MANGA REVIEW | "COSMOS" - Volume Three
Since its premiere, COSMOS has focused on a case-of-the-week route. That’s not necessarily a bad thing, as it adds plenty of variety to its narrative. However, in its third volume, we are introduced to a character that’s as close to a big baddie as COSMOS has had. And after seeing what they’re capable of, I kind of hope that they’re sticking around.
But first, we begin with the case of the week, starting with a tale focused on Kaede’s sister, Sakura. She’s always irked that her big brother always walks her home, as her parents claim it’s not safe for her to walk alone at night. But when Rin shows up at their home, it winds up being more than just a normal check-in. Instead, something weird is happening at Sakura’s school, and she needs to tail her a bit to figure out what’s happening.
For her first introduction, Sakura comes off as your run-of-the-mill little sister character. Like many others in past manga, she pretends to dislike her older brother, only for her to be appreciative of his help. Sakura doesn’t add anything particularly new, but her appearance is a requirement for what Rin is seeking out: an alien virus that causes its prey to act very loopy. (Anyone else think the virus looks like Sauron’s eye from Lord of the Rings?)
The next case involves a saw blade-shaped alien causing havoc on New Year’s Eve. Rin, reluctant to work on her day off, works with Captain Shinonome (no relation to the Kaiju No. 8 character…we think) to take it down. It’s in this chapter where we see Ryuhei Tamura’s knack for action scenes coming to life, as Rin and Shinonome punch, slice, and smash their way through the alien object. It’s a fun chapter, one that has a bit of a surprise backstory involving Rin’s original caregiver.
However, it’s in the two-parter “The Pied Piper” where COSMOS shows exactly what it’s capable of. What starts as a story about a cursed painting and its new owners transforms into a race against time to save a group of kidnapped children. And it’s here where we meet what could be a recurring villain in the series. At first, they seem to be your average throwaway bad guy, until readers bear witness to the sort of skills and power that they’re capable of.
I’m not sure if COSMOS is setting something big up for the reveal at the end of “The Pied Piper”, but it’s got me very curious. Volume Three’s first half had some pretty good stand-alone stories. However, its other half is where the real excitement can be found. I hope that Tamura is cooking up a big supervillain with this “Pied Piper”, one that could act as a major threat to the galaxy. It might have started out merely as good, but the third volume of COSMOS certainly grabbed my attention by the end!
FINAL GRADE:
Promotional consideration provided by Chantelle Sturt of VIZ Media.
