Dragon Eye Vol. #2
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October 17, 2007
by: Adam Beck
The Eye is back once again to help destroy those nasty VIUS Monsters.
Manga Description: A HERO IS BORN
Leila is training to be a great warrior. Her teacher, Issa, is a courageous champion with a rebellious streak. But Leila wants more from Issa than his expertise. He’s the guardian of a powerful magic weapon, the Dragon Eye. With the Eye, Leila can become the world’s greatest soldier–and finally avenge her parents’ death!
Includes special extras after the story!
Manga Review:
Content: (This section may contain spoilers.)
Continuing off from the previous volume, the second volume of Dragon Eye puts Issa right down in the middle of town, going up again a massive VIUS with unseen power. Evacuating the city, the reinforcements set up a perimeter to contain the problem while our hero battles it out. The battle between the giant bird like creature and Issa last very shortly, there is little action and mostly talk between the two. Like your traditional baddy who just wants to find someone who can match his powers, an agreement is completed as the two finalize the fight with a single blow. It was a bit disappointing that this battle lasted this short; it could have easily gone on for another chapter, most especially during their final blows. That said though, this is a really interesting opening to the second volume and contains enough action and back story to keep the crowds pleased.
Moving on after the events from the first chapter, Issa is now under review because of his incompetent actions. Being tortured by Issa’s good “friend,” Captain Sakuraba, Issa becomes rather unbalanced for the next chapter and cannot focus on his next assignment. Having the threat of being either disbanded or demoted, Issa continues his regular routine as he teams up with an additional four characters: Kajiyama from Squad 2; Sazanami from Squad 3; Nanbu from Squad 7; and finally, a familiar face, Hibiki from Squad 6. The guys from Squad 3 and 7 don’t really make a big impact in the second volume; the ones who really stand out are Kajiyama and Hibiki. Kajiyama introduces himself as an old comrade of Issa's and he sticks out as a comical guy who, while does his job professionally, will crack a joke in at times. Next is Hibiki; he appeared in the first volume during Squad Zero’s first mission – with Issa’s new member Leila – and gives a much larger impression this time around. He really reminds me of Nishi from the manga/anime series Gantz , as he appears to be a guy who enjoys himself in the heat of action but at the same time has murderous eyes and won’t hesitate to kill anyone if he believes it is right. He is an interesting character and being he is sub-commander on this mission makes him stand out a lot more.
Moving on with the mission, becoming stuck without reinforcements, Issa senses something deadly within the caverns below a factory and also something else - a sense of his sister, Ciara. Becoming separated from the group, Issa and Sôsei continue on through the tunnels and in the mean time the sub-commander, Hibiki, is reassigned to commander. The rest of the volume mostly follows Leila, Hibiki, and the group as they continue through the cave and eventually get ambushed by disguised VIUS. Having prepared for battles, we witness the abilities of each of the characters and even Leila’s, with the exception of Hibiki. I really enjoyed Kajiyama and Leila’s specials, but the other two's are very low grade and don’t put up for as much excitement. Hibiki does step up, destroying the VIUS with ease, but without any weapons. He is a very skilled fighter and it’s interesting to see his fighting style. Having to repeat himself from the first volume, Sôsei continues to pester Issa with threats of death and trial for the actions he believes he had done to his sister. Having sensed even stronger beings further in the caver, the second volume comes to a close as we are given, once again another cliffhanger.
The second volume was very entertaining. It definitely didn’t have as many humorous moments as the first volume, but the amount of action is highly amusing. The series never gets slow, it always puts you right into the action and introduces new ideas and very interesting adventures. The only thing is that while Sôsei does make a couple appearances, same with Captain Sakuraba, it would have been nice if they made a larger impression. Even still, this is surely not a volume to miss.
Art: The artwork in Dragon Eye is clean and quite eye catching. There is a lot of detail when it comes to it – especially in the environments – and the little specs that are displayed make it all the better. This time around – besides the second chapter – the second volume is much more action-packed than the first, so there are only the occasional drops in details from the few comedic scenarios. This series probably won’t blow the minds of visual junkies who want immense details all-throughout, but the visuals are completely solid and are a high point for the series. Also, I must say, the cover is definitely improved in terms of presentation, but not a lot. I criticized the cover in the first volume as it only includes the main character Issa along with a lot of blank space and it really didn’t catch my eyes too much. The second volume has a lot more presentation value, containing both Issa and Leila getting ready to attack.
Translation: The English-translation for the second volume has more errors/oversights than the first. The only untranslated sound effect was on page 83 where Kajiyama is remembering his adventures with Issa. There also is some text on page 47, when Leila is pleading with Kirua, that is cut off at the top but really does a number on the translation section is the number of empty bubbles: On page 20, while the delivery man is walking away there is an empty bubble beside Leila; on page 82, in the background there is an empty bubble coming from everyone; and finally on page 158 while Leila is slipping, there is another empty bubble. There are a couple faults in the translation, mostly misses, but other than that, the translation is solid with some interesting and well explained dialog.
As for extras, there is enough to keep anyone happy, although there are only two extras to mention: three very hilarious short strips and a rather brief section for the Translation notes. It would have been nice to see a little more detail into the translation notes and also the standard preview into the next volume.
The Bottom Line: This volume packs a punch that won’t be forgotten. If you enjoyed the first volume, you should be pleased with the second but it’s unfortunate that there is less hilarity this time around and mainly focuses on the action side of the series. Still, the series is shaping up to become a very enjoyable experience with interesting characters, beautiful artwork, and what looks like a long, adventurous storyline.
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Content |
There is a little less hilarity this time around, but in return there is some very well deserved action sequences that will brighten up anyone’s day. |
9.0 |
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Art |
This is a very beautiful and clean series to look at with lots of work going into the smallest details. |
9.0 |
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Translation |
A few more mistakes and misses this time around, but it still doesn’t take away from the wonderful time you will have with the series. |
8.5 |
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Verdict
Dragon Eye is turning into a very exciting series with terrific, action-packed sequences, beautiful artwork, and enough hilarity to satisfy anyone. While the translation did take a hit this time around, Dragon Eye is still an exciting adventure that brings a new style to the genre of action.
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8.8
[not an average]
+ Fun Characters.
+ Beautiful Visuals.
+ Action packed sequences.
- Some Misses in the translation.
- Not as much comedy this time.
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