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Reviewed by Michael Aronson Over the course of the previous six volumes, Buddha has made few but significant mistakes in his quest to become the pillar of enlightenment in the eastern world. He swore off his royal heritage, leaving behind his subjects, parents and pregnant wife. He survived many an attack on his being, but each time spared his would-be murderers and offered them the promise of redemption. In volume seven, all those loose threads return to haunt him. The penultimate volume of the Buddha saga poses a scenario that’s rarely, if ever, explored in comic book form: when a hero or leader of such magnitude passes his peaks and takes ill, will people continue to be inspired? Moreover, will his message still ring true in the face of his own failing health? In addition to this crisis of faith, Buddha deals with several antagonists from the past, all of whom have grown more terrifying in one way or another. The only person with whom he faces these trials is Ananda, the former thief who was possessed by the devil and tried to kill him. All of these aspects come together to form the darkest and most dire chapter of Buddha’s saga yet. Of course, the odds also strengthen he who takes them on, whether he succeeds or fails. At this point in Buddha’s career, he’s already achieved the impossible and as long as he perseveres, he will either succeed further or fail as a martyr to his cause. He still lives by the volume’s end, but each confrontation only adds more layers to each multi-faceted character. Because many characters and situations from earlier volumes return, it encourages the reader to sift through previous volumes and reflect on how much each character has evolved. Tata has completely abandoned the life of a mischievous rogue, Dhepa is one of the most steadfast believers, and Devadatta has completely changed his means of coercion. Even further, each character’s appearance has evolved alongside his or her personality, adding even greater verisimilitude to the integrity of their intertwined lives. It does take a little while for the story to pick up, however. In comparison to the last volume, the narrative doesn’t prod the readers to the edge of their seat until halfway through, though drama is still suitably sustained from beginning to end. It isn’t the most powerful portion of the saga, but it certainly handles its events and arcs better than would any other example of sequential art, if any other story would ever attempt such epic themes. Comment on this review of Buddha v7: Prince Ajatasattu on the Manga Life Forums. |
6 October 2009
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