Comic Book Bin 
 
 Comics
 Comic Reviews
 Manga Reviews (436)
 Yaoi Manga
 Comic News
 Spotlight
 Phil's Bubble
 European Comics
 Canuck
 Comics 101
 Black Astronaut
 Web Comics
 
 Action Figures
 
 Fan Films
 
 Video Games
 
 Movies
 
 Books
 
 Interviews
 
 About
 Classifieds
 Newsletter
 RSS

Comics : Manga Reviews
Last Updated: Jul 5, 2008 - 8:12:15 PM



Alive: The Final Evolution # 3
By Avi Weinryb
May 13, 2008 - 2:18:38 PM

Del Rey Manga
Writer(s): Tadashi Kawashima
Penciller(s): Adachitoka
ISBN: 978-0-345-49937-0
$10.95 (USD), 205 pp
Email this article
 Printer friendly page

Add to Del.icio.us     Add To Reddit
Add To Digg     Add To Stumbleupon


alive3.jpg
Taisuke Kanou is on the run. He’s a high school student with a serious problem. Taisuke has developed supernatural powers which allow him to control heat and flames. This would be exciting and fun if it were not for the fact that other similarly super powered beings are now seeking his destruction. On the road with his younger buddy, Yuta, Taisuke will have to seek a way out of trouble and find some missing friends while dodging villainous attackers.

 

A heap of credit should be lavished on the author for crafting such a riveting story. Without having read the previous two volumes, I was able to jump on board and begin enjoying this book right away. An opening battle in a forest pits Taisuke against a fellow super powered person, referred to in the story as a ‘comrade’. This comrade can control wind, and has the nasty ability to craft wind blades that can cut like knives. It’s an exciting action sequence with some basic dialogue, but it gets the reader pumped up for what is to come.

 

A very memorable moment occurs later when the protagonist encounters an elderly man who is cursed with the power of clairvoyance. He can see one’s past and future. When he reveals the burden he carries, he remarks that “I saw my mother cry when I was born… And I saw my son feel relieved when I died.”

It’s a powerful moment, and the prediction he provides will likely haunt Taisuke for the remainder of the series.

 

This volume reaches its apex when Taisuke and Yuta find themselves fending off a homicidal maniac within an amusement park he constructed using his ultra-powerful mind. It’s crazy, it’s fun, and at this point, the book is impossible to put down.

 

As the characters run through a fully realized psycho amusement park, artist Adachitoka’s skills are put on display. Every detail shines forth, and a careful grasp of perspective transforms the Ferris wheel from an attraction into a deathtrap. Characters emote well, and are strongly illustrated. And Taisuke’s older sister is drop-dead gorgeous, which is a plus. Panel composition is creative, adding to the exciting and unpredictable flow of the story.

 

This is a fun manga well worth purchasing. It’s a non-stop joyride through an imaginative landscape, and did I mention that Taisuke’s older sister is drop-dead gorgeous? Because she is.

 

8.5 / 10  

 

_______________________

 

Avi is an editor and writer at The Comic Book Bin.


Related Articles:
Alive: The Final Evolution # 3



Comment Script Join the discussion:

Add a Comment

Comments


© Copyright 2002-2008, Coolstreak Cartoons Inc. - All rights Reserved. All other texts, images, characters and trademarks are copyright their respective owners. Use of material in this document(including reproduction, modification, distribution, electronic transmission or republication) without prior written permission is strictly prohibited.

Top of Page

Search

Yakitate!! Japan: Volume 12
07/08/2008 Loincloth vs. bikini.
Jaryu Dokuro's Sugar Milk (Yaoi)
"Head over heels" love stories lack substance, but the art is pretty good.
Togari: Volume 7
07/08/2008 Even sins find out that they have hell to pay.
Switch: Volume 3
Due: 07/08/2008 Miami Vice set in Tokyo.
Naruto: Volume 30
07/01/2008 Battle royale.
Dean Koontz & Queenie Chan's In Odd We Trust
07/01/2008 Still-rising star of manga sees dead people.
Time Stranger Kyoko: Volume 1
Due: 07/01/2008 Time waits for no princess.
Reborn!: Volume 8
07/01/2008 Shounen manga series begins its darkest and most action-packed storyline yet.
Nana: Volume 11
07/01/2008 Sex, drugs, and rocky relationships.
Battle Royale Ultimate Edition: Volume 1
Big book of murder.
La Corda d'Oro: Volume 8
07/01/2008 Music of my heart.
Kurohime: Volume 6
Due: 07/01/2008 The woman with the golden gun.
Kouko Agawa's Golden Prince & Argent King (Yaoi)
Brotherly love...ers!
Akira Kanbe's Loving Gaze (Yaoi)
I give myself to you and also submit to your nipple fetish.
Kamichama Karin Chu: Volume 1
Due: 06/24/2008 Sequel to popular shoujo buries substance in wall-to-wall cute.