Kazuya MinekuraBesprekingen

Meraviglioso. Non c'è nient'altro da aggiungere.

Cinque stelle sono troppo poche!♥

"Ho sentito dire che per te il rosso è il colore della penitenza.
Penitenza decisa da chi?
Dio?
Dio non salva nessuno, ricordalo.
Tu sei l'unico in grado di salvare te stesso!
Sei libero di morire. È una buona via di fuga.
Nel caso tu morissi, le cose rimarrebbero immutate.
Se invece...tu decidessi di vivere...qualcosa potrebbe cambiare."

That was just a really good, solid volume and works really well as the conclusion to the first proper arc of the series. I'm looking forward to starting Reload sometime soon and seeing how it picks up all the plot threads set up by these first nine books.

I feel like this is the best volume of Saiyuki so far. There's serious plot development, a visible shift in character relationships, insight into certain POVs, and an actual paradigm change in how the story is going and will proceed from here on. Perfect for fans of Sanzo and Hakkai as well as Kougaiji and his group. Plus there's some really stunning looking panels in this book.

What a painfully typical volume. Haven't we done this basic plot before? Member A loses his shit, Sanzo nearly dies, everyone punches each other and then hugs it out the end. At least there was some progress in the background involving our villain set? Although I still hate the scientist character with the stuffed bunny. He is pretty much the worst, ugh. At least the next volume looks like it will be heavy on Gojyo's back story which will be great.

What a shame, that it would slide back into 3-star territory so soon after a very good fourth volume. But the entire arc of how Sanzo's group got together seems to lack . . . something, I can't put my finger on it. And once again, female characters are evil or unable to help themselves or change their own destiny, so that they either die or stand meekly to the side while the men take charge yet again. Let's not get started on the new minor villain introduced in the last chapter, allegedly a guy in drag, who Sanzo has no problem addressing with the f-word and insulting in a way that made me incredibly uncomfortable. Although I might have to chalk that one up to the translation, which seems like it is trying its damndest to make everyone sound more hardcore than they are. But considering Saiyuki's terrible track record for LGBTQQI characters, and add to that the cheap jokes about how -not gay- they are because being gay would just be the worse wouldn't it?, then I'm not so sure that Minekura's completely off the hook for the more offensive bits of dialogue in this volume.

Casual aside: Is this when Minekura started her Gaiden series? The flashback story arc seems like a good jumping point to run a series parallel to the main one that explores more of the series' history, but I don't know for sure.

Another painfully by-the-numbers volume of Saiyuki, although if I could I'd give it a 3.5 instead of a 3 - but it doesn't do enough to enter four star territory. We have our obligatory human/yokai love story, and then a rather silly subplot featuring one of Kougaiji's subordinates working undercover to get close to Sanzo and the gang - as a waitress. Ayup. The second half of the book, however, shows much promise with the blast from Sanzo's past and the rather bloody cliffhanger of an ending. Add to that the glimpses into Hakkai and Gojyo's back story and we have the showings of an improvement in quality hopefully soon. Hey, the story might suck right now, but at least the boys are pretty?

All right, I'll grant you a four-star for this one, Saiyuki. Jolly good show. Very heavy on the Cho Hakkai this volume, which is totally not a backhanded compliment at all. A lot of back story brings some much needed depth of character to the quietest member of the bunch. Plus, it only further cements the relationship he has with the various members of his team. And there was some actual relevant info about the 'baddies' of the series this time around! Next volume looks to be good, as it shows how this rag-tag bunch formed in the first place. For some reason, I can't remember the next volume that well; hopefully that isn't a mark of an inconsequential book.

Yet another case of a 3.5 rather than a 3 star volume - but it's getting there, slowly but surely, to the 4 star mark. A lot of backstory for Sanzo in this volume, as well as a lot of team bonding and many hints of Hakkai's past that can only mean the next volume will be very Hakkai heavy.

