Tactics Vol. #1
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May 10, 2005
by: Justin Delabar
Taming goblins and solving problems, it's all in a days work for Kantaro Ichinomiya.
Manga Description
Kantaro Ichinomiya is a studious young boy who fancies folklore, so it's no small wonder that his eye for the fantastical leads him into a career among the world's ogres, goblins and boogeymen, all of whom he can help to live in harmony. Moonlighting as the ambassador to the goblin population, Kantaro - flanked by his own ghoulish sidekick - roams the streets of feudal Japan, hoping to solve instances of goblin abuse and bi-species confrontations. But unleashing peace between rivaling humans and beasts could open the door to something much more mystical, and much less welcoming...
Manga Review
Content: (MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS)
Japanese myth and folklore has served as fertile soil for manga and anime creators over the years, influencing such works from Dragonball to Mononoke Hime. Tactics is just one of these many folklore-influenced titles, but it differs in how exactly mythology relates to the overall plot itself compared to other entries into the genre. While in a number of other titles mythology and folklore serve only as a backdrop or jumping board onto a wider and highly divergent story, Tactics takes traditional Japanese mythology and utilizes it as a storytelling focal point while seamlessly combining it with real world settings. It's a combination that works remarkably well, and it certainly doesn't hurt that Sakura Kinoshita and Kazuko Higashiyama also capably weave together three chapters of impressive character interaction in the first volume of this engaging (although sometimes flawed) manga.
Kantaro Ichinomiya is a folklore researcher who has the ability to not only see goblins, but to also communicate and name them (and, in turn making them his own) if he sees fit. In order to make a living, Kan serves the city as a goblin buster of sorts -- if anyone has an issue that seems mystical and mysterious in nature, then it's most likely due to a goblin problem. Utilizing Japanese incantations and magical paper seals, Kan is capable of taking on powerful goblins with shamanic flare. His catgirl-esque goblin, Yoko, also helps out wherever she can, but most of her work seems secretarial in nature whenever she isn't criticizing Kan's research methods. In the first chapter of Tactics, Kan is approached by an attractive young woman who has been targeted by her abusive husband. Upon further investigation Kan realizes the root of the problem is actually demon possession, and in the process of combating the issue he breaks a magical seal on the mythical demon-eating goblin -- the one goblin Kan has been searching for all his life -- and names him "Haruka". Like Yoko, Haruka doesn't look like a globin at all, but does look like a typical bishonen with a pair of dark wings.
The first chapter is a nice introduction to the series as the reader is immediately exposed to Kan's deep-felt desire to track down Haruka. Unfortunately, the rather anti-climatic discovery of Haruka immediately sucks what could have been an intriguing and ongoing plotline directly out of the series. What's left is basically a mystery filled with shaman spells and goblin-fighting, which isn't necessarily terrible -- potential, simply, wasn't fully lived up to.
A goblin show hits town in the second chapter, fit with the typical evil ringmaster. Oddly enough, the ringmaster is able to make his goblins visible to all and Kan and gang want to know exactly how he's doing it. Throughout this part of the manga the reader is shown more of the relationship between Kan and his two goblins. It seems Haruka wishes to retain a bit of his independence from Kan, which leads to a confrontation that also inevitably drags Yuko in, as well. The confrontation, rather unbelievably, leads to the ringmaster himself through a series of events and the answer to the mystery.
It seems Kan has the uncanny ability to forsee events and then make them occur as he wishes using nothing more than his sheer wits. For some that may be difficult to take since many of his predictions seem infeasible, yet they occur anyway in an almost deus ex machina sort of fashion. However, if one can throw out his sense of logic, it's not a problem, especially since the interaction between Kan and his goblins tends to supersede any sort of minor story problems. Haruka doesn't believe he should follow every one of Kan's orders which creates some tension, but Kan's been at this goblin taming thing for awhile and knows exactly how to handle the disobedient ones in creative ways. Yoko also remains a voice of reason, now always finding herself in the middle of Haruka and Kan's arguments. Kan's book editor is also introduced in this chapter, which has added an extra element to the background plot of the group's desire to obtain enough money to eat on a daily basis.
