Okay, so I've kinda let the blog just sit around forever, but I just haven't read anything that truly annoyed me... until two weeks ago. Now, I really do like Shonen Jump. It's cheap for a year's worth of manga, plus you get a permanent collection of all the issues you've bought, but American readers are now also slightly more subject to the so-so and bad manga that occasionally dot the magazine.
See, in the printed days of Shonen Jump in the states, we pretty much got the cream of the crop: the big three of Bleach, Naruto, and One Piece and various manga that may have finished publication over a decade ago (hi DBZ and Yu-Yu Hakusho). At the time this was an very smart business move because, again, printed, which means it costs more. Even with the Viz going digital, it still takes a good amount of popularity for something to get a printed version (ex. Cross Manage).
But now things are different. The Western audience has access to the official magazine and thus factors into what passes and what doesn't, at least that's my understanding of it. Hopefully, we helped contribute to things like getting rid of Takamagahara and keeping stories like Cross Manage. How Yu-Gi-Oh Zexeal or whatever it's called stays around is beyond me.
Which brings us to today's fine little gem: Seraph of the End. Our story begins with a nice little blurb about how an unknown virus has decimated humanity and vampires have emerged to take over the world (of course!)
We then cut to said vampire's city, where we have two humans with one... reading a book on how to kill vampires. Um, why would vampires allow such a book to be readily available. Yeah, in the hands of a kid, the information is about as useful as the glaive would be in real life, but give that to an organized group bent on eradicating supernatural beings and you'd be pretty screwed. Bonus points for the book being an actual hardcover published tome and not just the writings of some crazy guy.
The kid reading the book is Yuichiro and the blond haired... boy? Geez, we're already hitting the bishonen line and not a single bloodsucker in sight yet. Anyone the other "boy" barely putting up with Yuichiro is Mikaela (oh come on).
Following a nice little blood "donation," the two go out and Yuichiro complains about vampires (get used to this folks). Mikaela, showing he has a brain, points out that maybe reading books about killing vampires and yelling about it, isn't the brightest idea in the middle of the damn vampire city. Well, Yuichiro seems pretty one note and annoying, so I'm gonna place bets that Mikaela is gonna be our protagonist while Yuichiro is confined to comedic relief. Ah, Captain Hindsight would be proud.
Oh wait, we've got our first non-mook vampire. Let's see, incredibly fancy clothes, long blond hair, effeminate enough to make me think he has a-cup angst... yep, we're going down the Twilight path here people, prepare for some dull fights. And again, Mikaela has enough sense to ya know, get on the monster's good side and get access to things like a map, a weapon, and... proper food? Wait wait, you're saying that humans in this city only get scraps? Okay, nitpick here, but that's stupid. If you're treating humans like livestock, wouldn't you want to get the maximum amount of nourishment out of them? Even without killing them (thankfully they're not that stupid), draining blood at regular intervals has an adverse effect on humans. Its why you get a cookie and some OJ after giving blood, it helps recuperate your body. Giving humans only scraps means that a. they can't produce as much blood b. they're far weaker and more likely to succumb to disease and die, detracting from your pool of food. That whole decimation thing isn't helping your either. This is pretty much the equivalent of not giving your crops enough water when a famine has run rampant.
But enough on agriculture, It's time for a flashback... from Yuichiro. Oh, no. We learn that Yuichiro first met Mikaela at an orphanage on Christmas, because why not. To our joy, we learn that Yuichiro was even before all hell broke loose, saying he doesn't need a family because his dad tried to kill him and his mom committed suicide after ranting he was demons spawn (sure that won't come back). It really is so refreshing to be told all this rather than shown it. I feel really connected to Yuichiro now.
Thankfully Mikaela is having none of this and swiftly introduces Yuichiro to the floor (again, really liking this character). Of course, then with a smile, he says how his parents abused him... followed by the rest of the orphans happily going on about how they've been abandoned, they're parents killed themselves, or they just never met them... I should note that Yuichiro and Mikaela are the oldest here at eight years old.
What sort of children talk this way (insert Mirai Nikki joke here)? At that age could you even comprehend abuse? Even if you could, I find no way you could ever smile about it or even loudly admit it. See, those sorts of things cause trauma and that is generally damaging to a young psyche and and does not prompt happiness. Eh, whatever dogpile Yuichiro, at least it'll shut him up.
Naturally, such bizarre enjoyment must come to an end in the most logical way possible: the apocalypse , complete with vampires in fricking helicopters announcing that humanity has royally screwed itself with the super virus. Gee, that's awfully convenient that it struck at night and you had this whole "parade though the carnage with helicopters" thing ready to go. I'd have loved to see the planning committee on this.
Ugh, can we just get on with this? Okay, back to the present, Mikaela shows orphans the stuff he's swiped, again proving that he's a much more competent hero than Yuichiro. Running through the corridors to escape they find they're path blocked by effeminate vampire. It's at this point with all the grand pillars and stairways, all in pristine condition, that I have to pause and wonder just how humanity missed these guys for so long. In Japan no less. You'd think that whole "deep need for arable land" would let someone stumble upon this incredibly vast and complex underground city. Eh, who cares, its time to go George R.R. Martin on the orphans. No! I was so attached to orphan b and e!
Mikaela faces off against the vampire with no other choice and you can guess how well that goes. Well, not really that gruesome since limbs and heads turn into speed lines when forcefully removed in this world. Heck, I didn't even notice at first that Mikaela got an arm torn off. But unfortunately Mr. Crepsly here forgot about that whole "there's two of them" thing and promptly gets a bullet to the head. Hey, genius, maybe Yuichiro would have ineffectively tried your heart if you didn't let him read that stupid book.
So with his last dying words (damn, damn, damn) Mikaela spurs Yuichiro away and into the world above... which is now sporting a nice shooting location for Life After People. What a twist, the vampires lied to you about that incredibly well-timed virus.
Speaking of well-timed, a trio of people in military attires shows up, having come there on a prophecy. What are the odds? Better, they get offer Yuichiro the chance to join them and kill some vampires. Naturally, he's just jumping at the opportunity to ride the revenge wagon.
Ugh. Revenge may be a dish best served cold, but it better have some accompaniments. Seeking retribution is a good motivation for a character, but they need other aspects to flesh them out. A character simply can't organically fit into a world if they just go on and on about getting revenge for fallen comrades or family. Hell, even Sasuke, the poster boy of "my family is dead so the world is dead to me too and everything else sucks" had interactions with characters that defined his personality... at least until part two where he went completely off his rocker. All Yuichiro has done is bemoan his current situation and get mad because of it. No, I'm not counting the one scene where he holds another orphan's hand because it is never followed up on. He always has his teeth grit and his eyes sharp. Mikaela was showing expressing fear, happiness, and sorrow. Its what draws readers to him rather than Yuichiro, who, for all his whining, reacts to events rather than start them. Both characters get the same call to action, but its Mikaela that actually manages to do something. Yuichiro just tags along and, much to my ire, is the one who survives the whole mess.
Sigh, I think this is enough for chapter 1. Stayed tuned for chapter 2: Schools and the Apocalypse don't mix.
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