ALIVE Volume 3 by Tadashi Kawashima(2008).
© Del Ray
Title: ALIVE
Volume: 3
Rating: Older Teen (16+)
Story By: Tadashi Kawashima
Art By: Adachitoka
Publisher: Del Ray
Price: $10.95
ALIVE Vol. 3
By: Nadia OxfordDate: Friday, February 29, 2008
Manga-ka love to write about what'll happen to the world after the population is inevitably decimated by a virus. Who can blame them? Not me. One of my favourite books is The Stand, and I seriously aspired to be an epidemiologist at an age when most of my friends still wanted to grow up to be ponies or Optimus Prime. But no matter how fascinating you find civilisation-destroying sickness, there are still some works that are only worth a brief nod of acknowledgement. Tadashi Kawashima's Alive is not one of these series. It's fully worth picking up and following.
Early in Alive, a virus of mysterious origin scrambles the brains of hundreds of thousands of victims, convincing them to commit suicide. A handful of the survivors suddenly notice they've acquired super-human powers, such as the ability to control the elements or create illusions. Some of these "comrades" use their powers with the ill intent of clearing the world of humanity. Some, having lost loved ones, are caught in the middle and understandably confused. Others, like the teenage Taisuke and little Yuta, are hunted down by their comrade brethren as they attempt to rescue friends who have been kidnapped for unknown reasons.
Taisuke and Yuta continue their search through volume 3 of Alive, which is mixed with a few fights and a few more accounts from confused survivors. The duo battle a power-hungry comrade at the start of the volume, and he's admittedly a bit of a typical stock villain. Towards the end, however, they meet another comrade, a father who considers killing his children so that they don't have to keep living in the twisted society that's grown out of the death-ravaged world.
Ultimately, this is where Alive shines: Certain characters are portrayed with a realism that's not easily matched. Children like Yuta have become understandably confused and traumatised after watching their parents commit suicide, but they also instinctively understand that they have to do their best to survive.
The humanity of the manga's "good" and neutral characters makes up for its slightly blah villain roster. Only one evil comrade, the trash-talking Takumi Yura, is worth remembering (and he's not easily forgotten, thanks to his frizzy hair and unsettlingly sharp teeth). Unfortunately, he doesn't make a prominent appearance in volume 3.
All stories reach a lull, though, and even Alive's quiet moments rival the best scenes in most post-apocalyptic manga. Volume 3 retails for $10.95.
