L'empreinte du mal (French)
Creator: Aya Kanno
Publisher: Hakusensha
English Publisher: Viz Media
Volumes: 2
Demographic: Shojo
Genres: adventure, mystery
Related Content: Blank Slate GN 2
Summary:
Zen is a ruthless man wanted by the government for a number of unspeakable acts he has been accused of committing. He has no interest in trying recall anything about his past prior to being rescued by a group of thieves who find him half-dead on the side of a road. Zen wanders a war-torn country, a fugitive, doing whatever he pleases, killing anyone that gets in his way. After a chance encounter with a general’s sick young daughter, and the remaining survivor of a radical terrorist faction, he somehow comes to the conclusion that someone is controlling him. Upset by this notion, Zen begins seeking answers and winds up doing this with the help of Hakka, the kind doctor who treated him after being severely wounded during a high-speed chase. For the sake of regaining his freedom, Zen is prepared to kill those responsible for taking it from him.
Review:
Aya Kanno is an extremely talented artist whose stories I usually enjoy. However, I must admit that Blank Slate is one of the most disappointing manga series I’ve ever read. The storyline falls flat in more ways than one. Its characters, for example, seem extremely simplistic and two-dimensional. No one really stands out in this series, including the apathetic anti-hero, Zen. I think his indifference probably made it even more boring for me to read through the number of melodramatic scenes with characters who are of no real importance or don’t seem to understand the fact that Zen will never listen to reason since he is an anti-social murderer. Hakka, in particular, constantly opposed Zen’s methods, yet continued to follow him on his mission. The kind doctor lacks conviction and never really struggles against being drawn into Zen’s darkness, especially after he reveals his true colors. Another shortcoming would be the action sequence illustrations. They come off as stale, uninteresting blurs that make it difficult to tell what’s happening.
In the end, everything is solved too conveniently by death or some sort of implausible “plot twist.” I virtually guessed Zen would turn out to be either military experiment or programmed killing machine of some sort, even before reading volume two. Unfortunately, a number of secondary characters decide to lay down their lives for someone as ungrateful and indifferent as Zen. He is a selfish man beyond redemption whose sole contribution to others is pain and suffering. It leaves the reader wondering what the reasoning is behind such twisted logic. Overall, the series was pretty pointless. I’m still upset by the fact that I decided to buy it on a whim – remember, kids, don’t judge a book by its cover art (or author, for that matter)!
Rating: «½
Good review. It sounds like a good premise for a story anyway. There is always the question of "what makes us who we are?" If memories from our past shape us, how would taking those away affect us. In my limited experience with anime, it does seem that one of the greater drags is overly two dimensional characters. Sometimes we need simple stories with the "good guys" and the "bad guys".
ReplyDeleteThe premise sounds a little "Bourne Identity," though with the twist of the guy not wanting to know who he is. I find that a little unrealistic, because as Justin said, the question looms "what makes us who we are?"
ReplyDeleteIf you're interested in Franco-Belgian comics, there's an excellent series, now being published in English, called "XIII" that is also about an amnesiac killing machine, but he's caught up in a conspiracy greater even than the one that entangled Jason Bourne.