci-fi stories.  Most of them have been overshadowed by the massive success of Ghost in the Shell, and that's unfortunate.  They weren't always masterpieces of transhumanism, but they were interesting in their own right.

DOMINION, by Masamune Shirow.  First published in 1986 and first published in North America in 2000.

PLOT:

In the future, the skies are brimming with dangerous bacteria.  Humanity has done everything to protect itself from the air, be it the strange pod-like beings they live in or the filter masks they wear outside.  It's not enough to protect the people from everyday criminals like the thief Buaku and his catgirl henchwomen Annapuma and Unipuma.  The only force capable of stopping them is the Tank Police, a hardscrabble group of cops dedicated to stopping crime (if not so much toward stopping collateral damage or pleasing their superiors).

Merry Month of Manga Review: GIGANTO MAXIA

When Kentaro Miura takes a break from working on Berserk, he can usually be found making other, shorter manga (well...when he's not playing Idolmaster). 

GIGANTO MAXIA (Gigantomahkia), by Kentaro Miura.  First published in 2014 and first published in North America in 2016.

PLOT:

In a far future world, the former gladiator Delos wanders the waste with a young, ethereal spirit named Prome.  The two end up in the middle of the desert, where Delos is captured by a group of half-beetle people who force him to fight for his life.  Delos wins both the fight and their favor, but soon they all find themselves under threat by a far-off empire with a towering, all-consuming colossus.