MANGA REVIEW | "Choujin X" - Volume Ten
I have no idea how Sui Ishida is able to come up with such imaginative visuals. Perhaps he looks at the works of Tim Burton, Gerard Scarfe, and Junji Ito, and is able to mesh their styles all together to craft something truly freaky! There are moments in the tenth volume of Choujin X where I found myself mesmerized by the creatures that appear in these pages. And now with the battle of Zora commencing, readers can bear witness to some sights straight from the nightmares of Vincent Price and Roger Waters.
There’s a big calm before the storm, as the Choujin prepare for battle. Ely and Azuma find themselves juggling between combat training and going to school, whilst Tokio and Palma try out their Beastification skills for their big fight. It’s in their training where Palma starts to realize her feelings for Tokio, but with Ely in the picture, she fears she’ll have no chance to be with him. That doesn’t stop Nude from giving his own advice and spats of truth to psyche up Palma.
Meanwhile, the Tower of Mourning are preparing for their side of battle. Chandra has grown his limbs back, and Batista finds his powers slowly starting to overtake him. (We also get a chance to see the latter without his mask for the first time, and it shows exactly why he wears it in the first place!) With the kinds of Choujin Zora has at her disposal, it’s clear that the battle on Christmas will not be an easy one for the team at Yamato Mori.
It’s on the eve of battle (literally Christmas Eve) where the younger Choujin kids have a heart-to-heart talk. While they are physically prepared for the fight, the mental aspect is a different story. Death is around every corner when it comes to dealing with the Tower of Mourning, so of course many of these kids are terrified. But they know the consequences of what happens if they sit around and do nothing, meaning that they’ve gotta get their head in the game and prepare to make even the most ultimate of sacrifices.
That’s when Choujin X starts with the mission to eliminate Zora. And almost every frame drawn by Ishida is filled with pure chaos. Monsters eating soldiers, sand tsunamis, and flying freaks wearing dog skulls show off just how crazy this series can get. And when the Yamato Mori team finds themselves separated, it’s up to each team member to showcase the strengths they have to take down everything Zora flings at them. The question is, will they make it to the top of the tower alive?
The big fight has finally commenced in Choujin X, and our heroes seem ready to take it head-on. Volume Ten may have its calm moments, but when the battle commences, the scenes can get very trippy. Sui Ishida has a real knack for framing battles like acid trips, and what’s seen already in the Zora mission’s early stages is enough to want many to calm down and regain their sanity. Alas, this is Choujin X, and right now, sanity’s left the party!
FINAL GRADE:
Promotional consideration provided by Chantelle Sturt of VIZ Media.
