It’s probably not a good sign from your comic when the person who reviewed the first issue has no desire to read the second one. Yes, despite Mischlings’ tentative recommendation for Akaneiro #1 based solely on what the future may hold, he had no desire to actually take a look at that future. That said, I was a little bit more excited than he was after the first issue, so I decided to give Akaneiro #2 a look and see how it turned out. What did I find? Keep reading to find out.
I’m going to start with the art because it’s the toughest thing for me to evaluate in this case as I don’t have any formal art training, and Far Eastern art is very different from traditional Western comic book style. I know Shu Yan’s cover is gorgeous, with creative monster designs and an amazing job of fading such that there appears to be a fog from which these spirit monsters are emerging, waiting to pounce on our hero. I also know the under-the-skirt shot is probably more than a little unnecessary. I know that the actual art of the comic itself by Vasilis Lolos can really stand out as unique and brilliant compared to the standards of the average comic, especially the insanely awesome spirit creatures, but I also know the faces look off to me, and, again, I feel weird about the upskirt shots (I know it’s traditional in Eastern art to make heroines look young, but that does not help my feelings on this, and probably is what makes it stand out more. Then again, my girlfriend thought she looked much older so take my complaints with a grain of salt). The truth of it is that I don’t feel qualified to make a decision on whether this is good art. Look at the art I use in this article and decide for yourself.
As for the story, I know exactly how I feel about it, and it’s a resounding “meh”. For all the hype about it being “an all new story”, it sure feels like I’ve read it about a million times before. Stop me if you’ve heard this before. There’s a protagonist who feels trapped by her home until circumstances force her to leave on an adventure. She’s deceived into thinking that her new companions are good guys, when they are actually bad guys in disguise. Only when she hits whatever arbitrary goal is placed in front of her will she be able to rise against the evil in front of her. But will it be too late?
Look, I know what it’s trying to be, and there’s nothing wrong with telling a classic story with a slight twist. That’s pretty much all art nowadays when you get right down to it; nearly every story is some adaptation of the tropes that got the genre to where it is today. But at the same time, you need that extra something else to make it stand out against the masses. Within the confines of the story itself, there really isn’t anything. Since they spoiled the idea that these “Red Hunters” were actually Werewolves in disguise at the end of the first issue, there was no real tension. I spent the entire issue waiting for her to realize it so something new could happen, but that didn’t happen until the very end.
That said, it’s not without a couple moments. Like I said before, the demon’s art design is absolutely incredible. The bright colours bring new life to monsters that usually take a very different form than I’ve usually seen for werewolves. The details in these designs are absolutely brilliant, and it’s probably the best selling feature the book has. Also, the ending is really well done, if very standard for this kind of story.
Do I recommend this book? Not really. The story is really unoriginal, and while the art has its bright moments, it also has its perplexing ones. I can’t recommend a middling book with above average art for $3.99, but I can also say that fans of these kinds of things shouldn’t be taken aback just because someone like me doesn’t understand what makes it so special. If you like it, I’m happy for you, but I think there are definitely better books out there for those searching for this kind of experience.
Chase Wassenar, aka MaristPlayBoy, is the Lead Editor and Founder of the Red Shirt Crew. He really appreciates the unintentional hilarity of the promo advertising the “hot new” Akaneiro: Demon Hunters video game off of which this is based, especially when the game received these reviews. You can read his other articles at ToyTMA, follow him on Twitter at @RedShirtCrew or email him at theredshirtcrew@gmail.com.
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