The series seems to have taken a huge stepback from the 'yokai issue of the week' which had defined its first two volumes, which is probably for a better because there is only so much after school special lessons on yokai & human relations I can take before begging for some actual plot development. Mercifully, there is some, including actual fleshed-out scenes involing Kougaiji and the people he works with.

However, this volume unfortunately undercuts the serious lack of interesting female characters in the series so far; either women are inherently helpless and require the Sanzo gang's assistance, are 'evil' in the sense that they are working for the revival of Gyumaoh, or are both (see: Yaone in volume 2). The most important female figure so far in the series - Kougaiji's mother - is literally unable to move or speak or participate in the action. None of them are sensibly fleshed out so far, not even in comparison to the tons of story we've been getting about Sanzo and the gang. But of course, why introduce complex interesting female people that might distract from all the sexy young men running about with their quest and amazing physical abilities?

One might also question why the only yokai characters are either evil, berserk, or Sanzo's cohorts, but I'm pretty sure this issue is addressed in later volumes. Still, the portrayal of post-Minus Wave yokai as being all mindless violent killing machines and the ones who aren't being part human and on a mission from god is problematic to say the least. I think the odds of Sanzo getting a full-blooded yokai ally grows smaller and smaller with every passing chapter.

Well, at least the art is getting better, right? Right? Eh.

The Chinese folk tale "Journey To The West" has been used as a launching pad for various Japanese manga series in the past, possibly the most notable being Akira Toriyama's Dragon Ball. Minekura's take on the legend of Son Goku and friends is certainly an unorthodox twist, filled with beautiful tragic boys, gun-wielding priests, and animals that turn into vehicles, all anachronistically set against the long-ago era of Asia's history - with demons, of course. It's a rather wonderful series and seeing the main cast's respective history usually makes me emotional, no matter how many times I read it. But the early volumes, and volume one especially, is rather weak story-wise and relies too heavily on cliché subplots and long scenes of exposition to propel itself anywhere worthwhile. By the end of the fifth chapter, the reader is left with more questions than answers and little incentive to read following volumes beyond the fact that the boys are so pretty and so funny in their globe-trotting hijinks.

Read the rest of my review at Nagareboshi Reviews!

3,9 de moyenne, c'est une blague !

Les graphismes sont laids et surtout sans âme. L'histoire est chiante et creuse dès les premières pages sans s'améliorer au cours du premier tome. Y a rien là-dedans ! Mais pourquoi je perds du temps à faire une critique >_

VOTO: 9

Avevo visto l'anime qualche anno fa su Mtv e mi era piaciuto tanto. Qualche mese fa, in fumetteria, ho trovato tutta la serie impacchettata e l'ho presa subito.

Molto bello! I personaggi mi stanno simpatici.

Ed è pieno e strapieno di frasi meravigliose! *_*
Un fonte di citazioni mitiche! *_*

I initially came across Kazuya Minekura's manga series Wild Adapter while looking for manga with references to mahjong. Later on I learned that the series has some pretty heavy shōnen-ai overtones to it as well, which I was just fine with. So I picked up Wild Adapter, read it, and fell in love with the series. That was also when I belatedly realized that Minekura was also the creator of the popular Saiyuki and Saiyuki Reload manga. I was pretty happy when the Wild Adapter series was selected for the June 2011 Manga Moveable Feast. Wild Adapter is currently six volumes long, all of which have been published in English by Tokyopop, plus a few chapters that have been serialized in Japan for the seventh book. However, due to Minekura's rather serious health concerns, Wild Adapter and many of her other ongoing series are currently on hiatus. The first volume of Wild Adapter was released in Japan in 2001 while the English edition was published in 2007.

