Dragon Head, Volume 2

Minetaro Mochizuki, Dragon Head vol. 2 (Tokyopop, 1995) Dragon Head takes a safe, if slightly disappointing, turn towards straight action in this volume. Teru and Nobuo are set up as adversaries, with Nobuo claiming the territory inside the train and Teru taking what's outside--including an air shaft that may lead the three survivors to freedom. With Mochizuki not necessarily trying for horror-movie atmosphere here, there's ample time to focus on these characters and their situation. So while the series has (for the moment, anyway) lost its horror focus, there's a still a great deal going on here, and the fact that Mochizuki can take, essentially, a single event and draw it out into a 220-page manga volume without it seeming repetitive, or even dragging, is impressive indeed. *** ½

Volume #1 of Minetaro Mochizuki's, "Dragon Head" manga series is a smartly paced and at times, minimalist, start to a sprawling post-apocalyptic series. Things gets off to a quick start when a train full of Japanese high-schoolers gets trapped in an underground tunnel after a seemingly catastrophic event above ground seals off both ends of the train tunnel. When the protagonist, Teru Aoki, awakens to the aftermath of the train crash he is horrified to discover that he is only one of 3 passengers to have survived the accident. The rest of the book encompasses Teru and his classmates saga as they attempt to survive as long as possible until help arrives. Overall the illustrations are very well-done full of grim mood and darkness and the story is intriguing enough for me to give Vol. 2 a try as well.

When I first picked this one up I did not have the highest of expectations for it, but once I got into it I was hooked! It's a thriller-esque manga about an accident on a subway that leaves three teens stranded and unable to know whether they will survive or not, escape or not, etc. It kept me well entertained and managed to creep me out a bit as well. I recommend this for anyone looking for a light thriller manga.

'Dragon Head' was a pleasant suprise in the manga section of my local comic store. Its grungy and moody toned cover-art stood out on the shelf, contrasted amongst school-girl outfits, giant shiny eyes and colorful robots. I picked it up on a recommendation from IGN, and have not been dissapointed. The references to 'Lord of the Flies' and 'Battle Royale' aside, this series is fast growing into a thoroughly gripping and entrancing window into a human mind when met with frightening pressures. Mochizuki wisely chooses three teen protagonists, juxtaposing their wildly swinging and confused hormones and self-identity with the terrifying reality of their entrapment in the subway tunnel, surrounded by the rotting bodies of their dead classmates and teachers. The artwork isn't amazing, though it has been steadily improving through the first four volumes, and more than succeeds in depicting the moodiness or the fear and confusion of the situation and its characters. There are some moments of technical beauty in terms of page composition, which shows the extent to which the author/artist has considered the flow of his work. At times certain themes or ideas are repeated, but this does not detract from the impact of the read. Volume 2 is even more disturbing and captivating, and so far the series is just getting better and better. One to watch. Recommended.

A school trip ends up in disaster as... well... nobody knows! This interesting, horror manga novel was introduced to me at the bookstore. While pacing through, I came along the book I had been waiting to read, and nearby, Dragon Head 1 sat. I began to read, and a couple days later, bought it for the cheap price of $9.99. An amazing thumbs up to this amazing author and illustrator, Minetaro Mochizuki. I can't wait to buy #2!