Manga Review: Claws of Darkness: Journal of the Vampire Hunter: Volume Three

[Eclipse]

Claws of Darkness: Journal of the Vampire Hunter: Volume Three
Author and Illustrator: Jerry Cho
Based on the novel by: Jozev
Published by: Dr. Master
Genre: Seinen, Action, Supernatural

Volume 3 in the series begins with Father Gerardo recording incidents relating to the dark history of Santa Anna into a journal, giving the readers a better idea of the historical consequences of past deeds and how they have impacted and shaped the characters. The history of Gino Carlos plays a particularly important part in the story. With this introduction of backstory, it is now easier to link the characters together. The story finally begins to unfold and make sense.

Although Nicholas Bane’s character is a catalyst, bringing the past of Santa Anna to the present, he seems to be completely unaware of this. His supernatural ‘charm’ has an effect on many of the town’s inhabitants. Anna is particularly vulnerable and whilst the chemistry between D and Anna is subtle, the dialogue is a little tacky and doesn’t really do much for the story. The author apparently thought the same thing and decided not to progress with a full-blown romance between the two.

The third volume does bring to light a few things that were a little hazy in the first two volumes. The characters are slowly starting to form in our minds a little more, as the darker aspects surrounding some of them begin to surface, enabling us to understand what it is that has drawn D to such a place.

Although the storyline is a tad on the translucent side, the characters seem to do the story justice. D’s character development is quickly placed in the background as we discover the dark secrets hidden in the minds and hearts of the people of Santa Anna. The author is good at portraying this and it is really the only saving grace at this stage in the series.

Again, the artwork is great, holding itself to a high standard. It carries on with the themes established in the previous two volumes, using this dark artwork to support the story's dark and sometimes violent plot. Certain colors are used with a great deal of emphasis to heighten the emotions that the author is trying to convey; there is a lot of black and red used in many of the darker, violent scenes.

It is good to see that the characters are becoming a little more interesting, although the dialogue still appears to be a major weakness in this series. It will be interesting to see how D manages to deal with the evil that has manifested itself in this town and how his presence will impact the outcome of the story.

Reviewed by: Xen
Proofed by: RainyFrog
Edited by: Firedog