Consignia
05-13-2004, 12:02 PM
Since there was no thread about this volume I thought I'd have a try a quick review.
English Title: Get Backers
Japanese Title: GetBackers Dakkanya
Vol. 2 of 21(?)
Story : Yuya Aoki
Art: Rando Ayamine
Publisher: Tokyopop
Translator: James Cohen
Originally Published by: Kodansha
Price: $9.99
Pages: 216
Age Rating: 16+
ISBN: 1591826349
Release Date: 04/01/04
Review Date: 05/13/04
Grading~
Packaging: B+
Artwork: B
Text: B-
Content: A-
What They Say:
Dr. Kabutogawa will steal your heart... and liver, kidneys, eyes... and anything he can sell on the black market. The two are going to have to use their brains to save their butts. But even if they do, death waits to stare them down in the form of a mercenary triptych, one of whom shares a secret past with Ban Mido.
Packaging:
I really like this cover. The minimalist use of colour is very effective in catching your eye, and the complementory brown and blue seperates the charcters from the background. The illistration of Ban and Ginji is effective in conveying the action which takes place in this volume. The background is faint picture of the truck which they face later in the volume. The logo is slightly laid back in terms of the overall picture, but it is quite in keeping with the style of the cover. On the back we have nice a picture of HEVN, which is a bit more cheerful than the front, but not out of place with the whole package.
Artwork:
I was introduced to the Get Backers world through the anime, so I'm afraid my opinions of the art is based on my experience. Emotions come out very well in the art for this volume. Expressions are acted out well, and the action flows like you'd hope for. The backgrounds feel more real than the anime counter part, something I particularly like about this manga. My only real problem with the artwork is the generic look of the characters. In the anime they are have distinct shapes and faces, however in the manga, I see there are more template designs to them. However, the characters' hair are all drawn very well, and make up considerably for the other parts that are simpler
SFX/Orientation:
This title reads right to left, as is standard in Tokyopop manga, I believe.
The SFX are left almost totally untranslated, with no guide at any point. This doesn't really bother me, as the effect of the SFX still remains with the shape, but some people would prefer a translation table for these. The benefit of this, is we are getting the whole thing almost competely untouched in terms of art, and we get much of original manga in tact.
Text:
This volume is quite well written. It features much less of the street language that some people felt plagued the the first volume. It's still there, but it's very workable, and not once did I feel that it interupted the flow. One thing I don't particularly like about this publication is the amount of swearing in it. There is no real need for it in many places it's used. I understand there is some need to translate the vulgarity of the situations, but sometimes it feels over the top. Honorifics are left un-translated at times. Some people like them, I don't, but I get the feeling that many of them were trimmed in certain places, and they certainly don't get in the way.
Contents (Watch out spoilers ahead):
<span style='color:#dddddd;background:#dddddd'>This volume was a real treat for me, since it features the start of one of my favourite story arcs in it, and the conclusion to one which is interesting.
The first part resolves the cliff hanger from the end of the last volume. We left our retreival agents, with the Bar Girl Natsumi being held hostage, in exchange for the real object of their last mission, a disc containing information in important to Dr.Kabutogawa. They are quickly taken hostage themselves by being overpowered by the "invincible" Mr. Undead. At the Kabutogawa's base, we find that Ban and Ginji are to be harvested for organs like the rest of his victims, and it looks like it's game-over for the duo.
Until we find out about the Doctor's assistant, Kinue, has her own agenda to get her husband back from the Doctor's clutches. Kinue frees the agents and employes them to retrieve her husband for her. We then run into the climax of this act as Ban and Ginji kick some ass to destroy the operation. After a flurry of action, Mr. Undead is overcome and the doctor gets an evil-eyeful of what it's like to be harvested for organs. The arc is concluded by Kinue's husband being retrieved in coma, and she awaits the day he will reawaken, to see her face.
This story was a rather generic GetBackers style storyline, but is it really has it's moments, like when we meet Mr. Undead for the first time, and it is quite gruesome. However, it's a very enjoyable story, and I can tell you it never appears in the anime, which is a bonus to all fans of the anime series.
