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Reviewed by Michael Aronson Is there anything more satisfying than watching every established subplot in a series come together in confrontation after confrontation? If there is, there isn’t a grade high enough to mark it. Tatta. Devadatta. Yatala. Dhepa. The Crystal Prince. Migaila. And Buddha. Each character represents something unique to one another. To Tatta, Yatala is a partner in fate and yet a hurdle on his path to retribution. To Devadatta, Migaila is a pawn he can manipulate to his advantage. And to Dhepa, Buddha’s power is nothing but a hoax. Every character has a goal that he or she wishes to accomplish and none of them, not even Buddha, is sure that what he or she is doing is the right thing. This fast-paced progression and instability in roles keeps the story electric. What also keeps Buddha interesting on top of the foreground character quests is the background political climate. The story has now progressed through two entire generations, beginning with Kapilavastu and Siddhartha’s parents to the Crystal Prince coming of age and the son of King Bimbisara. One empire has already fallen in the course of the saga and now two are on the brink of war. Some rulers like Bimbisara rule with temperance while others like Prasenajit are swayed by emotion. Regardless of approach, all the royal figures are haunted by either past or future lineage and must endure the mistakes of their family. Though Buddha emphasizes the need for compassion and moral behavior, it’s interesting to observe the absence of moral leaning – both good and bad – in the political activity. Of course, individual characters continue to make moral decisions and reap the benefits or curses of their karma, but the overall wax and wane of political power seems so futile against the quest for enlightenment and moral compassion. Buddha continues to entertain on many levels and can thus far be considered a qualified triumph of graphic storytelling. Best of all is that the complexity of intermingling storylines continues into the rest of the saga. Comment on this review of Buddha v5: Deer Park on the Manga Life Forums. |
6 October 2009
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