By Rei Kusakabe (DrMaster Publications)
ISBN13:Â 978-1-59796-181-3
Shun Imai has a little problem. He’s a fairly average high-school boy but is a martyr to static electricity. Every time he touches metal there’s a painful flash and spark. It’s a very similar situation whenever he sees pretty classmate Sanari Kurosaki.
His life takes a big turn into weird territory when he discovers a tiny winged girl following him and a black slime oozing maniac attacking people. Valiantly going to the rescue he finds his static problem has a powerful effect on the berserker. The little pixie girl somehow aids him. She can’t speak but telepathically reveals her name is “Air”.
His life gets even crazier when his dream-girl Sanari reveals that he is an “Answerer” – just like she is. The little winged angels are Nephylym, and they seek out and bond with worthy warriors to combat the dark forces of bad emotions given destructive physical form as “Noir”. Shun is destined to be a secret hero…
And thus begins a rather charming, simple action-fantasy/schoolboy hero yarn that will delight newcomers to the genre. The progress of Shun as he discovers the hidden world of Answerers, meets his rival for Sanari’s affections (she, of course, only thinks of the boys as her friends), and has to save his oldest pal from the curse of Noir is pretty standard manga fare but delivered with great flair and comedic grace to counterpoint the terror and tragedy of the core premise.
Light, enchanting yet full of humour and wholesome action, this series is a solid work that should entice readers new to comics and especially youngsters just dipping their toes into the world of graphic narratives.
This black and white book is printed in the Japanese right-to-left format.
© 2007 Rei Kusakabe. English translation © 2008 DrMaster Publications. Inc. All Rights Reserved.