Seventeen-year-old Makoto Kubota is a highly skilled mahjong player and a natural leader, catching the eye of the Izumo syndicate who recruit him to head their youths. The Tojou organization, a rival yakuza group, encroach even more than they have been on Izumo's territory, trying to take advantage of the newcomer's inexperience. But Kubota proves to be a dangerous and deadly adversary. When a mysterious new drug known as W.A. hits the streets, both the Izumo and Tojou groups are interested in gaining control of it and its distribution. The police, too, are investigating since a string of bizarre corpses seems to be connected to the drug. For Kubota, the search for W.A. and for more information about it becomes a personal vendetta when he is forced to confront the risks involved head on.

There are several interesting things about Minekura's artwork in Wild Adapter. Although occasionally seen, very little tone and shading is used, instead black and white starkly contrast with each other. The pages themselves are also black instead of the usual white. This aesthetic decision lends itself to the darker aspects of the story and also emphasises the loneliness and disconnectedness of the characters as the panels are visually separated as well. Minekura is not afraid of silence, either. The technique is used to capture the passage of time but also helps to focus the reader on important dialogue and distinct moments in the individual panels. Minekura's balance and pacing between dialogue and artwork is excellent. Her character designs, while similar to those in some of her other series, are easily distinguished from one another in Wild Adapter. Close attention is paid to accurate body structures. Although realistic, occasionally the figure work can be vaguely disconcerting.

The first volume of Wild Adapter serves as a prologue to the series as a whole. Tokito, one of the main characters, only makes a brief appearance. Instead, the first volume focuses on and introduces Kubota, the other protagonist, primarily as seen through the eyes of his second-in-command in the Izumo Youths, Komiya. Komiya doesn't even like Kubota to begin with and is reluctant to serve under a rookie outsider but he comes to admire and even fear Kubota, developing a tremendous sense of devotion. This intimate camaraderie is extremely important to Kubota who keeps everyone at a distance. Even though the first volume of Wild Adapter focuses on Kubota, he still remains much of an enigma. Extraordinarily difficult to read, he is a mess of contradictions; at times he is almost innocent, sweet, and kind but in a moment he can become cruel, brutal, and vicious. As one character describes him, "He's an odd boy, but an absolute pleasure." Love him or hate him, Kubota's intensity and charisma are critical to Wild Adapter.

Experiments in Manga½

I'd always had the impression Saiyuki was one of those 'sort of shallow but fun' repetitive fantasy adventuring series similar to The Slayers (a series I'd enjoyed very much as a child but have no doubt I'd find rather flimsy if I'd discovered it now), probably with some heavy pandering to yaoi fans. Though I never really ceased to suspect this, after becoming a huge fan of Wild Adapter, another manga by this mangaka, I couldn't help but wonder if there were some redeeming factors to this series that might make it enjoyable.

I'd heard even from some very generous manga readers that the first volumes of Saiyuki were weak, though, and to just read past them till it got better. As this was my mentality going in, it seems a little silly to review the--indeed quite weak in both art and storytelling--first volumes of this series separately. In the end (especially since I lost all my notes with more detailed comments and thoughts through the entire nine volume read), I just opted to leave some comments on the entire series aimed to others interested in it for similar reasons as me. If nothing else, I thought the series might at least be an interesting look into how Minekura's abilities developed through the course, coming closer to the person who was able to create what I felt to be one of the most character-driven and well written manga I've tried.

Ultimately, Saiyuki does improve from the first few frankly-too-weak-to-even-be-entertaining volumes, allowing me to be mildly entertained as I read, but it never really grabbed me in any way. The plot, boiling down mostly to an excuse to have the four main characters travel on an indefinitely long journey together toward a distant goal while getting attacked by lots of (sometimes reoccurring) other characters, makes it hard for the manga to be overly gripping in the story area, while the characters are made to be likable but all rather simplistic in their characterization and relationships with one another.

You can, however, see some bits of the Minekura of Wild Adapter that shine through here: the love of her characters, of making them look cool one minute while at other times relishing in de-romanticizing them, the love of close camaraderie and entertaining conversation. Some of the bad guys are even made to be likable as well, the sort you know will end up teaming up with the mains in the end, in a formula that is completely predictable but still never ceases to be used because, well, it's FUN. And indeed, so long as I knew not to expect too much, I think if these things had been done well, Saiyuki could have been a fluffy but fun read.

