Elemental Gelade Vol. #01

By Eduardo M. Chavez     August 11, 2006
Release Date: July 11, 2006



Creative Talent
Writer/Artist:Azuma Mayumi
Translated by:Project Gen
Adapted by:

What They Say
After a routine raid, rookie air pirate Coud Van Giruet discovers a most unusual bounty: Ren, an "Edyll Raid," is a living weapon that reacts with a human to become a fighting machine. As he realizes that Ren is even more prized than he thought, she is captured by an evil man who sells Edyll Raids on the black market. Can Coud and the agents of the Elemental Gelade Protection Agency team join forces and rescue her without killing themselves... or each other?

The Review
Packaging:
Sometimes a minimalist look can work just as well as something decked out in fancy dress. Volume one is very simple. Very simple, but when comparing that to many of TP's releases I found that refreshing. The cover is as simple as possible. Main character Cou stands before a tiled pattern on a white background. The tiles retain the look of the original well, though I was surprised to see them use a completely new logo. The MagGarden version has an English logo. Sure the spelling is straight-up Engrish, but switch out the letters and your good. Then there should be no worries about the EG sequel and having Cou in that logo as well. The opposite cover is mainly a character bio on the same pattern. Simple but effective.

Inside the print is fine. Nothing exceptional but at least the alignment looked fine. Even though there are no color plates, TP did provide a very nice volume header and character designs at the end of the book. TP also included all of the original bumper art and provided a preview blurb for volume 2.

Art:
The art of Elemental Gelade works perfectly for this series. There is a level of cuteness that I found worked well for what should end up being the readership of this series. That cuteness really comes through in the SD and whenever Azuma uses close-ups. Since the readers are likely to be teens, the fun costumes that say skater more than space-pirate are light and functional. The range of light dresses and form fitting body suits shows some variety for the female cast also. From the start, I got a good feel of Grandia and Wild Arms from these designs. Short, not overly lean giving them an appearance that is not at all threatening. Very comfortable and young, perfect for an adventure.

The layout is horrible. While I thought the panel placement is fine. Azuma cannot frame a scene. Action is not presented very well, with angles poorly positioning the characters. The action itself is drawn in with minimal detail; instead, focusing on effects and posturing. The layout is generally too busy for its own good. But when Azuma slows down and steps back to present her backgrounds, we can see that she can mix in sci-fi and fantasy well to create a world that is uniquely her own. One that compliments her character designs nicely.

SFX/Text:
Outside of a lone typo, volume one read very well. I enjoyed how the characters communicate with each other. They are very casual and that works given their age and backgrounds. Overall, a simple relatively fast read.

SFX are not translated. Seriously, the inconsistency is what bugs me from TP. Come on even Dark Horse is translating them in their new titles now.

Contents: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers)
As someone who grew up playing role playing games I can see a linear RPG plot coming from a mile away. I do not know if it is the pacing or how the cast is assembled, but these stories all start off the same. You are introduced to your hero and his often reluctant partner to start. Main character Cou is a greenhorn sky pirate who cannot pilot an air dingy. He does not have a family and before joining his current band he was a theif. Currently the young swash-buckler is neither good looter or great swordsman. He is a loud-mouthed kid that is living a life day-by-day. He has no real purpose in life. He has few ambitions and he knows it. In the world of adventure manga that might be the standard for a lead character. Energetic yet void of any exceptional talent. However as his party grows and as his personality and skills develops.

As the RPG format goes, the introduction his partner must be shaky. When Cou meets Ren his ego was just hurt (just barely escaped from a successful heist). He knows he has little going for him. He is completely useless to the pirate gang that took him in and lately his lowered self-esteem has left him doubting his place among them. But maybe through Ren he could find some direction.

Why? Well, that's the RPG thing to do really. Ren is the perfect partner. She is reserved and shrouded in mystery. Moreover, it seems that Ren is also lost. Her problem is more physical than metaphoric. She needs to get back to her land. However, given the current circumstances she might not be able to accomplish this alone. Cou could help her? Ren said everyone has a single purpose in life, this might be the path to uncovering that. And if my gaming experience has taught me anything, maybe this could lead to an intimate relationship in the future.

Soon enough, their adventure officially kicks-off with the infusion of some adversity. Coming from of a group of treasure collecters is the threat of Ren being taken against her will. The risk brings the couple together allowing the mangaka to reveal Ren's secret ability and gave Cou a chance to a man! All very flashy, as the fireworks are unleashed from both sides, yet still filled with camaraderie. Ahh, and that amnity not only brought the two leads together, but it brought their enemies into the fold as well. Because if one group is after Ren, there have to be others that are even more dangerous, desperate and stronger.

Such is the way of the linear adventure. How the cast gets to their goal (in this case, Ren's homeland) is not important. What is important is getting to experience those life changing moments. The times when new acquaintances are met. Those challenging moments where characters have to decide for themselves whether the individual or the party is more important. And as we see in this volume, the times where alleagances are made for a common good. Every character has a role and while their purpose could be vague now, each one will become a better individual to make their unit better. Hopefully making the series better.

Comments
Pirates, thieves and monsters oh my! In the world of Elemental Gelade to surive you have to be tough and determined. This is a somewhat lawless world where the poor are abused by warlords and profiteers. Pirates and repo-men take property left and right. And when these groups clash the battles are intense.

But Elemental Gelade does not focus on the strife much. All of that acknowledged, however as the perspective is from the eyes of a former pirate and his newly assembled band of friends we see their individual conflicts take the lead. Told in a traditional fantasy adventure format, EG does not take much time to gather its cast together and before tossing them into the action. This did not allow much time for reflection or scrutiny, instead the story moves fast to develop a plot. And in true RPG format, this is where the meat of the writing comes in. The adversity allows for compromise and breaks down walls allowing for better communication. By no means is this a challenging read. Nevertheless, with a youthful and eclectic cast built on contrasting attitudes the potential is there for fun times in the future.