Dark Edge Vol.#03

By: Jarred Pine
Review Date: Friday, November 11, 2005
Release Date: Friday, July 01, 2005



Creative Talent
Writer/Artist:Yu Aikawa
Translated by:Lindsey Johnston
Adapted by:

What They Say
While Takagi and the gang are still recovering from the deadly events in the previous volume, their teacher Mr. Tsuchiya reveals his true form after questions about the potency of his "evil genes."


The Review
Packaging:
The cover artwork is the same as the original Japanese tankoubon release, with the logo changed a bit even though it was already in English. The logo actually seems to flow with the cover artwork much better with this English version. I’m also glad they left the naked image of Sonobe on the cover instead of swapping it out with something less risky.

The print reproduction is god awful. Throughout most of the book it looks as though I’m looking at a very low resolution image--it’s blurry, the edges are pixilated, tones are faded or distorted. It’s one of the worst reproduction jobs I have seen. There are chapter headers, character profile inserts, but no other extras.

Art:
The character designs feature a lot of the long, lanky arms and legs with wide bodies and an abundance of hair. The boys are drawn up in the bishounen vein while the girls are busty with waists that are thinner than their necks. Backgrounds continue to be solid, which enhances some of the scenes with the horror aspect of the story, increasing the tension with the closed-in perspectives.


Text/SFX:
SFX are translated by subbing English text next to the original. There are not a lot of SFX in this title and the text is kept small, so clutter is kept to a minimum. The translation has a few grammar or spelling errors. I still feel the adaptation of the dialogue was a bit flat and too literal in spots. There has got to be a better way to translate “evil genes” without it sounding so corny every time.

Contents (Watch out spoilers ahead):
One of the major questions I had about Dark Edge, well one that wasn’t quickly solved with suspension of disbelief, was regarding the whole purpose of this school with Nosferatu faculty. Was it just a mere feeding ground for fresh meat, or is there some higher purpose and conspiracy behind it all? There have been hints and shrouded mysteries pointing at both, but with this volume the situation begins to get a bit clearer.

In the 1980s, the Nosferatu came under attack and were hunted down by a group of teenagers who were known as the “Carriers”. This group contained some sort of special genes that allowed them to fight against and defeat the Nosferatu, dwindling their numbers and sending them off in hiding. The school was created as a safe haven for the weak Nosferatu, where they would remain safe underneath the school awaiting the Day of Resurrection. They also were not allowed to leave the school grounds, with the school’s barrier set to destroy anything with Nosferatu genes.

Another problem facing the Nosferatu are their genes, which have been getting weaker and weaker with each generation. The “father” of the Nosferatu, Sir Lemec, sits below the school crafting some sort of plan to make the Nosferatu strong again--a plan that will possible require Nactis (Ms. Sonobe), whose bloodline is outside of Sir Lemec’s ancestry. The plan might also include these students, as every one of them has some sort of special gift--as we find out with Yoshikuni’s ability to shoot flames.

The students’ current night attack ends with plans already in the mix for another one in order to rescue Nishiwaki, who has fallen prisoner to one of the Nosferatu. The story is progressing quite nicely, mixing in a good amount of mystery and suspense with silly humor and the schlocky horror elements. There is a little more development with a couple characters and I definitely find myself rooting for them in their quest.

Comments
Dark Edge continues to give me exactly what I ask from it, fun suspense and campy horror with a good story progression to keep the mysterious mood at a high level. The events are a bit more serious in this volume, as more revelations about the purpose of the school come to head, but the silly humor remains and gives me some good laughs. Again, this is not a title that will challenge a reader, but in the right mindset it is an enjoyable experience for those who like supernatural/occult mysteries.

The one major drawback with this volume is the really low print reproduction, one of the worst jobs I’ve seen with English translated manga. I only hope that DrMaster will improve on this aspect in the future.