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I actually can't believe Buronson (aka Yoshiyuki Okamura who wrote Sanctuary) wrote this manga, it's both hilarious and pathetic. The core concept is sound, but the actual execution is not only awful but insulting, hypocritical and misses the mark so badly.

The idea of commenting on Japan, its identity, its possible future is all well and good, but there's no commentary on Japan's own misdoings (its treatment of indigenous people or neighbouring countries, etc), not even sly winking, it’s all played very straight-faced which makes it look like fascistic propaganda.

The story itself is very simple, which is not a problem in itself as the ... most classic parables of humanity are simple in nature, but this manga's simplicity is indicative of its bone-headedness. The art is reminiscent of Miura Kentarou's Berserk but lacking vitality, skilled composition or anything resembling worthwhile imagery in general.

The last speech at the end of Japan is so bizarre it's like the author not only forgot what he was writing about, but the name of the manga itself.

Very disappointing output from an author and artist who are capable of so much more and have indeed gone onto better things. Avoid this.

Stumbled upon this in the [url=http://www.mcjp.fr/]maison de la culture du Japon à Paris[/url], a japanese cultural agency quite famous among Japan's lovers here in France.

Il was visiting their shop which is expensive to say the least. ^^' and went "Wow!" Buronson, famous Hokuto no Ken and Sanctuary writer, famous for his manly men PLUS Kentaro Miura, also famous for his manly men?

This has to be the team of the year! And at a post apocalyptic story at that!
Took it for the sheer awesomeness of theses authors and their duo.

And I wasn't displeased. Ok, the story is quite sketchy: it's a social and economical critic of ... 1992's Japan (this manga was written in 1992 and published in my contry in 2008).

You take a Kenshiro/Guts look alike, give him a Casca (the journalist he is infatuated with), a bunch of "who cares about tomorrow?" Japanese youngsters, who are quite dislikable (the two yakuzas are the good guys!!! o_O) and you have them travel by mystical means quite ridculous (a carthaginian magician? Really?Who knows about Japan, at that???) in a Hokuto no Ken background.

It's action all the way, with the "normal men" (the journalist and the youngsters) looking after the criminals for advice and protection.
The manly hero is very moral for a yakuza, helps japanese people oppressed by the "evil" neo europeans, as Japanese people are picked on for being the country which behaviour harvested most of the tragedy that befell the future.

This, I didn't like: this manga reeks of a bit of nationalism (which is normal, as yakuzas are known to often be right-wingers). Europeans are the bad ones and do not think at the least that their beheviour was a bit responsible for the global catastrophe (pitiful. We are as much responsible of global warming, economic disasters and all as the United states and Japan, especially in 1992).

In the times of 1992, you can see spanish kids begging the japanses youngsters for money, as would indian kids of today. Even by 1992 standards, that was not a normal behaviour, I can tell you. Spain was poor then, but not so much as this.

As for the qualities, I would tell that action is neat, psychological reactions of the bunch of heroes are plausible and that art is great.

There is a christic figure which is depicted as kind of ineffective. That is this manga's authors's thoughts, you can tell for sure!

The end is quite good, as the hero as a goal in mind which is the right solution to this world's evils. And it's logical for the name he uses for it reveals the utopia he plans to build.

Kind of a Hokuto no Ken for the faint of heart, with a social and economic critic which is not subtle at all, but is quite effective, especially, in the light of what we see of Japan's actual crisis, it prooves to be quite prophetic.

All in all, a good action manga.

(Spoiler warning) This is a book that could have been so much more than a lecture about how the Japanese are number 1 and are taking advantage of their status to further their own agenda and how when the time comes every nation on Earth would turn on the Japanese and enslave them. I liked the magical dystopian event to this but shouldn't the old dude have called them back to present-day wherever they were after they defeated the European enslavers? Man, I expected so much more from the person behind Berserk than this bull. Also what's up with the huge dude lecturing ex-Japanese about ... not respecting their identity as a Japanese person? Dude, you are in a post-apocalyptic world where Japanese are killed because of their nationality, of course, people are going to be disillusioned about holding on to their national identity. This manga is so dumb but it is entertaining.

Before embarking on working full-time on Berserk, Miura worked once more with Buronson in this one-shot for Young Animal magazine in 1992 and I gotta say maybe I understand why he chose to just do his own thing after doing this one lol

Buronson's writing has been pretty sketchy since his Hokuto no Ken days, with his idealistic portrayal of the ubermensch-like protagonist in post-apocalyptic worlds, but in this case it takes a sour turn into a nationalistic rant about "the New World Order" taking over Japan's national spirit and dominating the world or whatever. The manga is so barebones in its presentation that the only ... thing you're supposed to pay attention to is how "superior" the Japanese race is when compared to all the other ones. It's pretty bad

Miura's artwork is still really strong, though. But there's very little for him to draw in this, aside from the protagonist's angry face as he rambles on about glorious Nihon to everyone he sees. So artwise this is not really worth it either.

I'd say at least it manages to keep a tense plotline with semi-interesting concepts (even if poorly fleshed out), and it's not too long or too short, so it ends up being not a terrible reading experience. Wouldn't recommend it though

Disgusting and appalling, I am extremely dissapointed that Miura, which I am a fan of, drew this work. This is not art, this is pure, unadulterated fascist propaganda.

Instead of criticising the rich, powerfull JAPANESE men that put Japan into the laughable situation that it is now, the game blames "the Americans and the European..." well, Mr. Buronson, might I teach you a history lesson about your own country? About how the JAPANESE DEFEATED the "Americans and Europeans" when they annihalated the feudal, backward samurai class? That Japan, after the Showa restoration (that had all the characteristics of a revolution of the french type, except ... for the lack of nobles being beheaded) was in no way, shape or form abused and subjugated by Europe or America, that in fact, japan marched shoulder to shoulder with the "ugly, evil westerners" to kill and rape East Asia and the pacific? That after Soviet Union, the USA and China defeated your country, those very same "evil Americans and Europeans" gave your politicians, the same ones who started the war, free hand to re-stablish their government, to create an independent, economically strong power? What, Mr. Buronson, do you mean by this manga, that your country is not free to plunder, rape and kill the chinese again? That you cant have the strongest military with shiny tanks and warships to shoot at the Zengakuren anymore?

This could have been a great critique of how the JAPANESE ruling class made Japan weak, a bulwark against communism (and today, against China), serving primarily the insterests of the USA, a strong country economically, but at the cost of becoming a dystopia, of having your culture and values arased by capital, but no... this is the wet dream of the Japanese old men who values military strenght more than the wellbeing of the people, that values the "traditional values" blindly, with no tought going into them, that sees Japan as "opressed" just because of american military bases in their territory. Oh, poor japanese! They are so opressed, because now, instead of saying いいね！they say Nice! Because now the women have toughts instead of making kawaii sounds and being subservients! Go to the devil!

By far the worst part of the this thing is how they act as if Japan is hated by the world population, what in the hell? Japan is one of the most prestigious countries in the entire world! Japanese people, japanese culture are loved all around the globe, dont Mangakas realise HOW MANY PEOPLE outside of Japan consume their mangas? Are they too busy with their nose up their asses, or do they just ignore this fact? "MADE IN JAPAN" is LITERALLY a synonim of "Quality" all over the world. I really, really, really wonder WHAT was going on in the head of the person who made this trash, I truly do.