Thanks to barnesnandnoble.com for the image.

TOGARI, VOL. 3

VIZ MEDIA
CARTOONIST:  Yoshinori Natsume
TRANSLATION: Hiroko Yoda and Matt Alt
ISBN: 978-1-4215-1357-7; paperback; Rated “T+” for “Older Teen”
192 pp., B&W, $9.99

Tobei was ruthless punk criminal living in Feudal Japan when he was beheaded for his many crimes.  After 300 years of damnation, Hell still hadn’t broken him, so Tobei brokered a deal.  He returned to Earth with a mission – vanquish 108 sins in 108 days.  These sins have taken on a corporeal form – malevolent spirits called “Toga,” and have attached themselves to human criminals.  Armed with the sin-eating wooden sword named Togari, Tobei stalks a new century – a world he cannot understand.

As Togari, Vol. 3 begins, Tobei and his self-appointed guardian, Itsuki Asagi, a 16-year old girl (Tobei lives with Itsuki and her paternal grandfather), are caught in the middle of a bank robbery with one of the bandits holding Itsuki hostage.  Although, Tobei puts an end to it, Itsuki is not happy with the coldness and disregard for human life that Tobei displayed.  Meanwhile, Detective Kazutoshi Sawasaki continues to keep an eye on Tobei, believing that he is very deeply involved in the recent crime wave.  However, a new Toga is on the prowl, and rather than possessing humans, it encourages and then feeds off the malice already in them.  And this spirit is harder for Tobei to defeat.

THE LOWDOWN:  Togari actually gets better with each issue.  In fact, in an afterword, manga-ka (creator) Yoshinori Natsume writes about how hard he dedicates himself to getting better at least a little every day.  This is a gritty, dark manga with a compelling story, a great lead, a fine supporting cast, and pitch perfect villains.  Although rooted in fantasy and horror, this is a crime comic.  Tobei could very well be a cop or detective prowling the darkened city for cold-blooded murderers.

POSSIBLE AUDIENCE:  With its hardboiled writing and noir-ish art, Togari might please fans of such Frank Miller comic books as Ronin and Sin City.

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