Yet even if Minekura's attractive points make an appearance, they just weren't executed effectively enough to make them entertain as they should. The 'likable bad guys start working with the mains' already occurs once in the nine volumes, but it happens so early on in their relationship it just feels hard to believe. The camaraderie of the mains is mostly show through their bickering, which they do incessantly and frankly gets extremely old. The dialogue is completely, painfully overstuffed with half-baked quips and comebacks. You can see Minekura wants to show these guys being reluctant, bantery friends--yet I guess she just doesn't have the writing chops to do it convincingly at this point?

It's a little bizarre to see just how indelicate and forced all of Saiyuki feels compared to the frequently impressively subtle dialogue and characterization in Wild Adapter. The difference is so much that I almost wonder if it is not entirely a difference in Minekura's ability but in what she is trying to accomplish. Perhaps Saiyuki--not just in plot and character development but in things as simple as character portrayal and dialogue as well--is just an extremely unambitious manga.

I guess this could work--for both the writer and the readers--as a nice, simple, familiar comfort food. The 'friends traveling together' stories will always have a place in some of our hearts, and I can't help but give the manga points for trying to give some nice things I like in a series, even if they aren't done horribly well. If I can find future volumes of this series (extremely ^_^;) cheap, I'll entertain the idea of reading the future “seasons.” It's mostly curiosity that fuels me now, but if the manga could learn to lay off some things that grate on me (those "clever" remarks all the characters jab at one another, the repetitive, overdone sibling-like bickering, one of the characters being hungry all the time), I might even be able to drop the “mild” and grade myself an honestly entertained.

(And a note for those interested in the slash factor: Saiyuki was actually a lot less pandery in this department than I expected. Considering the author, there's no doubt it has slashiness and that that slashiness is intentional, but (author's intentions aside) the characters' interactions are actually not that much different from shounen written by males that have male friendship focused moments. There's none of the verging on sexual or romantic seeming vibes I'm used to seeing in a lot of the intentionally slashy series I see today. What Saiyuki does have, though, is a lot more focus and page space dedicated to showing the characters' relationship/friendship than most shounen, as well as the fact that the cast is male-heavy and all bishounen. This is actually a lot more my style than the over-the-top pandering anyway, but since I didn't get hugely into the characters I'm not hugely into slashing them, though I can see why it's of great interest to fujoshi.)

This volume's arc involves Tokito being kidnapped by the Izumo yakuza group to pump him for information on WA. The alternate pov comes this time from the Izumo youth group leader in charge of the kidnapping who is also struggling with his relationship to the yakuza as well as the death of one of the two childhood friends he joined the yakuza with. It's the most heavy on action and violence than any of the volumes of Wild Adapter yet, but still keeps the dramatic build and character development going well throughout, just as Minekura has shown she can do well before in previous volumes (even if the actual panel by panel actions were slightly hard for me to follow sometimes). We get to see the lengths Kubota will go to to reclaim Tokito as well as Tokito's reaction to his actions.

Outside things concerning this volume specifically and commenting on where the series seems headed as a whole, there are times when Tokito seems to understand how important he is to Kubota and times he (sometimes for no discernible reason I can see) does not seem sure. I suppose humans do vacillate in the confidence they hold in their relationships, but after a certain point the back and forth is going to start stretching my suspension of disbelief a little too hard. After the events of this volume, we may be getting to that point. There really should be some even slight change/better understanding in Tokito of how essential Kubota finds him at the very least. But I suppose that is something to see in the next volume rather than here.

