lastblossom reviewed Toah's Ark Vol. 1 by Kenshirô Sakamoto (Toah's Ark, #1)
A very comfortable shonen action series marked by fun art and some extremely cool design choices.
The story of how this got published feels like it could already be a series unto itself. Although it's written by Japanese manga-ka Kenshiro Sakamoto (known for Buster Keel), this was originally published in French by publishing company KANA. That's got nothing to do with the story, and it still reads from right to left like traditional manga, but I just found that fascinating on its own.
Anyway, on to the actual series. I was hit by a wave of warm nostalgia when I read this. Toah's Ark hits all the highlights of a solid shonen series from the naughts. A cheerful, unassuming hero travels from one town to the next fighting monsters with the aid of a powerful monster at his side, and we cycle through a series of touching vignettes of various one-off characters while we do. I didn't realize how much I wanted to read a …
The story of how this got published feels like it could already be a series unto itself. Although it's written by Japanese manga-ka Kenshiro Sakamoto (known for Buster Keel), this was originally published in French by publishing company KANA. That's got nothing to do with the story, and it still reads from right to left like traditional manga, but I just found that fascinating on its own.
Anyway, on to the actual series. I was hit by a wave of warm nostalgia when I read this. Toah's Ark hits all the highlights of a solid shonen series from the naughts. A cheerful, unassuming hero travels from one town to the next fighting monsters with the aid of a powerful monster at his side, and we cycle through a series of touching vignettes of various one-off characters while we do. I didn't realize how much I wanted to read a story like this again until this book fell into my hands. The flashback chapter at the end and a final sketch hint that a much bigger plot will come into play soon, but for this first volume, we're still getting to know everyone. Toah is a fun lead: well-meaning, spunky, dedicated to justice, and hopelessly goofy. His sidekick Joker has some very fun design elements, including a scarf that just begs to be cosplayed.
From the cover, it's hard not to compare the style to Hiro Mashima's work, especially when you learn that Sakamoto-san also worked on a Fairy Tail spinoff manga. However, the interior artwork is much more unique. Art is really solid, moving between bold lines and soft thinner strokes when necessary. As the title implies, a lot of imagery and ideas are lifted from the Biblical Old Testament (the evil apple is especially cool-looking), but there's a mix of other world religion in here as well including references to Greek mythology and the Four Auspicious Beasts popular in East Asian culture.
Overall, recommended for anyone looking for a shonen series featuring a likable lead, intriguing design elements, and fun art.
Thanks to NetGalley and Europe Comics for a review copy. All thoughts in this review are my own.