by Fuyumi Soryo
Published in the U.S. by Del Rey Manga

This is a series of reviews over a period of almost two years, as Eternal Sabbath was released.

Vol. 1

Since I got serious about reviewing manga, there haven't been many titles that I'm genuinely looking forward to further volumes of -- Gunslinger Girl, and now Eternal Sabbath. (I've been reading Blade of the Immortal since Dark Horse began collecting the graphic novels.)

Volume 1 introduces us to "Ryosuke" and both his mind-altering abilities and his lack of self. Then we meet Mine, who is one of the most accurately portrayed female scientists that I've seen in manga. Then they meet each other, and I really enjoyed that a) she didn't fall for him b) she applies logic, reasoning and an open mind to figure him out, c) she's more curious than frightened, and d) doesn't launch a crusade against Ryosuke. Then, someone from his past arrives and supplies some background and a more direct plotline, namely that Ryosuke is one of two specimens created in a genetic engineering lab.

I judge manga by the same standards as any fiction -- its quality of plot, characterization, dialog, and worldbuilding. Soryo-san hits all the marks without invoking manga stereotypes, and no wonder: this is the author of Mars, one of the few romance series that I've actually finished. In this new series, the characters are clearly defined, the dialog is good, the background was filled in (but not overexplained) and there's the beginning of a plotline. So many manga need more than one volume to accomplish these things that it's practically normal... and what does it say about a writer that can't communicate such basic elements in the first hundred pages?

Eternal Sabbath sets a new quality benchmark for Prospero's Manga, I'm glad to say. I hope you readers give it a try.

Vol. 2

Whereas Shuro was decanted and raised fairly normally, Isaac was kept in the artificial womb and slated for dissection. Being psychic, he found out about everything and doesn't have much of an opinion of people as a result.

The really dark side of psychic powers turns up every so often in thrillers -- I haven't seen much of it in manga since Akira -- but it's difficult to keep things from looking too hopeless in the face of an enemy that knows you're coming and can control almost anybody. In Eternal Sabbath, Shuro's equal psychic power and Mine's and Sakaki's immunity are their only aces. However, at this point in the series they aren't getting up early enough to get the drop on Isaac.

Volume 2 fills in more background and sets a dark stage of death and betrayal for the action to come. It will be interesting to see how the characters respond to their first run-in with the enemy, whether they take a conventional dark-thriller route or do something unexpected. I'm hoping for unexpected, of course.

Vols 3-4

Their first encounter with the enemy having gone badly, our three main characters fall back, regroup, and get subjected to Issac's ability to unhinge people a few more times. This costs them a few friends and allies. But they start doing their homework (rather than relying on a magical revelation/weapon/asspull) and trying to formulate ideas of how to strike back.

Still enjoying this series very much and looking forward to more.

Vols. 5-7

Through these volumes, Shuro and Mine try to influence Isaac by way of his friend Yuri. Although they make careful moves, things take a turn for the worse. Isaac does show some signs of human emotion, but he doesn't know how to act on them correctly. In the process of erasing his "mistakes" he sets off another encounter with Shuro. When the scene escalates, Isaac actually seems off balance due to the emotional fallout from Yuri, and the plot begins to shift in a new direction.

Tough subjects are tackled in these three volumes -- child abuse, the stresses of parenting -- and this series will be staying on my short list!

Vol. 8

The series draws to a not-terribly-surprising end, though there's a decent twist or two along the way. After all that's happened, it's no surprise that it comes down to Shuro and Isaac to duke it out, and the end result of the fight is interesting but ultimately not a surprise either. It's a mild disappointment after such a strong start, but on average this is still a four star series aimed at the non-teenaged reader. I will be looking forward to Fuyumi Soryo's next manga.

These are just some of the many reviews that gets posted at Prospero's Manga, a manga review site with over 400 manga and manga-related reviews. We also has previously posted reviews here and articles here on TokyoPop Online. Please come check out our new reviews, a new one every weekday on Prospero's Manga!

ES vol. 1, vol. 2, vol. 3 vol. 4, vol. 5, vol. 6, vol. 7 and vol. 8 are all available from Right Stuf, Intl., an online retailer specializing in anime and manga.

- Miranda