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Title: The Abominable Dr. Faust
Series: Shaman King #5
Author: Hiroyuki Takei
Rating: 3.5 of 5 Stars
Genre: Manga
Pages: 200
Format: Digital Copy
Series: Shaman King #5
Author: Hiroyuki Takei
Rating: 3.5 of 5 Stars
Genre: Manga
Pages: 200
Format: Digital Copy
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Synopsis:
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Yoh and Horohoro
conclude their match as Horohoro buries Yoh in an avalanche. Only to
have Yoh burst forth and pretty much K-O Horohoro. The Gang all
celebrates Yoh's win and Horohoro is part of the celebration. Ryu
suddenly wants to be a shaman so he can have a cute spirit companion
like Horohoro has. The reader is also introduced to Horohor's
trainer, his younger sister Pirka, who is just as unreasonable as
Anna.
Yoh finds out his
next fight will be in a graveyard. Silva learns from Kalim (both of
whom are Patch Officiants) that Yoh's next opponent is a psychopath
who murdered at least one other contestant, if not more already. For
whatever reason this did not disqualify said contestant.
Manta and Yo meet
the contestant, a German doctor by the name of Dr Faust the VIII, a
direct descendant of the original Faust, who was also in the last
Shaman Fight but lost. Faust can raise the dead and is interested in
all things medical. He kidnaps Manta and cuts him wide open in front
of Yoh but the Shaman Fight starts before he finishes whatever he is
doing.
Faust sends legions
of reassembling skeletons against Yoh and forces him to use up most
of his mana. Faust then reveals his own oversoul, named Eliza who
takes on the form of a Nurse who proceeds to slice and dice Yoh.
Silva arrives at the battle and tries to convince Yoh to concede to
save his own life. Anna also shows up and tells Silva such questions
are pointless as Yoh will never concede.
The book ends with
the showdown between a barely alive Yoh and Eliza coming to its
conclusion.
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My
Thoughts:
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If you've read any kind of shonen manga before, this will be a walk
down familiar territory. Happy go lucky opponents become good
friends. A dastardly evil to be faced. A companion who is the weak
link. The plucky hero who is full of grit and determination to save
his friend and fulfill his dream. This volume has it in spades.
There is a LOT of exposition going in during the battle with both
Horohoro and Faust. Faust is almost a bloody blabbermouth, as he
isn't physically fighting while controlling the skeletons. He gives a
lot of information to the readers and it would be tiresome if it
weren't so bloody informative. Thankfully, the manga-ka also knows
when to break up the blabbing with the fighting. Also, skeleton babe
nurse with a huge scythe? Yeah, that'll do it for most guys.
I think this volume sets the pace for the whole series. One fight
concluding, some “stuff” to further the overall Shaman Fight,
most likely to do with the Patch Tribe, another contestant introduced
and a fight beginning, with Yoh obviously over-matched, Anna and
Manta will make witty banter, comical asides or protestations of
eternal belief in the ability of Yoh then the book will end just when
things get good.
The title of this volume seems to be in the vein of the 70's camp
horror movie The Abominable Dr. Phibes. I'm not sure if
that is actually the case, but no other obvious link springs up. I
guess I'll have to wait to see if Faust the 8th is in the
Fight because of someone he loved dying.
★★★☆½
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