Silver Hero [Watanabe Yoshitomo]

Keywords:

Shoujo, sword/sorcery

Warnings:

None

Volumes:

5

Publisher:

Hana to Yume Comics (Hakensheisha)

ISBN:

Volume 1: 4-592-12350-6

Volume 2: 4-592-17132-2

Volume 3: 4-592-17133-0

Volume 4: 4-592-17134-9

Volume 5: 4-592-17135-7

Overview:

What would you do for your best friend? That seems to be the major theme running its way through this series. Beat and Ricercare grew up together, and then Beat went off to become a Hero, while Ricercare went to sorcery school. Several years later, when Beat (now with the rank of Silver Hero) tries to meet up with his friend, he learns that a little while ago, Ricercare went missing in the demon forest. Aghast, Beat rushes to the forest to retrieve his friend, only to learn that Ricercare has sympathized with the plight of the demons (mazoku) and voluntarily lives in the forest, taking care of the demons hurt by overzealous humans. It takes some time, but he finally persuades Beat over to his side (it doesn't hurt that the demon lord, while 751 years old, has the appareance and demeanor of a 5-year-old child.) Together, they live in the forest, but being stationary doesn't mean that trouble won't come looking for them...

Personal View:

I picked up this series because it was the first (and only other) series by Watanabe Yoshitomo, who did one of my favorites, Fun Fun Factory. Although the art style is a bit rougher and not as neat as in FFF, it's still got a descriptive quality to it. Although the story wanders in the first volumes, by 3, the main plot has begun to develop and coalesce into something that could possibly drive the friends apart or bind them together more closely than before. There are a lot of friendships in the story besides Beat and Ricercare, and not every group of friends treats each other the same way. Some actively use others to further their own gains, or sacrifice themselves to protect others, and it's a battle of wills as much as it is a clash of swords and magic. Although it doesn't rank as high on my list as FFF, it's still a solid series (with a lot of cute short stories) that I continue to enjoy.

Acquired from:

Book Market (Culver City)

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