The real meat of this volume, however, is the first real 'bigger' storyline arc. It introduces a few characters who are quite integral for later on in the series. And to boot, it's one of the better arcs out there.
We start of with the Get Backers feeling a little peeved about not having anywere to stay, until Wan Pore offerers them a new place to stay for free. The catch is they have to get rid of the Yakuza who are holding the place. Cue a comical build up to a quite action-packed arc, as Ban comes up with a half baked plan to remove the gangsters.
However, it turns out this was just a test for the retreival agents, as a politcian was using them to see if they were worthy of retreiving some stolen goods, which appears to be Plantinum. Ban refuses the offer of loads of money and a place to stay in place of 10% of the goods. The offer is accepted, and Ban and Ginji go off to retrieve the goods from the proffessional transporters.
Here we meet the transporters themselves. First, is the enigmatic Kurodo Akabane, aka Jackel. A real killer, who enjoys the murder of his line work, more than anything else. Next, we have Himiko, who is linked to Ban's past and has a real grudge against him, as it seems Ban killed her big brother. Finally, we have the focused Mr. Unstoppable, who keeps driving the truck to it's desintation, no matter what, he never uses his brakes.
The two sides take several swipes at each other, in quite a decent display attacks. Most interestingly, Ban fights Mr. Unstoppable, in car fight which is sort of like a race on the highways. We are breifly stopped to see Akabane's real colours as he mecerilessly slaughthers a pair of theives after the goods.
The volume concludes with a what looks like a victory for our duo. They get the goods, back after a brutal encounter with Akbane and Himiko, and they can almost taste the plantinum reward. However, it seems that the transporters aren't going to give up on the goods so easily.</span>
Overall, I really liked this volume. I especially like the focus on an arc used in the anime, and we are really seeing the Get Backers getting going. I really look forward to the next volume, as we continue on.
Comments, please. Sorry about the spelling, it was done quite quickly. I'm not a very good writer either, I just wanted to speak my brains about this manga, as it had not been reviewed.
English Title: Get Backers
Japanese Title: GetBackers Dakkanya
Vol. 2 of 21(?)
Story : Yuya Aoki
Art: Rando Ayamine
Publisher: Tokyopop
Translator: James Cohen
Originally Published by: Kodansha
Price: $9.99
Pages: 216
Age Rating: 16+
ISBN: 1591826349
Release Date: 04/01/04
Review Date: 05/13/04
Grading~
Packaging: B+
Artwork: B
Text: B-
Content: A-
What They Say:
Dr. Kabutogawa will steal your heart... and liver, kidneys, eyes... and anything he can sell on the black market. The two are going to have to use their brains to save their butts. But even if they do, death waits to stare them down in the form of a mercenary triptych, one of whom shares a secret past with Ban Mido.
Packaging:
I really like this cover. The minimalist use of colour is very effective in catching your eye, and the complementory brown and blue seperates the charcters from the background. The illistration of Ban and Ginji is effective in conveying the action which takes place in this volume. The background is faint picture of the truck which they face later in the volume. The logo is slightly laid back in terms of the overall picture, but it is quite in keeping with the style of the cover. On the back we have nice a picture of HEVN, which is a bit more cheerful than the front, but not out of place with the whole package.
Artwork:
I was introduced to the Get Backers world through the anime, so I'm afraid my opinions of the art is based on my experience. Emotions come out very well in the art for this volume. Expressions are acted out well, and the action flows like you'd hope for. The backgrounds feel more real than the anime counter part, something I particularly like about this manga. My only real problem with the artwork is the generic look of the characters. In the anime they are have distinct shapes and faces, however in the manga, I see there are more template designs to them. However, the characters' hair are all drawn very well, and make up considerably for the other parts that are simpler
SFX/Orientation:
This title reads right to left, as is standard in Tokyopop manga, I believe.