Yet I am starting to suspect Minekura is very good at exploring different sides of a character or relationship as it stands at a certain point, but perhaps not so practiced at actually showing developments or change in a relationship, even when change really should be occurring. Frequently it seems like the two will forever be at this point--understanding to some degree they mean a lot to one another, yet at the same time unsure what exactly that "a lot" is, sometimes even doubting it. Every experience, even if were they real people they might change the way they view one another a bit, still seems to return Kubota and Tokito to this exact point. Holding off on changing things too fast is certainly necessary to make a series longer as Wild Adapter certainly seems to be shaping up to be, and can make slight changes when they do happen even more satisfying, but... I suspect more and more the slowness is Minekura's inability more than patience or pacing.

Still, these are again just thoughts on the future of the series more than complaints on the current events. This volume was action-filled and intense, summing up in an interesting and emotional (in that restrained way WA does so nicely sometimes) reunion, along with telling a compelling story on the pov character's side of things as well. Considering for a while during the second and third volumes I wondered if I was going to have to lower my expectations of this series, it is wonderful to be able to say that the volumes seem to have only been getting stronger since then, with this perhaps the strongest overall since the first. Whatever great things I feel like the series could be with some tweaks, it's still already great as it is.½

This volume consist entirely of flashback into the first days after Kubota found Tokito and took him home, finally giving us a look into how the two became so close. We see the developments through one of Kubota's next door neighbors, a small boy having trouble in his home life and at school.

Before I was a little frustrated not getting to hear this story in an earlier volume. While I'm still not sure how I feel about how long the author held off, I admit I can see why it might work a little better not being told chronologically, taking the focus off what will become of their relationship (since we already know, up to a point) and putting it instead on how certain quirks of their relationship came to be.

One thing that surprised me, though, was that I didn't actually feel like I learned anything new about Kubota and Tokito reading it. I expected to see something in these past events that would shine a new light on their current relationship, yet it felt to me mostly like a story of getting from point A to point B. And things happened basically as one would expect, Tokito first skittish and defensive, then slowly warming up and becoming very dedicated to Kubota. Moreover, while considering their situation it's entirely understandable that Kubota and Tokito would become attached and dedicated to one another, I still didn't get a great sense of how that happened. The fact that I don't feel like I've learned anything new also just increases the arbitrary feeling of the timing of the telling of this flashback.

Still, even if the information doesn't reveal anything new, it's still an extremely charming story to read, and the POV character's take did add an extra interesting spin. I do also admit at times the characters' inner monologues or dialogues felt sort of obtuse to me, and this may have lead to me missing bits of character development that perhaps did reveal something new. I can't say whether this was just me being dense or the author not effectively communicating what she meant to about the character, though.

(The high score may seem a little odd with all the complaining, but the good things about Wild Adapter--the fantastic subtle dialogue, character exploration, humor---continue to remain the same good things about Wild Adapter, and here I tend to comment merely on NEW thoughts concerning JUST this particular volume. That is, my nitpicks on how this manga could be even more enjoyable than it already is. ^_^;)½

This volume involves Kubota getting mixed up in a murder case and taken in for police questioning whilst Tokito is told to stay away from the apartment without explanation. I was very happy to see the volume moving away from the 'Wild Adapter-related case of the week' pattern the series seemed to be starting with the last two volumes. Such formula can be used to make some very interesting things, but still are a bit lazy and can get stale if over-relied on.

The murder case is unlikely to have anything to do with the Wild Adapter drug at all, actually, but is instead the sort of plot used not for overall plot advancement but to force the characters into interesting emotional dilemmas and cause them, particularly Tokito, to reflect on their relationship. It doesn't completely drop our further search into things concerning the WA drug, either, since it allows us a look into how the police (outside Kubota's uncle) view Kubota and his connection to the drug. The police questioning scenes were also refreshing, displaying not a pompous-but-idiotic police questioner as it seem is the usual cliched default for this sort of situation, but allowed the questioner to be antagonistic, a bit rude, not even particularly sympathetic, but still smart enough to keep up with or even beat Kubota in his verbal games.

