Was inspired to take up this manga by Erica even if it was by GONZO. And it didn’t hurt that it was just three volumes.
Act 1. Meg supports an injured Jo, fleeing pursuers. Ordinary (if much bullied) boy Takeru find them in his room and tends to them. Pursuers eventually catch up but Jo has recovered by then. She kicks ass, to Takeru’s amazement.
Act 2. Jo and Meg are hired, with the promise of a blank cheque, to recover a ring from a gang in time for a rich girl’s wedding. Jo tanks while Meg distracts a sniper with her charms. Jo fills out the cheque for the princely sum of JPY 50,000 (about USD 500), shattering Meg’s dream of living happily ever after as Jo’s tai-tai wife. “Jo no baka-!!” LOL
Act 3. While giving out advertising leaflets (part-time jobs), Jo and Meg befriend a little girl. A gang tries to kidnap said girl but ends up grabbing Meg instead. Said girl’s mom gives chase in her car with Jo on top of it. After Meg is rescued, she shares a tender moment with Meg.
Act 4. There’s a bounty on Jo’s head. Takeru comes to warn them but a trio of bounty hunters attack. Jo defeats a very swift dagger bounty hunter but has taken major damage.
Act 5. Meg has been captured by the remaining two bounty hunters. Jo seems over-matched by the Spider Tank guy. Takeru manages to free Meg from Manta Guy but takes a bullet in the chest. Jo limit breaks and pwns them, manifesting a feather fall. Takeru has survived because the bullet struck something Meg had given him earlier. He, in turn, beats up the bullies.
Overall, a good read. For me, Bakuten is about Jo and Meg’s relationship so the manga delivers on this much more effectively thant the anime. Takeru wasn’t annoying at all and he grows into a more independent spirit by the end of the volume (and doesn’t appear again). Meg is extremely funny with her flights of fantasy and random silliness - enhanced by SD art. Also while she gets captured twice in this volume (and has to be rescued by Jo), it wasn’t half as annoying as in the anime. In the specifics, she’s much less helpless and shows some cunning as well. Crucially Jo and Meg are shown to be very close and Gonzo’s manga team has gotten the feel for them just right - the yuri’s left a bit ambiguous for this volume (except on p.111) but generally it’s still clear that they are very fond of each other. Also Jo’s platinum blonde seems to work much better than the blue hair of her anime incarnation.
Art/scene personal favourites: Continue reading ‘Bakuten Angels’ Adolescence Vol.1′
