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Reviewed by Michael Aronson “In the not too distant future, mankind battles over O-Parts, powerful relics from an ancient civilization. Jio is a young boy with a tragic past who only trusts one thing in the world: money. Little does he suspect that he is also a very powerful O-Parts Tactician (O.P.T.), and inside him sleeps a demon of incredible ferocity. With his partner, Ruby, Jio embarks on a dangerous quest to acquire as many O-Parts as he can.” Don’t be deceived by the “older teen” rating. O-Parts Hunter is aimed at the same audience as that of Naruto and Full Metal Alchemist. It’s not all that different from such series either. In fact, your nose might be damaged if you don’t smell O-Parts Hunter’s pungent intent to become the next big licensing franchise. Surly kid protagonist with simple but distinctive physical attributes: check. Sassy but ultimately ineffective partner: check. Unique weapon that hasn’t been featured prominently in another manga series yet (a boomerang): check. A quest to travel the world in search of collecting mysterious O-Parts: check. And a secret mystical power the hero has yet to fully grasp: sadly, another check. O-Parts Hunter simply fails to do anything radically different, or even minimally different, stylistic choices aside. The bad guys are rotten to the core, the good guys are full of attitude and naiveté, and you can tell both of them apart instantly from their appearances. There is something to be said for simplicity in that it does make the story accessible and somewhat familiar, and I imagine younger readers will be quite pleased with the typical exaggerated expressions and powered-up fighting moves. A more sophisticated reader will find little that hasn’t been done better in other series. I suppose the best way to describe O-Parts Hunter’s failure is its Pokemonism – subject matter that focuses on a kid obsessed with collecting things and becoming the best in the world at something or other. I refer to Pokemon not because it was the first to establish this pseudo-genre, but because Pokemon is best representative of it. Ultimately, it’s not something stories should continue to aspire to as its well tread and well worn. Comment on this review of O-Parts Hunter v2 on the Manga Life Forums. |
6 October 2009
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