Dark Edge 3
Reviewed by Kat Avila - Sequential Tart
Publisher : DrMaster Publications, Inc.
Credits
Writer: Yu Aikawa
Artist: Yu Aikawa
Distributor: DrMaster Publications, Inc.
Translator: Lindsey Johnston
ISBN: 1-59796-030-6
Grade: 9
The most important rule at Yotsuji Academy is that no student can be on school grounds after sundown. Break this rule, and YOU ARE DEAD MEAT, perhaps killed and eaten by the teacher you have a crush on. "Listen, I don't view these students as anything other than food," says sexy bachelor Mr. Tsuchiya.
Transfer student 15-year-old Kurou Takagi and his friends have already broken this rule. But they aren't without allies among the school staff; zombies automatically excluded. Plus, Kurou's absentee father is the owner of this low-ranked private high school, so you'd think his son would get a break. There is also Kurou's sometimes helpful Tinkerbell-sized, bald-headed demon familiar, Pochi.
In volume 3 of Dark Edge, the paranormal abilities of Kurou and some of his friends come to light under duress. They become a clear threat to the vampire- and monster-like Nosferatu who prey on humans for sustenance or reproduction; Nosferatu continue their line by transforming select humans through an infusion of their "evil genes".
Dark Edge would make a highly entertaining horror movie. Amid terrifically horrific moments, the students revert to being ditzy teenagers, seemingly oblivious to the peril of their situation. I find the tension-breakers hilarious; others might not think likewise.
This is not a manga for the sensitive or the easily offended; there are violent and grotesque images that could make you throw-up. However, I liked the sexy designs for some characters, suspenseful storyline, and tongue-in-cheek, sly humor of the creator Yu Aikawa (much humor in the smaller-typeset supplemental character dialogue).
Volume 3, which starts with chapter 13, reveals plenty of secrets. Read at least volume 1 beforehand for the full impact of discovery, making the later volume particularly enjoyable (despite slips in proofreading). You'll find Dark Edge easily in a manga display because of its dramatic B&W vertical-split cover design.
Written: November 20, 2005
Published: December 1, 2005