I do wish the tension in Kubota and Tokito's relationship caused by the incident hadn't been basically resolved by the end of the arc. Besides the fact I like a little tension in relationships (smooth ones being nice in real life, but not so interesting to read about), the series is already a tad in danger of having too much of the 'resent button' feel (in which, despite whatever developments may seem to have happened in a chapter/episode/arc, everything in it has to be 'reset' back to the status quo when the episode ends, allowing the series to go on indefinitely with little complication) in the plot area, with little panning out in the WA investigations. The emotional journeys the characters go through in the arcs are interesting and I will probably enjoy them regardless, but if it plans to press an emotional reset after each arc as well, it will greatly reduce the potential I thought the series had.

Still, the use of the episode 'reset button' is a choice of the author rather than a flaw exactly (though sometimes I suspect the use of it comes from a weakness in the author/lack of effort to brave the difficulty of following an ongoing, continuously developing thread in a character's emotions, which can be even more difficult than plot sometimes). And I'm not really sure they intend to keep using it, either.½

In the third volume of Wild Adapter, Kubota and Tokito continue to investigate leads on the mysterious drug Wild Adapter likely connected to Tokito's past. This time their information leads them to investigate a religious cult.

The series is still nicely character-focused compared to most action/crime stories, but it seems to be settling more and more into the standard crime investigation pattern, and that the almost entirely character-driven first volume prologue was simply a different beast from the rest of the series. It makes me sad, but hopefully now I'm coming more to terms with that I will be able to enjoy future volumes better simply for what they are.

Kubota and Tokito's easy comfort and complete dedication to one another is still a little more intense than I usually like to see at the beginning of a story (since if they've already got such a good relationship...where else does it have to go?), but luckily this mangaka seems capable of exploring other dimensions of their relationship beyond simply how dedicated and how much they care for one another, and that will keep me interested regardless of some things being not entirely to my taste.

Still, while handled decently enough, the too-often-used religious cult theme lowers my enjoyment of this particular volume, as well as the fact the volume didn't ultimately move us along much more in the plot. If Wild Adapter were still as character-driven as I originally started thinking it was going to be this wouldn't be a problem, but since pure plot is taking more page-space and focus here compared to character exploration, I expect a little more forward movement in that area as well.½

The second volume of Wild Adapter starts a year after the events of the first and marks the beginning of the true main story. Kubota is living with the Tokito, the boy he picked up unconscious off the street at the end of the previous volume. It seems though the boy was initially hostile or feral, both he and Kubota have changed a lot in the past year. Tokito is now relatively normal, if brash, a little spoiled, honest to a fault, and still with no memory of anything before Kubota's saving him. Kubota seems to have found in Tokito something he cares about, and the two keep on the alert for any news about the W.A. drug likely related to Tokito's animal-like hand.

The structure of the second volume of WA is different from the first, which was scene by scene clearly focused on character exploration. Here the POV is from a young woman who's boyfriend has gotten mixed up in the W.A. business and who Kubota and Tokito come in contact with. The volume feels a little more traditional in structure, focusing to a larger extent on simply telling her story. I'd say the mangaka is still primarily trying to draw interest with character development and exploration of the two main males, but on the surface the volume gives more time and focus to the side character. She's not bad at all, but I couldn't help but be sad any of the moments focused on her took time away from learning more about the mains, even if she was frequently used as a vessel to observe them from.

Another slight let-down in this volume for me was the relationship between Kuboto and Tokito. There's a lot less subtlety here compared to the relationship in the previous volume. Tokito calls Kubota the somewhat cutsey “Kubo-chan” and pouts exaggeratedly when he brings a girl home, frequently-used indicators of possessiveness in these near-BL series that I thought this manga was going to stay away from. It's understandable they'd be very comfortable with one another after living together for a year and likely having been through a lot together, but their comfort and closeness is displayed a bit heavy-handedly sometimes. I might have been able to swallow it a little better if I'd been able to watch the development of Kubota and Tokito's relationship from the start, and perhaps there will be some flashbacks or more information on this later, but for now it's a smidge over the top for me.

