AuburnComics
08-26-2008, 09:11 PM
Illustrator: Kasuaki Yangisawa
Story: Kaoru Kurimoto
Paperback: 168 pages
Publisher: Vertical (December 11, 2007)
Language: English
Dimensions: 8 x 6 x 0.6 inches
I am reviewing this for another site and they sent me volumes one & two for free so I must first thank Charles from comiclist.com for allowing me to do this review.
The Guin Saga Manga: The Seven Magi, Volume 1 is an intense story of Guin, The Leopard Headed King of Cheironia. Having not yet read volume two I cannot testify to this but from other sources I understand that volume one is a bit of an introduction to the characters which seems to fit what I've read so far. We really only have a handful of characters throughout this 168 page volume so we get to know them pretty well. It seems that every character though has the potential to be something completely different than what we first make them out to be. There is a great sense of mystery throughout that leaves you always doubting that what you first see is actually what your going to end up with. I really liked that quality because in the 168 pages I actually became bored with a few of the characters and it was refreshing to see them change and evolve into deeper parts.
The lead in the story really seems to have the qualities of a king and in the beginning it seems that he will be a classic messiah type figure but the story passes by that making him into something far more interesting. Guin, The Leopard Headed King of Cheironia, which he is commonly referred two in the book and does seem to get a bit annoying, has very little back story. All I know about him is from the paragraph long introduction on the back of the book. If I hadn't read that I would have gone into the story blind. It is not necessary to know the back story but it is interesting that he comes in as even a mystery to himself.
The rest of the cast play big roles in the story but none of them are especially worthy of being mentioned. The most interesting characters may end up being revealed or simply developed into that place in a later volume. There are a few monsters and mystical creatures that rock the boat but the majority of the excitement in the story comes from traveling through several dimensions and interacting with witch and demon types.
This volume also introduces the setting for this multi-part story and begins with a plague in the king's land. We see the kingdom of Guin first as a setting of death. A plague has come over the land which is why Guin is on his initial journey to seek a remedy. We see that his people are a superstitious, gullible type that follow fools remedy's that only bring about more problems and death. His kingdom eventually gets past it's initial tragedy only to fall victim to another crisis.
Volume one leads into, as a "to be continued," volume two without really answering any questions. I look forward to the next volume anticipating a great show.
Official Website for the Series: http://www.vertical-inc.com/guinsagamanga/index.html
Story: Kaoru Kurimoto
Paperback: 168 pages
Publisher: Vertical (December 11, 2007)
Language: English
Dimensions: 8 x 6 x 0.6 inches
I am reviewing this for another site and they sent me volumes one & two for free so I must first thank Charles from comiclist.com for allowing me to do this review.
The Guin Saga Manga: The Seven Magi, Volume 1 is an intense story of Guin, The Leopard Headed King of Cheironia. Having not yet read volume two I cannot testify to this but from other sources I understand that volume one is a bit of an introduction to the characters which seems to fit what I've read so far. We really only have a handful of characters throughout this 168 page volume so we get to know them pretty well. It seems that every character though has the potential to be something completely different than what we first make them out to be. There is a great sense of mystery throughout that leaves you always doubting that what you first see is actually what your going to end up with. I really liked that quality because in the 168 pages I actually became bored with a few of the characters and it was refreshing to see them change and evolve into deeper parts.
The lead in the story really seems to have the qualities of a king and in the beginning it seems that he will be a classic messiah type figure but the story passes by that making him into something far more interesting. Guin, The Leopard Headed King of Cheironia, which he is commonly referred two in the book and does seem to get a bit annoying, has very little back story. All I know about him is from the paragraph long introduction on the back of the book. If I hadn't read that I would have gone into the story blind. It is not necessary to know the back story but it is interesting that he comes in as even a mystery to himself.
The rest of the cast play big roles in the story but none of them are especially worthy of being mentioned. The most interesting characters may end up being revealed or simply developed into that place in a later volume. There are a few monsters and mystical creatures that rock the boat but the majority of the excitement in the story comes from traveling through several dimensions and interacting with witch and demon types.
This volume also introduces the setting for this multi-part story and begins with a plague in the king's land. We see the kingdom of Guin first as a setting of death. A plague has come over the land which is why Guin is on his initial journey to seek a remedy. We see that his people are a superstitious, gullible type that follow fools remedy's that only bring about more problems and death. His kingdom eventually gets past it's initial tragedy only to fall victim to another crisis.
Volume one leads into, as a "to be continued," volume two without really answering any questions. I look forward to the next volume anticipating a great show.
Official Website for the Series: http://www.vertical-inc.com/guinsagamanga/index.html