Good morning, cuties. How was your weekend? I hope you're in the mood for some light reading, because there's a manga that I dwelt in to escape from reality for a while and get out of my comfort zone as a reader, because seldom I put my eyes on something SciFi. However, I'm glad I made the exception with Hanger Vol. 1, by Hirotaka Kisaragi. Thanks to the publisher for sending me a review copy!
- Print Length: 176 pages.
- Publisher: TokyoPop (July 17, 2018).
- Publication Date: July 17, 2018.
- Genres: Gay, Romance, SciFi, Yaoi.
- Rating: 4 / 5.
In a futuristic Neo-Tokyo, crime is rising rapidly in the wake of a new generation of super-drugs capable of enhancing the user’s physical and mental abilities. Hajime Tsukumo is a new recruit on a federal task force trained to go after these powered-up criminals. Now he must team up with Zeroichi, a so-called Hanger looking to reduce his own jail sentence in exchange for helping to take down these chemically-boosted bad guys.
The story's pretty fast in many regards, something you can expect in young and new adult readings. However, there are a few adult themes and crude scenes that make it more interesting for adults. There's a moral element, a power-play and interesting dynamic between Hajime and Zeroichi that keeps you interested in the whole story.
As if the interactions of these two wasn't enough, there's also another pair that add their own charm to the plot, making Hanger Vol. 1 a reading you can't put down. There's a lot about friendship, control, and ego in the matter, but also a lot of feeling, emotional trauma, and baggage. A few new characters are introduced at the end, giving some more information about the nature of Hangers. Much darker than you'd expect, let me tell you!
While it's a quick reading and the chemistry between these two characters is obvious, some things moved faster than others, and I feel the romance part was a bit rushed. It is true that the story is intended for a younger audience and that we don't meet them from the very start, but I wish we had seen a bit more explicitly what made their dynamics change.
All in all, I really enjoyed reading Hanger Vol. 1. It's a light reading that gets you inside an interesting world with a lot of social issues, which you already know I'm a sucker for, with beautiful art, an interesting concept that appeals to both adult and young readers, and a nice script. I'm really eager to know more about these two and the world they live in!
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