Übel Blatt
Title(s): Übel Blatt
Type: Manga
Artist(s): SHIONO Etorouji
Status in Home Country: *Currently on Hiatus*, expected to continue Feb. 2011
Scanslation Status: Ongoing, Vol 11 Ch 98+
Scan Groups: Sushi-Bar Manga, BLAH-Manga, Korean Manga Translations, Thanatos Scans, Mauzel
Genre(s): Action, Adventure, Ecchi, Fantasy, Seinen
Summary: 20 years ago, 14 heroes set out on a journey to stop the Wischtech threat. Three perish along the way and four abandon their mission and are labeled hence forth as the Lances of Betrayal. The remaining seven heroes destroy the Wischtech, fulfill their sealing mission and rid the world of the Lances of Betrayal. They return and become the pillars of support for the rebuilding of the empire. So forth the prestigious era starts.
Although the Lances of Betrayal were thought to have fallen, they return and begin forming a powerful army on the frontier. They pillage the towns, ravage the lands, and become the object of fear within the empire. Only a young man named "Koinzell", holder of the "Black Blade", has the power to annihilate these "Lances of Betrayal". Who is Koinzell? What is the object of his journey? Where did he come from? Could he be connected to the "Seven Heroes"?
Review: This series has to be by far the best fantasy manga I’ve ever read; it even rivals some of my best fantasy novels. A lot of fantasy mangas always try to mimic some sort of LOTR adventure or be about some young boy who suddenly becomes heroic. The plot of this series is very unique.
What happens to a group of heros who accomplish their mission on their own then get betrayed by their comrades? Well, wake up from the dead for the sake of vengeance is one method.
The only thing a bit disconcerting is that the hero is in a young body, and even though he’s mature and old in years. He still has the body of young boy. So when he has sex w/ woman it looks like shotacon. There’s also a lot panels w/ young girls barely wearing anything as well, so you also get a bit of lolicon on top of all the regular ecchi stuff.
The artwork is good, and I like the way the elvin features, monsters, trollocs/orcs, animals, and etc are drawn. But the best feature of the story is the storyline and how expresses all the deep emotion from the main protagonist. I’m also glad that this story is for a mature audience, and doesn’t do the typical shy boy or comedic routine.
This series has been on hiatus, but it should return in Feb. 2011. It’s supposedly only about half way done. This is definitely going to be on my re-read list while I wait for new chapters. I get the feeling that it may have a tragic ending but I’m prepared for that since it would fit w/ the storyline.
Rate: 9/10