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Reviewed by Joy Kim Any avid readers of historical manga out there know it’s only a matter of time before one encounters a story set against the backdrop of the Meiji Revolution. That chaotic period of Japanese history, which witnessed the fall of the Tokugawa Shogunate and the restoration of the emperor, has been mined by manga creators again and again. One well-known example of this is the manga Rurouni Kenshin by Nobuhiro Watsuki; though it is set ten years after the restoration, much of the plot is driven by actions taken by the protagonist when he was a soldier in the revolution. Peace Maker by Nanae Chrono is another manga story in this tradition. Set in 1864, Peace Maker is the story of two brothers, Tetsunosuki and Tatsunosuke, who join the Shinsengumi, a group of swordsmen loyal to the shogunate. Tatsu, the elder, just wants to make a good living so he can support himself and his brother, but Tetsu’s driven by a different goal: he’s vowed to avenge his parents, who were killed by a Choshu revolutionary. But when Tetsu joins the Shinsengumi, he must make a difficult choice. Is he willing to become a demon—someone just as ruthless as his parents’ murderer—so he can get his revenge? Sound familiar? That may be because this series has a particularly confusing licensing history. Peace Maker and its sequel, Peace Maker Kurogane, were adapted into a 24-episode anime, Peacemaker. ADV picked up the licenses to both the manga and anime and, for reasons known only to themselves, decided to only release the sequel manga series. Not surprisingly, Peace Maker Kurogane didn’t make much sense to any reader who hadn’t watched the anime. When ADV dropped the license to the Peace Maker manga, Tokyopop picked it up and chose the common sense route of starting its releases from the usual place—the beginning. Tetsu, our protagonist, turns out to be a very young fifteen. He both looks and behaves younger than his age, and his naiveté can be deeply annoying. Nevertheless, this first volume of Peace Maker still packs a punch, raising difficult questions about violence and revenge while entertaining readers with lots of action and humor. The interactions of the supporting characters, such as Okita Souji and Hijikata Toshizou of the Shinsengumi, make Tetsu’s antics a lot more tolerable than they might otherwise be. Chrono’s art also adds to the manga’s appeal. Her lines are clean and dynamic, especially during the many swordfights. And though the paneling and page layouts are typical of shonen manga, there’s also plenty of fodder here for those who appreciate shonen-ai subtext: some key historical figures of the period appear in this story as bishounen. Readers who enjoy swordfighting action and historical detail will find this to be a series worth investigating, despite its rough spots. There may not be many surprises in the story to come for readers familiar with this period, even if this retelling takes a fair number of liberties with historical sources, but the characters promise to make the journey worthwhile nonetheless. Grade: B Comment on this review of Peace Maker v1 on the Manga Life Forums. |
6 October 2009
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