The SFX are left almost totally untranslated, with no guide at any point. This doesn't really bother me, as the effect of the SFX still remains with the shape, but some people would prefer a translation table for these. The benefit of this, is we are getting the whole thing almost competely untouched in terms of art, and we get much of original manga in tact.
Text:
This volume is quite well written. It features much less of the street language that some people felt plagued the the first volume. It's still there, but it's very workable, and not once did I feel that it interupted the flow. One thing I don't particularly like about this publication is the amount of swearing in it. There is no real need for it in many places it's used. I understand there is some need to translate the vulgarity of the situations, but sometimes it feels over the top. Honorifics are left un-translated at times. Some people like them, I don't, but I get the feeling that many of them were trimmed in certain places, and they certainly don't get in the way.
Contents (Watch out spoilers ahead):
<span style='color:#dddddd;background:#dddddd'>This volume was a real treat for me, since it features the start of one of my favourite story arcs in it, and the conclusion to one which is interesting.
The first part resolves the cliff hanger from the end of the last volume. We left our retreival agents, with the Bar Girl Natsumi being held hostage, in exchange for the real object of their last mission, a disc containing information in important to Dr.Kabutogawa. They are quickly taken hostage themselves by being overpowered by the "invincible" Mr. Undead. At the Kabutogawa's base, we find that Ban and Ginji are to be harvested for organs like the rest of his victims, and it looks like it's game-over for the duo.
Until we find out about the Doctor's assistant, Kinue, has her own agenda to get her husband back from the Doctor's clutches. Kinue frees the agents and employes them to retrieve her husband for her. We then run into the climax of this act as Ban and Ginji kick some ass to destroy the operation. After a flurry of action, Mr. Undead is overcome and the doctor gets an evil-eyeful of what it's like to be harvested for organs. The arc is concluded by Kinue's husband being retrieved in coma, and she awaits the day he will reawaken, to see her face.
This story was a rather generic GetBackers style storyline, but is it really has it's moments, like when we meet Mr. Undead for the first time, and it is quite gruesome. However, it's a very enjoyable story, and I can tell you it never appears in the anime, which is a bonus to all fans of the anime series.
The real meat of this volume, however, is the first real 'bigger' storyline arc. It introduces a few characters who are quite integral for later on in the series. And to boot, it's one of the better arcs out there.
We start of with the Get Backers feeling a little peeved about not having anywere to stay, until Wan Pore offerers them a new place to stay for free. The catch is they have to get rid of the Yakuza who are holding the place. Cue a comical build up to a quite action-packed arc, as Ban comes up with a half baked plan to remove the gangsters.
However, it turns out this was just a test for the retreival agents, as a politcian was using them to see if they were worthy of retreiving some stolen goods, which appears to be Plantinum. Ban refuses the offer of loads of money and a place to stay in place of 10% of the goods. The offer is accepted, and Ban and Ginji go off to retrieve the goods from the proffessional transporters.
Here we meet the transporters themselves. First, is the enigmatic Kurodo Akabane, aka Jackel. A real killer, who enjoys the murder of his line work, more than anything else. Next, we have Himiko, who is linked to Ban's past and has a real grudge against him, as it seems Ban killed her big brother. Finally, we have the focused Mr. Unstoppable, who keeps driving the truck to it's desintation, no matter what, he never uses his brakes.
The two sides take several swipes at each other, in quite a decent display attacks. Most interestingly, Ban fights Mr. Unstoppable, in car fight which is sort of like a race on the highways. We are breifly stopped to see Akabane's real colours as he mecerilessly slaughthers a pair of theives after the goods.
The volume concludes with a what looks like a victory for our duo. They get the goods, back after a brutal encounter with Akbane and Himiko, and they can almost taste the plantinum reward. However, it seems that the transporters aren't going to give up on the goods so easily.</span>
Overall, I really liked this volume. I especially like the focus on an arc used in the anime, and we are really seeing the Get Backers getting going. I really look forward to the next volume, as we continue on.
Comments, please. Sorry about the spelling, it was done quite quickly. I'm not a very good writer either, I just wanted to speak my brains about this manga, as it had not been reviewed.