So since I started watching anime, I profoundly relished reading mangas. So one day, searching for a good manga to start with, I found out about Naoki Urasawa’s *****, the first manga I read, and damn, that was good. I casually started with the first chapter, and dang boy, I loved that shit. Despite not being that big of a bookworm, I was sucked by *****’s overwhelming story and direction, reading it day and night, non-stop! ***** has got everything. Bizarre story, perfect characters, mind-bending mystery and thrill, and a genius execution. ***** is certainly what you need when you’re trying to get into manga. And after all, ***** is written and illustrated by Naoki Urasawa, so don’t expect any less!
URASAWA x TEZUKA
***** is a short, 8 volume manga series written and illustrated by the great mangaka Naoki Urasawa who made cult-classic masterpieces like Monster, 20th Century Boys, Billy Bat, and ***** itself. ***** is no less than Urasawa’s other masterworks in terms of quality, narrative, themes, and those classic twists. The series is based on Osamu Tezuka’s Astro Boy, specifically “The Greatest Robot on Earth” story arc, and named after the arc’s chief villain, *****. However, Urasawa reinterpreted the story as a suspenseful murder mystery starring Gesicht, a Europol robot detective trying to solve the case of a string of robot and human deaths. ***** is only 65 chapters, making it easy to read in no time, and is great from start to finish.
STORY
***** follows the story of a futuristic world where robots and humans live together. The robots became more humanlike with time and started to manifest human emotions like sadness, love, and hatred. And to prevent robots from overtaking the human race, they are designed not to hurt or kill any human being. One day, Mont Blanc, the world’s one of the 7 most advanced robots, dies mysteriously. To investigate the case, enters our protagonist Gesicht, a highly advanced German robot inspector working for Europol. Gesicht attempts to solve this case of string murders of robot and human deaths worldwide where all the victims have objects shoved into or positioned by their heads, imitating horns. The series is full of mystery and suspense. And not only a linear mystery story, but the story also has tons of conundrums. Instead of only looking forward to the killer, the story allows you to think about several fascinating subjects like the perception of life, the value of human and robot life, emotion, the cycle of hatred, and no doubt it’s beautifully conveyed. The manga shows what’s it like to be like a robot and its manifestation of emotions. And it’s not that the manga deviates from the theme in some time. The theme is its main priority from beginning to end. ***** is phenomenal just from the beginning, never losing its quality and being persistent in giving maximum enjoyment to the reader. ***** asks you things like “how are you different from a robot” and “what’s the value of your life.” Not only is ***** filled with dark and heavy themes, but the mysteries and the thrill also keep on giving. It never fails to make the reader curious or thirsty to know what did happen and what is happening and engages with you at all times. The mysteries are intertwined and well woven in such a way that they will keep you at the edge of your seat. You’ll certainly be absorbed from chapter 1 and will get you more curious as you read further volumes. *****’s story is flawlessly written and executed with perfect character building in just 8 volumes.
CHARACTERS
Characters in ***** are no exception. The character building and design certainly are one of the best things you’ll see in the 65 chapters. ***** does not throw off many characters in the first few issues. It introduces characters by time and lets you absorb them slowly. Every character has their own importance and has got their fair bit of playtime. Every character is fine and polished and certainly feels complete. Like Atom, the robot with the most advanced artificial intelligence was formerly the peace ambassador toward the end of the 39th Central Asian War. Epsilon, a photon-powered gentle, and sensitive robot that runs an orphanage to take care of war orphans. And a minor character Brau 1589, is a robot that killed a human eight years before the story. In the end, it’s *****’s characters that give it such a deep touch in both the story and the writing. The character cast of ***** is filled with lovable characters, and my favorite, Dr. Tenma, the creator of Atom, will be introduced in later volumes. ***** is eventually Osamu Tezuka’s Astro Boy, so it adapts all of the characters from Astro Boy and shares the same names. The antagonist indeed does much for progressing the story. It doesn’t have much of a personality like any other great antagonist, but that’s because it is the most mysterious character, as it was supposed to be. Each character got their depth and the weight that made ***** a damn good read, and characters are one of the main things that make ***** so brilliant. Urasawa’s characterization at play on ***** is one of the best things you will see in literature.
EPILOGUE
***** has been a thrilling but satisfying read. The story combined with characters definitely serves as something you must read. Whether you’re trying to get into mangas or simply like thriller rides, you would adore ***** for its story and execution. The story has many things going on that will hook you to the manga. And after all, the manga is just 8 volumes or 65 chapters long, so it won’t take much time to read through it. I highly recommend you to read the first volume to know what it is and get the hang of that mystery to keep going on. ***** is an easy 10/10 and a must-read.