In the third chapter Kan is talked into becoming a prophet of a growing religious sect following the Power of Words. Of course, increased book sales for Kan are promised and serve as the primary basis for his acquiescence to the group's request. Yoko is distressed that Kan would utilize religion for money, and Haruka... well, spends the vast majority of the chapter completely plastered. Soon after Kan becomes the group's prophet he's introduced to a boy with a mysterious tome who refuses to join the group. Wanting the tome, the groups' main member pushes Kan to convert the child which serves as the primary plot point of the chapter. Again, using his wits and shamanic abilities Kan figures out who the real villain is at the end and unravels the mystery of the boy's inscribed book.
The third chapter is rather weak, although it's worth the read for Haruka's drunken antics alone. While the storylines in the first volume come across as a bit underwhelming, the characters themselves serve as reason enough to pick this manga up as their interactions are consistently hilarious and multi-faceted. Obviously the series will have to become deeper in the plot sense eventually, perhaps by way of better fleshing out Kan, Haruka, and Yoko's individual pasts, but for the first volume of a multi-part series Tactics Vol. #1 is a very good read.
Art:
Tactics'art is a mixed bag, ranging from extremely detailed open spreads to amazingly dumbed-down panels at times. For the most part it is beautiful, featuring amazing character design with both human and not-so-human-looking goblins and intricate clothing consisting of patterned kimonos and robes. However, sometimes it seems as if the artist became a bit lazy, as chibi art is almost over-utilized. While sometimes the change in style makes a lot of sense, especially during particular arguments between Kan and his goblins, it's used in almost every other panel on some pages. Some may not have an issue with it, though, as the rest of the art in the series, including the character design along with multi-tonal shading and beautiful backgrounds, is indeed impressive.
Unfortunately, there are some pacing problems with the panel progressions. Sometimes it's simply difficulty to tell what exactly is going on. While the dialogue generally holds everything together, some actions are impossible to pick up on. For instance, it's difficult to tell exactly how Kan broke Haruka from his seal. It looks as if he kicks the rock, breaking it into pieces, but then again it doesn't. Similar scenarios can be found throughout the volume. It doesn't ruin the story overall, but it is annoying and can get on one's nerves after a couple chapters.
Translation:
Considering Tactics finds most of its inspiration from Japanese myth and folklore, a number of Japanese figures of speech make their way into this series, moreso than a lot of other manga. Some visual gags require one to have knowledge of Japanese kanji, as well. ADV directly translated most everything, from what I could tell, which means that dialogue and jokes at times do not make sense. At least one Japanese idiom is changed in chapter 2 and replaced with an English one, however, but in that particular case it makes sense (hardcore manga purists will disagree, of course.) Translator's notes are included at the end of the manga which explains portions of the volume that seem incomprehensible at first glance, which is a nice touch. Some may be annoyed by the impossible to understand gags as they read, although it really doesn't take away from the overall experience and the translator's notes make a re-read even that much more entertaining.
Overall:
Tactics Vol. #1 is a fun manga that draws directly from Japanese folklore. Kantaro's adventures with his goblins Yoko and Hakura generally take a backseat to their internal group dynamics which features routine arguments and, if the third chapter is any indication, sometimes heavy drinking. The art is beautiful for the most part, even if the artist has a tendency to over-chibisize a times and the translation is almost perfect with only small changes -- the incomprehensible gags serve as a testament to ADV's commitment to presenting this series as unadulterated as possible.
If someone is looking for a series driven by a strong and engrossing plot, Tactics should not be the very first choice. However, if one is looking for a fun read with interesting and hilarious characters, then Tactics will not disappoint.
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Content |
No discernably strong plot going on, but the characters make this manga. |
8.5 |
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Art |
Sometimes difficult to follow and the overuse of chibi art can get annoying at times. |
8.0 |
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Translation |
Mostly unadulterated, to the point that a number of gags don't make sense. |
9.0 |
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Verdict
Tactics Vol. #1 may not blow one away, but it will illicit more than a few laughs by way of its unique and over-the-top characters. A stronger plot would be nice, but it's still early on in the series and the second volume looks to be promising.
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8.5
[not an average]
+ Hilarious character interaction
+ Nearly unadulterated translation
- The plots are rather weak
- Art can get lazy at times
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