Hoshin Engi, Volume 1

June 4, 2007
In order to halt the efforts of the beautiful and evil Queen Dakki, a demon who wields a stranglehold over King Chu of the Yin kingdom, young demon hunter Taikobo must seek out 364 immortals living on the human plane and seal them away forever between the human and immortal realms. Defeating more than 300 demons is a tall order, so Taikobo teams with Hiko Cho, a superhuman fighter, to even the odds. If that sounds rather dense, it is. This is only the first volume in a sprawling fantasy epic based on a series of novels that were themselves based on Fengshen Yanji,
one of China's literary classics, so there's no shortage of magical and martial arts action, lush landscapes and spectacular images. But it's slow going as the reader is bombarded with new characters and endless exposition, much of which is only nebulously explained. It's Fujisaki's art that made the original Japanese version a hit: a mix of old school dynamic storytelling with modern character designs for a compelling whole.

June 15, 2007
Fujisaki's manga takes place during China's Yin period (16th B.C.E.11th B.C.E.) and tells the story of young humanturnedimmortal in training Taikobo, whose master bestows him with the task of banishing 365 evil immortals from Earth. Taikobo reluctantly begins engaging the immortals (or Sennin) on his list, intending to entrap their souls in a limbo between Earth and the Sennin world. His biggest nemesis is Dakki, a beautiful but cruel temptress who has made Emperor Chu her puppet slave. Despite the promise of the journeying premise, its execution is comical and clichd. Taikobo is your typical wisecracking, underachieving hero, and Dakki is so one-dimensionally evil that she becomes rather boring. The fight scenes are well choreographed though so silly as to preclude suspense; while it's a nice change that Taikobo outwits his foes rather than relies on his weapon, this would be more effective if everybody didn't seem to be as dumb as rocks. Fujisaki's artwork is excellent, emphasizing shading to add depth rather than pure line work, and his characters are distinctively styled (though costuming tends toward the clownish). This will most likely be popular with action manga fans and those looking for light, uncomplicated reads. Recommended for large libraries with an action manga collection.Krista Hutley, Lakeside Sch., Seattle

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