E'S #2 - Danger! Asuka's in the kitchen again!
Ah, Sunday is my absolute favorite day of the week. I can sleep in a little, and then laze about the house, contemplating which volume of manga to delve into. Today was a special treat, as the weather is an unseasonable 80, which demanded numerous trips outside with the dog and actually allowed me to open the window in the computer room. How best to celebrate this lovely weather? Why, with a book full of explosions, melting flesh, and buckets of dripping blood!
Ｅ’Ｓ エス #2
by: 結賀さとる
E'S #2 by Satol Yuiga
Rated: 16+
Price: 9.99
Broccoli Books - Action/Fantasy
Review May Contain Spoilers
Ignoring the ominous warnings that Ashurum is not all it seems, Kai decides to return to his home. When he and Asuka are attacked at the subway station by a mechanical assassin, he begins to have second thoughts about going home. Why did Ashurum send the murderer after him, and why do they want to eliminate everyone he's had contact with in Gald?
Recovering at Yuuki's, Kai is in denial when Dr Asakura tells him that the psychics of Ashurum are brain-washed with drugs and conditioning to increase their abilities, and keep them firmly under control. When the effects of the drugs begin to wear off, he'll find that his powers are reduced, and his psi energy will only be half what it was. Kai doesn't take kindly to the trash-talk about his home, and he lashes out at the doctor, rendering himself unconscious in his weakened state. Despite the good doctor's opinion, I keep getting the feeling if Kai's being drugged and brainwashed, it's to keep his powers diminished, rather that to enhance them. It takes an extreme emotional response for him to unleash his true potential, and I can't help but wonder if he's been conditioned to keep his abilities in check.
A good chunk of this volume was the Terminator-like battle with the assassin. A Branded, Kai's pursuer is a first degree felon murderer programmed to enjoy killing, and 70 percent of the would be killer is mechanical. Ordered to retrieve Kai or failing that, dispose of him and all that he'd had contact with, Kai, Yuuki, and Asuka have a desperate flight through the streets and abandoned buildings of Gald. I'm not even sure why Asuka tagged along, as she contributed zero to the conflict. She was eventually shut away into a cupboard, to await our heroes victorious return. This is one of the things I dislike the most about E'S; the female characters are so helpless that they are irritating.
Asuka is so helpless that she can't even cook. Attempts to feed her men end in disaster as they succumb to food poisoning, or her ill-conceived food preparation exercises cause the destruction of the kitchen. Kazuma Azuma she is not. Having a fatal flaw in a character is usually interesting, but Asuka has no off-setting strengths. Instead, she's bubbling well-spring of good cheer and happy optimism, and instead of making her endearing, it only serves to make her annoying. She seems to only be part of the plot to help move Kai from point A to point B.
Now that Kai has decided to remain on the lam a little longer, Yuuki insists that he must work for a living. When Yuuki learns of his military training, he's delighted. Kai's abilities will come in handy as Yuuki tries to rustle up mercenary work. Kai's first assignment, in drag, causes the two to butt heads over Yuuki's ethics. Kai, who's never experienced going to bed on an empty stomach, is having a tough time reconciling himself to working for criminals. Yuuki, just wanting to put food on the table for Asuka, has long since resigned himself to the reality of earning a buck in forsaken Gald. The contrast between their lives is an interesting cause of contention. Kai is a bit of a pansy, and he's been able to enjoy the relative comforts of Ashurum, while Yuuki, street wise and old beyond his years, has had to fight every step of the way. Will Kai toughen up now that he's outside of cozy Ashurum?
There are aspects of E'S that I really enjoy, and hope are further examined. I'm most interested in Ashurum and their sinister plans for Gald and the Sacrament of Calvarias. And what the heck is up with Kai's bloody hallucination? Wow! Headless corpses usually give me nightmares; hope I'll be ok tonight!
Grade: C+
This review was written by Julie for the MangaCast.