There are two Tezukza in the world of manga: The Osamu Tezuka that many people know as the creator of Astro Boy, Kimba the White Lion and Black Jack, and then the other Tezuka. The one whose works are not meant for children, whose stories are more profound, dark and meaningful than just about any manga that you've ever read.
But you won't find that Tezuka talked about all that often. After all, why would you bring up stories of rape, homosexuality within the Catholic Church and mass murder when you're trying to sell someone on Astro Boy?
This is the world I discovered when I read MW. Once I opened the pages of the book and started reading, I was instantly drawn in and shown a whole new world of storytelling -- one that I rarely encounter in manga nowadays -- and I was forever changed.
Simply put: Reading MW will change your perspective on manga.
MW
Creator: Osamu Tezuka
Publisher: Vertical
Release Date: October 30, 2007
MSRP: $24.95
MW is a tale of revenge. Father Garai and Yuki share a twisted fate from a few days on a remote island 15 years ago. They were the only survivors after a deadly chemical weapon, MW, leaked from its storage containers, killing everyone else on the island. Nation X (America) were the ones who stored the weapons there, and they paid for a total cover up of what happened.
We join Father Girai, who traded in his boorish ways as a gang member to become a member of the cloth, as he continues to hide Yuki from what he has done, under the auspices of the church. He is conflicted between giving Yuki up and trying to help him reach salvation. Perhaps he doesn't turn him in because of the two's ongoing sexual relationship.
Yuki was affected by the MW gas, although not immediately. The gas has worked its way into his brain, killing his sense of morality and slowly poisoning his body. So, he decided he'll rape, murder and swindle his way to finding those who were responsible for the MW gas and its cover up and bring ruin to them all. And before he dies? He may as well release the MW gas upon the world, killing everyone on the planet.
This is not the Tezuka I remember. Even the cartoony violence seen in Black Jack was gone. MW struck me as something so different, so much more profound, that I couldn't help but be engrossed by it. I would stop working for hours on end just so I could continue reading it. I stayed up much too late at night, just so I could read it. It was with me, constantly.
The story in MW is instantly captivating, and I think that makes it the perfect title to graduate to once you feel you want to change your perspective on manga. Yuki is a character of pure evil -- Light wouldn't hold a candle to this man -- and that's something I can't immediately recall seeing in many characters in today's manga. Most of them operate within shades of gray -- and those that are purely evil are merely shonen villians. The story is compelling without being overly complicated. The art is fantastic. There is simply nothing about MW that you won't like.
Go, read it now. You'll thank me when you're done.
live comments!
