This is the first issue of Raijin that folds RGA magazine into its pages, but it's also notable for the introduction of a new feature, the return of Murakami Motoka's "Climber's Saga." As with any anthology series, there's a ratio of hit and miss, but Raijin Comics has a pretty good ratio of success with me. There's only one story in this issue I outright didn't like, and a couple that I was lukewarm on, but there are three that I absolutely love and several others I enjoyed. As always, Raijin is a bargain at $5 for a great selection of manga.
My favorite installment in this issue is the return of Climber's Saga in part one of a two-part story centering around K2. Motoka really gives a sense for the majesty and danger of the peak, as well as the drive of the men who seek to climb it. There's more than a little hubris and perhaps even foolishness on the part of mountain climbers, as they seek to climb a giant mountain for that most famous of mountain climber reasons, "because it was there." On the other hand, there's a certain nobility of spirit to be found in that drive, and Motoka definitely captures both sides of the mountain climber mindset in K2.
Also having a great outing this time was First President of Japan, which still takes geopolitics to somewhat melodramatic and unrealistic extremes but serves up a good read nonetheless. There was something very powerful in the Japanese Self-Defense Force rescuing its citizens at sea, and the scene of the forces arriving in Korea to help their people spoke to the basic idea of what government should be about in an ideal world. Yoshiki's Prime Minister Sakuragi Kenichiro is a little too idealistic, making Jeb Bartlett from The West Wing look like a scheming wheeler-dealer, but it's hard to complain too much about an idealistic political narrative, especially when it can deliver moving moments like the one in this installment.
I've also really grown to enjoy City Hunter, which starts a new story arc in this issue. The mixture of comedy and action is terrific, and I got a big kick out of seeing Saeba ingratiate himself to yet another client by not revealing his true nature. In addition, the cover by Tsukasa is terrific. Another serial that I wasn't sure about but which has grown on me is Baki the Grappler, and the martial arts in this episode were especially fun to look at, even if I still can't quite relate to the motivations that drive the characters. And Slam Dunk is fun as always, with beautiful rendition of basketball basics and the continuing humbling of arrogant lead Sakuragi.
Then there's the dichotomy of Fist of the Blue Sky and Keiji. Though part of it certainly comes down to the writer, I'm baffled by how artist Hara Tetsuo can be so clear and detailed on Blue Sky and so hard to read on Keiji. Really, Keiji is dense with historical information and characters I can't easily tell apart, and I often wind up having no idea what's going on in the story as a result. Fist of the Blue Sky, on the other hand, is easy to understand despite the politics of street gangs and political forces, but that might be down to the strong central personality of Yan Wang and the very colorful and distinctive characters that populate the feature.
Finally we come to Bow Wow Wata, the feature I want to like much more than I do. Kazumi does a great job of tugging on the heartstrings and portraying animals as loyal and often mistreated by humans, but her artwork isn't the easiest thing in the world to follow, and so I'm left confused much of the time. The overall shape of the story is clear, and the truce that develops between Kuro and Tasuke is an interesting close to the story this time, but the generalities of it are hard to read.
