Manga Review: B. Ichi Volume One

[Jason]

Title: B. Ichi
Volume: One
Author: Atsushi Ohkubo
Originally serialized in: Shonen Gangan
Licensed by: Yen Press
Genre: Shonen

Yen has a knack for licensing unusual stuff and B. Ichi is definitely that. It opens in Toykyo, Japon (misspellings are deliberate) with the arrival of a young girl on a Vespa, Mana. Mana has a strange quirk. She’s driving around the country, following the advice of fortunetellers, and has an obsession with earning commendations from people. She literally runs into a young man named Shotaro, who is even quirkier than Mana. For instance, he has a fascination with a TV show character named Justice, yet has no conception of a weekly TV schedule. He’s sort of the overly optimistic man-child archetype.

However, Shotaro is something known as a dokeshi. Dokeshi are humans who have ‘awakened’ (something not explained in this volume) and can now use far more of their brainpower, which manifests as nearly-magical abilities. In return, they have to do something every day to keep this ability. Shotaro’s ‘something’ is he must do a good deed every day.

Unfortunately, most people fear dokeshi since a fair number of them are abusing their powers, and the lieutenant governor and governor are some of the biggest detractors. To make matters worse, a pair of shape-shifting dokeshi has kidnapped the governor. Having seen Shotaro’s abilities, the lieutenant governor enlists his help, and by extension Mana’s, since the two young people have joined together at this point as a team by default.

Mana was raised in a city known for its martial arts and she’s ready to prove herself. Shotaro’s special abilities are a bit odd to say the least. If he bites on a bone, he gets endowed with that animal’s abilities. So if he wants to fly, he holds a bird bone in his mouth.

Mana and Shotaro’s journey isn’t going to end in Toykyo. Together for now, they head out looking for fortunetellers for Mana, and for Emine, Shotaro’s friend and fellow dokeshi. The reader is let in on a few things that Shotaro isn’t about his friend. During the course of this they run into Yohei, a mysterious young man (though considerably older than them) who is being pursued by some very dangerous people. He used to work for a place known as the Fear Factory making weapons. The end of volume one sets up Fear Factory to be the villain, at least for a while.

The art is a bit strange, not really my usual taste. However, its odd quirkiness seems to suit this story. However, when Shotaro’s facial features changed with the bone he’s biting, not enough is done with this. I couldn’t tell dog from monkey.

On the technical end, Yen gives good translator’s notes. If I wanted to complain, the one thing that irritates me is that Yen likes to translate every sign in every picture and translates the SFX into phonetic Japanese then to English all in situations, which clutters up the margins. This is my usual complaint with this publishing house.

Mana and Shotaro at least have interesting enough lives that make you want to read more. That said, I didn’t fall in love with them either. The story was intriguing enough that I’d want to read at least another volume.

Reviewed By: D.M. Evans
Proofed and Edited By Lissa Pattillo