Black Torch

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sometimes black torch is like pow! and other times it's like bang! so yeah it's pretty epic. The art is by far some of the best on offer and the action scenes really jump out at you. The story is short with only 5 volumes which is a bit sad as the world could really have been expanded but also fair as the story wasn't stretched out but condensed, if a little too much. Our main character Jiro is your typical bottomless stomached dumb protag with his run of the mill popular smart guy, hot chick and cool old dude team. Rago the cat he ... picks up is a pretty chill dude and has a basic me no like human then me like human character arc, he's also pretty strong. The story follows Jiro as he tries to process all that's happened to him after this demon cat thing merged with him. Also Jiro can talk to animals for some reason. So basically there are a bunch of ninja and the kill demon things called mononoke and Jiro gets caught up in this after fusing with one. Jiro's gramps is a ninja as well if you didn't guess by the fact that this is as basic as it comes with the upside of being drawn by Michelangelo.

His resemblance to Bleach made me create a kind of "tie" with this manga. The art is very pleasing and its universe provides a rewarding experience.

This does not exclude the amount of clichés and empty characters in some issues.

I hoped that Jirou's growth would come from his relationship with his grandfather, which really put me down. But still, his ability to act in pairs with Ragou leaves the reader content, for one does not nullify the other's abilities...

I hoped that the relationship between Ichika and Jirou would grow into maturity for both of them, but the support they gave to the supporting character through ... Reiji served for both of them to have script support.

A story cut short, but for obvious reasons once you take the time to notice, Black Torch is an action fantasy about a boy named Jiro and his encounter with the mononoke that secretly roam this world. The modern setting helps the story out a bit since the premise isn't all too unique, but what really sells the story is the art. Unfortunately, the overall look of the manga from page to page is rather lifeless with the bare backgrounds and sparse scenery. The backgrounds are generally sparse and most times barren to really highlight the character art, which is quite good, but not unique ... and eye-catching enough to stand on its own. Maybe if given more time it could have gotten there since the overall designs of the characters and powers were quite good at the end. It's just not an artistic angle that appeals to me. The characters are somewhat likable but overall, pretty flat especially since we never get to dive deeply into any of them. Ibuki ends up being in my opinion the only side character I actually want to see more of, and they're present for only a few chapters in the story. Our MC Jiro stays headstrong and simple-minded throughout with minor influences here and there. The story itself could have been interesting with some overarching philosophies of life that get mentioned at the end. Overall, I understand why this one didn't make the cut. It's a good effort but just doesn't go deep enough in any direction.