DARK METRO Volume 1 by Tokyo Calen(2008).
© Tokyopop

Mania Grade: C+
Title: Dark Metro
Volume: 1
Rating: Older Teen (16+)
Art By: Tokyo Calen
Art By: Yoshiken
Publisher: Tokyopop
Price: $9.99

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DARK METRO Vol. 1

Subway tunnels do more than slide you to and from work every day; they inspire the dark side of the imagination. The dimly-lit tunnels allow only fleeting glimpses of what goes on under the world's biggest cities, and most commuters never consider exactly what the subway is barreling past: Urban legends, unused passages, various species of rodent life. Dark Metro attempts to turn Tokyo's vast public system into a Hell portal where unthinkable creatures slither, but despite having tonnes of material to work with, the manga doesn't inspire more than a shrug.

Dark Metro tells its tale through several short stories that are all linked through one ethereal figurehead. It's not unlike Del Rey's Hell Girl, though the title character of that series is far more aggressive than the mysterious and seemingly apathetic dark man, Seiya. Seiya strolls through the Tokyo underworld, guiding evildoers to their punishments within the labyrinth--though sometimes he saves them as well. His motives are unclear, though there is a strong hint to be found through the story of one girl who survived a subway fire as a child.

Dark Metro dives pretty heavily into the B-movie stuff with a typical assortment of ghouls, demons and gristly deaths. There's not much substance to be had, though one story is worth recalling: A new subway driver witnesses a man commit suicide by jumping onto the tracks, and it affects him in profound ways.

Otherwise, there's scorned lovers back from the dead, relentless and frightening cell phone text messages, people with bad intentions who are cut up into pieces with barbed wire, etc. Truthfully, the manga's at its strongest when it actually employs Tokyo's subways or stations, but most of the stories only centre around the underground world in some passing way. Dark Metro spans several volumes, so hopefully the series will come to realise its potential. It would be a shame to waste a plot device that we're all so familiar with--yet know so little about. Volume one of Dark Metro retails for $9.99.