On the other hand, this volume is still better than a lot of crime (...Fighting? Avoiding? Investigating? ^_^; ...I'd say the lack of easy categorization is usually a pleasing aspect, if anything) manga. The side character the volume focuses on is flawed but sympathetic, and a lot rounder than most single-arc side characters I've seen in other series. The more action-centered part of the volume simultaneously managed both interesting action and character exploration at the same time, and the denouement of the arc was allowed an entire chapter and quite satisfying.

And, despite the overdone quality of some of the displays of Kubota and Tokito's relationship that left me either mostly disinterested or slightly turned-off, there were some bits, particularly one scene in which we find that Tokito apparently isn't comfortable enough with Kubota to share everything with him (nor, as it turns out, is Kubota), that have all the subtlety of the first volume and more, managing to convey a sense of affection and understanding between the two all the more believable and touching because of its restraint.

There are various choices I see the author taking here at the start of the main story of WA that leave me a bit less enthusiastic than before. It's still well above average over-all, though. My hope is that the mangaka will lay off the overdone displays of closeness or introduce some background for it that will at least make me able to read it without so much skepticism, but either way I imagine each volume will be worth reading for the strong writing in other areas along with even just the occasional strong character scene.

After catching the eye of the head of the Izumo yakuza group, a young man named Makoto Kubota accepts a position as the Izumo youth division leader. Kubota is aloof, almost lethargically casual, lacking in much drive or interest in anything, accepting the position seemingly just because the opportunity presented itself. Opposed to Kubota's appointment is Komiya, the youth group's second in command. Yet as the two work more together, Komiya observes the calm, fearless efficiency with which Kubota performs his job, as well as other intricacies of his personality which begin to change his mind. However, a mysterious new drug is emerging on the streets, leaving animal-like corpses from those that dare to try it, and the yakuza are interested in pinning it down...

I came into Wild Adapter knowing it to be of the frequently and intentionally homoerotic sort of manga, and going off what I knew about most manga of this variety, I expected over-the-top dedication and mushiness to emerge, the plot to be disposable and merely an excuse to get the guys working together, and the main attraction to be the fact that (unlike what you get reading yaoi) it least had a non-romance-centered plot, even if paltry, a story that lasted more than a volume or two, and the guys to be a little manlier than some in real BL.

Thus it was with great surprise that I read through the first volume of Wild Adapter to find things like setup to a plot that (despite not having a ton of it revealed yet) seemed like it could hold up an action/drama series decently fine on its own sans the near-romance, effective action sequences, perfect measured pacing, and dialogue more clever and nuanced than anything I'm used to seeing in most manga of any type.

But what sold me entirely—and what sets it apart from a lot of adeptly done crime series of its type—was its completely character driven nature. Here it focuses on its main character, Kubota, and his likability is questionable. He doesn't particularly like people, kills without remorse, doesn't seem to have strong emotions or care about anything. Yet he's not without a sense of humor, and has a childish innocence to him sometimes that makes one wonder, even if he is not to all a likable person as he is now, if there are the startings of something more human and likable in him that just need to be brought out, or that we've yet to see.

So while the nicely handled setting and plot and character introductions come through, the focus of each scene still feels entirely on figuring out Kubota. How he reacts to various things, what little possibly telling personality quirks might be revealed through each scene, be it about beating up rival groups, talking with his crooked cop of an uncle, or using a stick to dig a grave for a cat in the park.

