by Whitney Grace
Staff Writer
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Viz started Shonen Jump off right in 2014 with a special Takeshi Obata theme that celebrates the manga artist’s career. Obata is responsible for the art in many popular manga titles, including Hikaru No Go and Bakuman. This marks the premiere of his newest manga All You Need Is Kill, based off the novel by Hiroshi Sakurazaka. All You Need Is Kill is like Groundhog Day, except Keiji Kiriya is not living a benign existence as a weatherman. Earth is caught in a war with an alien race known as Mimics. Japan is the last bastion of hope and Keiji is a soldier about to deploy on his first mission. Things don’t go well for him and he dies, only to wake up and relive the whole experience again and again. Keiji is desperate to save his life, but the universe is bent on seeing him killed.
All You Need Is Kill is an enthralling read from the moment you see the special colored pages that literally depict death staring at you. The repetitive day theme has been used before, but never in such a gruesome manner. The manga is hardly light on the violence, but it is not gratuitous and it plays a part in moving the action forward. Obata has greatly matured in his art since he started with Hikaru No Go. Hikaru no Go is about a boy who becomes a go champion with the help of an ancient spirit. It is a light-hearted shonen series in the same vein as Yu-Gi-Oh! and Pokemon. The art follows the same theme light and frothy theme. Bakuman is akin to Obata’s teenage years. Bakuman ‘s story is for an older audience and it’s about two boys who set out to be famous manga-ka. The story has some clichéd anime themes, but is worth reading to see how the Japanese manga industry works. This entire issue is a great introduction to Obata’s work, especially All You Need Is Kill.
The second issue of the New Year leaves out Obata’s work, but it includes some riveting progression in Seraph of the End as the characters battle vampires and their emotions. Bleach, Naruto, and One Piece always have some action going on, but nothing that changes the current pattern . Nisekoi is a cute little comic and the characters spend time chasing after a hair ribbon. Experiencing Dragon Ball in full color is a wonderful nostalgic experience.
Shonen Jump is definitely adding some exciting titles to their line up this year.
