One great slaughterhouse – review of the comic book “Great War of the Zodiac” vol.1

“I score for the rich”

There is no secret that the Great Zodiac War is basically a fight first and foremost. We will not find a deep plot or the original world here, because all these details are of little importance. The most important are the characters, their characters and different skills, as well as duels. This is the heart of this manga and its greatest asset. Returning to the rudimentary plot, however, it is based on the fact that twelve warriors – belonging to the twelve Chinese zodiacs – fight each other every twelve years. In other words, there are no rules and everybody is fighting everybody for twelve hours. Why only so much time? Because they were all deliberately poisoned in the beginning, so the waiting tactic is not the best solution. Prize? Antidote and the possibility of fulfilling one wish. It’s basicallyThe Hunger Games in Japanese. In my opinion, a better version of it, because there is no main character here. There are favorites, of course, but nothing is for sure in this comic. In it, anyone can die and everything has the right to happen. I like this concept very much. This is a kind of springboard from other manga, because in the end we only have what mangaka do perfectly – epic clashes!

“I kill peacefully”

Twelve characters are quite a group. Of course, there might not seem to be much room in this manga to get to know their characters, but it’s not. There is even information about their past and as it turns out, each of them has something on their conscience. Thus, there is no character like “he is the good one and must win, because good always triumphs at the end”. Unpredictability is indeed the manga’s forte, as each hero has unique abilities, such as an infinite amount of machine gun ammunition (and there are even more spectacular abilities!) And a different approach to victory. A trick, an attempt to form an alliance … – it’s all here. Moreover, we even have a group of pacifists led by the Monkey. However, monkeys are mischievous, intelligent, and clever, and so the hell knows what could actually come of it. After all, there will be only one winner! Oh, we also have a reporter who watches the duels and gives us some interesting information about the fighters. In the first volume, we can get to know only four characters (a rooster, a dog, a boar, a rabbit), and the rest is still shrouded in mystery. Nevertheless, I already know that there will be a lot going on in the next volumes, and I count on it.

“I kill for money to play”

The graphic design looks great. The zodiac signs reflect the characters they represent (for example, Rabbit is the male version of the playboy bunny), and there are numerous satisfying fight scenes. Akira Akatsuki’s line is perhaps not outstanding, but it is kept at a very good level, so it is a pleasure to watch the next frames. I cannot fault the edition too much. I only caught two typos, and I would stick to six blank pages at the end of the volume, which serve no purpose. Possibly I would mention the cover, which is terribly bland. It’s good that at least the Great Zodiac War was equipped with a colored dust jacket.

“I kill in the mists of madness”

I did not think that the manga, which will be basically a description of the struggle of twelve heroes in the battle royale mode, could be so good. It is not an ambitious position, but it does not even try to pretend otherwise. After a short introduction, which basically serves only to introduce the heroes and describe the rules of the tournament (we do not know where the heroes have such powers, or why the Great Zodiac War is fought), we go to the heart of the manga – fragile alliances, deceptions, betrayals, twists, and amazing ability and slaughter. Although after seeing the components, only seven will come out, but if I was guided only by the “heart” and the pleasure that I felt from communing with this manga, I would safely say that the Great Zodiac War deserves an eight.

“I’m killing the horde”?

Finally, I will ask you readers if you are not fed up with endless tapeworms? The Great Zodiac War is only four volumes, a few months and we will know the end of this story. A perfect springboard from long manga that lasted for years, such as Berserk .

As a rule, it is worth mentioning that the manga is based on a literary prototype. I have not read it or the anime, but I can say that the comic does not lack anything and you can easily start your adventure with the Great Zodiac War from him.

After the first volume, I will be cheering for the Rat Warrior, because he seems inconspicuous, and you know how intelligent rats can be. By the way, each of the subheadings is a call from one of the heroes, and the last one belongs to my favorite.