MANGA REVIEW | "Tokyo Fears Rhapsody" - Volume One
One would be forgiven if you took a look at Akira Sugito’s Tokyo Fears Rhapsody, and thought it was a Kaiju No. 8 knockoff. Thankfully, all it takes is one chapter to see that it’s both different in plot and different in tone from Naoya Matsumoto’s hit Shonen Jump series. But be warned: as soon as you read one chapter of Tokyo Fears Rhapsody, you’ll more than likely want to jump right into the next one. This manga is like popping open a can of Pringles, and attempting to eat one single chip: you’ll be met with delicious failure.
Our main hero is Hachiro. On the surface, he looks like an ordinary guy who is seeking a good job. But beneath that face lies a Fear, a monster that becomes stronger the more someone is terrified of it. Naturally, that should make Hachiro Public Enemy Number One, but terrorizing humans isn’t his forte. After all, why even attempt to eat humans when you can instead chow down on delicious ice cream?
Hachiro loves humanity, and while his father, Doctor Roldophe Frankenstein, designed him to destroy it, he’d rather interact with it. Hence why he takes odd jobs, so as to chat it up with humans and learn more about them. He even resides in an apartment above a seedy bar, a place where the owner pays him to do nothing but sit around. (At least he tried to be a bartender and a waiter, but, well, you’ll see why he couldn’t take up that task.)
But Tokyo Fears Rhapsody isn’t just about Hachiro; there are legitimate heroes they have to focus on. That team is The Unbelievables, a group who take on Fears and keep the peace of the city. One member, Kousuke, finds himself at a crossroads, thinking that he doesn’t have the gusto to be a hero. However, a run-in with Hachiro in his human form manages to kick his keister into gear, as he decides to work harder at being the best Unbelievable he can be.
There is a solid amount of comedy on display in this series. The mere sight of Hachiro in his Fear form eating ice cream and hugging a teddy bear will no doubt get a big grin out of anybody. His character design is also delightfully funny. It’s as if The Phantom of the Paradise somehow meshed with Venom, crafting a monstrosity that’s both shriek-inducing and downright silly.
Perhaps we have Doctor Frankenstein to thank for that, as he’s shown to be a better scientist than a father. Then again, he’s never seen any of his creatures as his children, a fact that outright pisses off Hachiro. But when a warning from a Fear known as Jack the Fiend threatens to kill everyone Hachiro knows, our Fear-in-hiding has a solid solution: just beat the shit out of him! A crazy plan indeed, but one that intrigues the mad scientist enough to allow him to give it a try.
Where the first volume shines is in the interaction between Hachiro and the Unbelievables. Our Fear admires the heroes, so much so that he wants to help them. But one look at him has the trios in fight mode, a fact that upsets Hachiro in the most hilarious of ways. Only when they see our hidden Fear come up to bat for the humans do they see that he’s one of them, and a friendship is forged! Well…okay, it’s almost forged. (Someone had to jump the gun too quickly.)
Tokyo Fears Rhapsody takes a bit of Kaiju No. 8, and injects it with One Punch Man-styled humor. The end result is an action comedy that’ll be hard to put down, like your favorite flavor of Ben & Jerry’s. Hachiro’s story is the right amount of kooky, cool, and gooey, especially when one sees just how hard this dude can throw a right hook. In short, Tokyo Fears Rhapsody is so entertaining, it’s kind of, erm, unbelievable.
FINAL GRADE:
Promotional consideration provided by Chantelle Sturt of VIZ Media.
