Review: 07-GHOST Volume 17

07-GHOST, VOL. 17
VIZ MEDIA – @VIZMedia

MANGAKA: Yuki Amemiya and Yukino Ichihara
TRANSLATION: Satsuki Yamashita
LETTERING: Vanessa Satone
EDITOR: Hope Donovan
ISBN: 978-1-4215-7794-4; paperback (July 2015); Rated “T” for “Teen”
216pp, B&W, $9.99 U.S., $12.99 CAN, £6.99 UK

07-Ghost, the debut manga from creators, Yuki Amemiya and Yukino Ichihara, has come to an end.  The series is set in the Barsburg Empire and focuses on a slave boy who will save the world from a rogue god.

Once upon a time, the Barsburg Empire destroyed the Raggs Kingdom.  Teito Klein is a slave and a cadet at the Barsburg Empire Military Academy.  He discovers that his father was the late Weldeschtein Krom Raggs, the murdered King of Raggs.  Teito escapes to the Barsburg Church of District 7, where three bishops and seven legendary ghosts attempt to guide his destiny.  Teito hopes to uncover the secrets of the world's murky past, as well as his own.

As 07-Ghost, Vol. 17 (Chapters 96 to 99) opens, Teito tries to find a way to free himself and Bishop Frau from the scythe of Verloren the death god.  Teito's final confrontation with the death god will pit him against the personification of Verloren, his nemesis and former tormentor at Barsburg Military Academy, Chief Ayanami.  To save the world, however, Teito may have to make the ultimate sacrifice.

[This final volume contains the bonus story, “Seven Ghosts.”]

I read the first volume of the 07-Ghost manga in November of 2012.  A little more than two-and-a-half years later, the series has come to an end.  Series creators, Yuki Amemiya and Yukino Ichihara, have rewarded those who followed the series from the beginning with answers and a resolution.

Please, allow me to be the fly in the ointment.  07-Ghost Volume 17 is quite satisfactory, but I am usually ambivalent about the final volume and final chapters of a manga.  I find that the ends often feel incomplete, and 07-Ghost ends, with the hint that there is more.  In fact, those are the last words of the final chapter.  So I accept this closure and wait to see what comes next... if something comes next.

B+

Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux (Support on Patreon)


The text is copyright © 2015 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog for reprint and syndication rights and fees.

07-Ghost: The Emperor and My Mom

I read 07-GHOST, Vol. 15

I posted a review at the ComicBookBin, which is seeking donations.  Follow me on Twitter or at Grumble.

07-Ghost: Sweet 16

I read 07-GHOST, Vol. 14

I posted a review at the ComicBookBin, which is seeking donations.  Follow me at Twitter or on Grumble.

07-Ghost: Tiashe

I read 07-GHOST, Vol. 11

I posted a review at ComicBookBin, which is seeking donations.  Follow me on Twitter.

07-Ghost: Mystery at the Almaaz Estate

I read 07-GHOST, Vol. 10

I posted a review at the ComicBookBin, which has free smart phone apps and comics.  The Bin has a call out for donations.  Follow me on Twitter and at my Indiegogo campaign.

07-Ghost: Lady Ouka

I read 07-GHOST, Vol. 9

I posted a review at the ComicBookBin.

07-Ghost: Memory Quelle

I read 07-GHOST, Vol. 8

I posted a review at the ComicBookBin.

07-Ghost: The Fyulongs

I read 07-GHOST, Vol. 7

I posted a review at the ComicBookBin.

07-Ghost: Xinglu? I Know Him!

I read 07-GHOST, Vol. 6

I posted a review at the ComicBookBin (which has free smart phone apps and comics, which you can also buy).

07-Ghost: Fellowship of the Curse Tickets

I read 07-Ghost 05

I posted a review at the ComicBookBin (which has free smart phone apps and comics).

07-Ghost: The Bishop's Exam

I read 07-GHOST, Vol. 4

I posted a review at the ComicBookBin (which has free smart phone apps and comics).

07-Ghost: Bishop Frau Stands Accused

I read 07-GHOST, Vol. 3

I posted a review at the ComicBookBin.

07-Ghost: Meet Hakuren Oak

I read 07-GHOST, Vol. 2 (07-Ghost (Viz Media))

I posted a review at the ComicBookBin (which has free smart phone apps and comics).

Review: 07-GHOST Volume 1

07-GHOST, VOL. 1
VIZ MEDIA – @VIZMedia

CARTOONISTS: Yuki Amemiya and Yukino Ichihara
TRANSLATION: Satsuki Yamashita
LETTERING: Vanessa Satone
EDITOR: Hope Donovan
ISBN: 978-1-4215-4994-1; paperback; Rated “T” for “Teen”
208pp, B&W, $9.99 U.S., $12.99 CAN, £6.99 UK

07-Ghost is a shonen manga which debuted in 2005. It is also the first manga written and drawn by the team of Yuki Amemiya and Yukino Ichihara. VIZ Media recently released the first English-language volume of 07-Ghost.

07-Ghost, Vol. 1, opens in the Barsburg Empire. The opening chapter introduces Teito Klein, a former slave and orphan, who is a cadet at the Barsburg Empire Military Academy. An incident between Teito and Chief of Staff Ayanami gets Teito thrown in prison.

With the help of his friend, Mikage, Teito escapes and ends up in District 7, also known as the “District of God.” The bishops and nuns of Barsburg Church take him in and care for him, but the church is also a place of secrets. Teito learns of seven legendary ghosts, and one scary devil. Some of these secrets will cast away the shadows of Teito’s past and point the way to his place in the now-destroyed Raggs Kingdom.

That 07-Ghost is the debut work of a creative team is obvious. The story is overstuffed with characters, subplots, and back story, and the action is frantic and unkempt. The art is a maelstrom of heavy inks and chaotic page design. The composition is pure high energy, but that energy does not translate into consistently coherent storytelling. There is so much here that potential is assumed, and I’d like to see more. I’m intrigued, but right now, a lot of 07-Ghost seems like sound and fury.

Still, youthful exuberance and passion is a good thing, especially when compared to polished professionalism that results in bland corporate product

B

Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux