The recently introduced Jacqueline is coming to Saint Marguerite Academy to donate books for the library but her luggage accidentally gets swapped with a similar case of salesman wares. Grevil takes it upon himself to get the proper luggage back to their owners. At the same time Jacqueline meets Victorique and Kazuya triggering the story of her connection to Grevil and the relationships between them all.
I would like to proudly announce that recently I finished off two video games in one day. Although I started them on different days coincidence made it so I finished Galaxy Angel and Radiant Historia at the same time. Finishing both games back to back made me realize one thing. I would easily recommend both games so the next statement comes from someone who was thoroughly satisfied with his gaming experience (although if the last mission of Galaxy Angel were not an escort mission I would be happier.) Both games are sort of thin when it comes to their characters. They were enjoyable but in realized that had these character been from an anime or manga I would have considered them much weaker. We simply accept a smaller amount of characterization in video games than we do from any other medium of entertainment.
We all know that video games have changed and evolved quite a bit over the years, but its been in many different directions. Even excluding the change in graphics capability and the potential length of games, plenty of growth in how people perceive games and how the creators make them has happened. They are a new and special type of storytelling, they are art to some and entertainment to many, and by any standard they have become integrated into the fabric of people’s lives on some level. But let’s go back to the storytelling element, certainly there have always been goals and structures for games, but we’ve seen epic stories come to life, too. And things just seem to grow more complex, with bigger ideas, and greater casts. But how characters develop in the story and through the player is still another idea all together.
Kekkaishi (結界師) by Yellow Tanabe
With the recent news that Kekkaishi will be wrapping up its story in Shonen Sunday this month, I just had to talk about the series.
Even since I found the series, Kekkaishi has remained a favorite, and in my opinion one of the best, of recent shonen fighting titles. The story revolves around the sacred land of Karasumori which attracts a lot of attention from monsters seeking power and the two families who guard it. Yoshimori is a meld between your typical shonen protagonist who posses a lot of raw power but can’t fully control it yet, and some personal quirks like using his defensive technique aggressively, being a cake-baking otaku, and possessing a compassionate soul. His partner and rival Tokine is a strong female who starts the series leagues ahead of Yoshi and continues to grow along side him. Their techniques are similar but their strengths are different causing the best battles to occur when they work together using ingenuity and teamwork rather than a power up. As the series goes on family secrets, rival organizations, death, friendship and betrayal, and deadly power all reveal that Karasumori and everyone surrounding it is a lot more complicated than initially suspected.
Kekkaishi balances a lot of wonderful elements in its story beyond the assumed action and drama. Interwoven throughout is an amazingly organic romance, I hope I don’t have to emphasize how rare this is in the genre, that underlies many scenes while never overtaking them and more importantly never appearing for plot convenience. Family also has a grand role to play in Kekkaishi creating wonderful tension. And perhaps the most surprising part of all is the cast remains fairly small never straying far from our leads. Kekkaishi is a fresh yet familiar series that hits the right notes with precision.
Reverse Thieves 