O-Parts Hunter Volume 16 cover image is courtesy of barnesandnoble.com

Rated “T+” for “Older Teen”

The “Ancient Race,” said to have originated on the “Blue Planet,” left powerful relics called “O-Parts” on the world of Ascald.  Mankind battles over “O-Parts,” and an O.P.T. (O-Parts Tactician) has the ability to release and use the power within an O-Part.  A young man named Jio Freed is a very powerful O.P.T., but he also has a monstrous demon inside him – Satan, the ultimate weapon of the Kabbalah.  With his partner, the treasure hunter Ruby Crescent, Jio seeks to gather as many O-Parts as he can.

O-Parts Hunter, Vol. 16 opens at the end of Jio’s battle with Amaterasu Miko, the head of the Stea Government.  Even with her robot body destroyed, Miko still evades capture.  Jio and his crew:  Ball, Kirin, Cross, May, Amidaba, Jajamaru, Jojomaru, and Zero rescue Ruby.  Then, they set out in search of the headquarters of the Zenom Syndicate, the organization that has sworn that it will destroy the Stea Government.

THE LOWDOWN:  While the chapters contained in the 16th volume of O-Parts Hunter are as inventive and as disturbing as the stories in previous volumes, this collection moves the narrative deeper into series mythology.  Although there is less action and fewer fight scenes this time around, creator Seishi Kishimoto (the twin brother of Naruto creator, Masashi Kishimoto) takes his readers on a journey deeper into the incredible world in which O-Parts Hunter takes place.  This world is as original as the worlds of many famous fantasy novels.

POSSIBLE AUDIENCE:  Readers who enjoy shonen manga filled with ingeniously designed characters and exotic locales will enjoy O-Parts Hunter.

B+