And, to make it to the homoerotic aspect and whole reason I was initially drawn to the series in the first place, the observation is done almost entirely through the eyes of Kubota's second in command, Komiya. To my absolute delight, the homoeroticism wasn't the usual difficult-to-swallow mushy-touchey-feeley between two guys, but in Komiya's fascination with Kubota, his desire to understand him more, his lessening hostility towards him growing into a surprisingly subtly portrayed friendship. While Komiya's turn around and eventual level of dedication did feel a shade too much too soon, this slight blemish is still overwhelmed by the good. There are still moments overtly homoerotic enough that they'd likely grate on those who don't like that sort of thing, but even these don't come off as awkwardly inserted “fanservice moments” to titillate fangirls as they often do in manga like this, and read as natural parts of dialogue and interactions (even if titillate is exactly what they do nonetheless ^_~).

As I got to the end of the volume I started getting the feeling (and then the confirmation in the author's note at the end) that the entire first volume was actually a prologue to the main story. Still, this prologue is not just a throw-away volume to dump some introductions and information on what will turn out to be the back story of WA's true plot starting from volume two, but tells a satisfying and in some ways complete story all its own. It seems Kubota is in some ways considerably changed by the time volume two starts, and a new, as yet barley-introduced character will be his actual costar through the series. The idea was initially a bit jarring and even slightly off-putting, as I'd already started investing and finding things interesting as they were. But taking this volume as a promise of the quality and subtlety we will see in the characterization and building of the relationship between the two mains in the future, I'm sure re-investing after the time jump will not be a problem.½

When young Shouta's odd and reclusive next door neighbor, Kubota, brings home a body slung over his shoulder it opens up a mystery perfect for distracting him from the problems of his own life.

This flashback volume was very enjoyable. I liked the parts told through Shouta's eyes while, at the same time, not being entirely sure how truly safe he was around Kubota. That Shouta becomes so enamored of his next door neighbors he begins to draw a manga about them (including the trials of getting a character "just right") was a neat little twist.

The development of the relationship between Kubota and Tokito was cute, I especially liked the part where Kubota placed Tokito's drink on the floor between them. It was exactly as you would place a dish of milk out for a scared kitty you want to make friends with. I'm still not entirely sure of why Kubota decided to take Tokito in, except that maybe he saw more animal than human in the young man which set off some spark of sympathy he had way deep down. The ultimate result of this first encounter is known from the previous volumes, but it is definitely and interesting and compelling entry nonetheless.½

In this volume Kubota learns of a religious cult that could potentially have connections to both the yakuza sect and W.A. so he and Tokito, with the help of a nosey reporter, infiltrate to investigate and find out what's going on.

I liked this one a lot. There is an interesting ambiguousness in the relationship between Tokito and Kubota which could be one of just friends, or not. It is obvious that Kubota consistently puts Tokito's well being before his own and knowing his self-involved pre-disposition thanks to volume one, it is a significant change. The plot line of the religious cult seemed to serve more as a vehicle to somewhat advance the overarching story although it was still moderately interesting in and of itself. Again the dark denseness of the panels give this manga a slightly claustrophobic feel which is good for ratcheting up the sense of dread. I'm certainly looking forward to reading more!

Kubota-San is a mahjong prodigy with more luck than ambition. When he is tapped by one of the reigning drug lords to head their youth operations he takes the position with something less than enthusiasm although he is clearly not opposed to killing for his job. Despite his lackadaisical personality Kubota has a knack for making people interested in him and although he seems to care for nothing he is curious about everything. His most recent interest is the new drug on the street known as W.A. with side effects as deadly as Kubota himself and even to his own surprise the results of this discovery may even serve to spark something more than curiosity.

This first volume of Wild Adapter is, as indicated by the manga-ka, is more of a prologue and introduction to the rest of the series as a whole. Rated as mature for everything from extreme violence to topless women this would probably qualify as the most racy manga I've read yet, and this is the just the beginning. I can't say as I really like Kubota at this time although I have a feeling that if he changes the way I think he might, I will most likely grow to like him more as a character. The story line was interesting and easy to follow. The artwork isn't what I would consider to be the most appealing but it fits the subject matter, very gritty and very vivid. Overall I found this to be an interesting start and will be reserving further judgment on how much I like it for once I've read a few more volumes.