MANGA REVIEW | "Dead Rock" - Volume One
Oh Hiro Mashima, you’ve never ceased to entertain me! From his early days doing Rave Master to his current hits like Fairy Tail and Edens Zero, Mashima has stuck close to his formula. His latest work, Dead Rock — a possible nod to Guitar Wolf’s 2007 album — is no exception. Spiky-haired protagonist? Check. Characters who explain the ways of the world, even though they all know it already? Check. Barely disguised fetishes? Triple check! And I wouldn’t have it any other way!
Run by God Himself, Dead Rock is a place where demons can learn to be the best of the best. Graduate, and they’ll get to rule a human’s domain. Our pointy-follicle protagonist this time is Yakuto, who has entered an exam to gain entry to Hell’s school. At first, he doesn’t seem like much, what with him being squashed to death before the manga reached its tenth page. However, after showing that he’s not quite dead, Yakuto demonstrates that he’s no mere demon. In fact, he’s part of a race that was believed to be wiped out generations ago: the dragon roots.
After going through the trial, Yakuto is placed in Class F with the other six competitors: Hani the Thor Root, Hien the Fenrir, Frey the Ifrit, Raizen the Orochi, Chako the Yatagarasu, and Mikoto the Lich. But before the first class can get underway, Yakuto does the unthinkable: he kills the teacher in front of his class. The reason: Yakuto wants to kill God, whom he claims to be an imposter. While some of the classmates aren’t down to slaughter the Creator of All Things, they don’t exactly want to stop him either.
Right off the bat, readers get a good feel for Dead Rock’s gang. Yes, some of these folks might as well have been recycled from Mashima’s past works. With that being said, if the formula ain’t broken, why bother fixing it! The likes of Hani and Chako are practically the Happy and Plue of this manga, and the ladies of this series are designed with fan-service intentions. Yakuto also fits well with Natsu and Shiki, as he’s also loud, energetic, and powerful as all Hell!
Where Dead Rock differs is in its narrative. Fairy Tail and Edens Zero were all about adventures, while this series is keen on keeping the crew to one setting. Considering the amount of world building Mashima has done in many of his past series, maybe it’s good that he’s keeping his setting more simple. After all, Hell can be whatever cesspool of evils you want it to be; you just gotta use your imagination!
As for the power system, not too much has been revealed. We all know what most of these students’ deals are concerning their skills (save for Chako…for the time being), and none of Yakuto’s classmates are pushovers in the slightest. Quite the contrary, I wouldn’t be surprised if this new batch of students wind up being the strongest in Dead Rock’s existence. The action scenes are showcased with exciting detail, with Mashima even going to gory lengths to demonstrate just how terrifying these school chums can be.
I do mention that this manga tends to explain things these characters should already know. Thankfully, even after reading through the entirety of Volume One, there are still some things that are carefully hidden from readers. A good example of that are the school rules, with only the one involving murdering students and teachers being revealed. Then there’s how God took over a school for demons, with Yakuto’s flashback showing a mere hint of what got Him there in the first place.
Thus far, Dead Rock has all the things that make for a trademark Hiro Mashima series. With that being said, reading it is as fun as a barrel of monkeys on fire! While you’ll certainly traverse through familiar characters and situations, you’ll no doubt have a blast experiencing these hallowed halls of the underworld with these powerful classmates. Dead Rock will satisfy you like a "Sex Napoleon", thanks in part to its violent action, side-splitting comedy, and visuals you’ll want to chomp on like a "Tokyo Zombie"!
FINAL GRADE:
Promotional consideration provided by Kodansha Manga.
