Manga Review: Master Keaton, Volume 3, by Naoki Urasawa

Rating (Out of 5): ~3

Publisher: VIZ Signature (VIZ Media)

Release Date: June 2015

Volumes: 12

Spoilers?: No.

Buy it here: Amazon. Barnes and Noble. Book Depository. Powells. RightStuf.

Volume: 1. 2. 4.

Goodreads Synopsis:

Taichi Hiraga-Keaton, the son of a Japanese zoologist and an English noblewoman, is an insurance investigator known for his successful and unorthodox methods of investigation. Educated in archaeology and a former member of the SAS, Master Keaton uses his knowledge and combat training to uncover buried secrets, thwart would-be villains, and pursue the truth...

Review:

I did not read the second volume, but since this series is very episodic, I don’t think I missed too much. Perhaps something happened with his family and he lost his job in the second volume? Either way, almost all of this volume featured single-chapter cases.

Since I prefer the chapters where Keaton is with his family, and there was only one chapter like that, I did miss it. There was another chapter at the end where he fools around with some friends, and that was a nice reprieve.

Otherwise, Keaton travels around for insurance cases the rest of the book. There’s a lot of history, he sees some old friends, and he does a lot of good in helping save historic ruins. It’s a pretty slow series, very chapter-by-chapter based, with little real family or character progression. But it’s a good series, if you like this kind of thing. If you like history, if you like some mystery, and watching an older guy as he lives his life. I just don’t think that’s my kind of thing.

A review copy was provided by the publisher, VIZ Media, and Erik Jansen from MediaLab PR. Thank you so, so much!

Manga Review: Master Keaton, Volume 1, by Naoki Urasawa

Rating (Out of 5): ~3

Publisher: VIZ Signature (VIZ Media)

Release Date: December 2014

Volumes: 12

Spoilers?: No.

Buy it here: Amazon. Barnes and Noble. Book Depository. Powells. RightStuf.

Volume: 2.

Goodreads Synopsis:

Taichi Hiraga-Keaton, the son of a Japanese zoologist and a noble English woman, is an insurance investigator known for his successful and unorthodox methods of investigation. Educated in archaeology and a former member of the SAS, Master Keaton uses his knowledge and combat training to uncover buried secrets, thwart would-be villains, and pursue the truth...

Review:

This volume reminded me of an older fashioned mystery show, especially with the art. It has some mystery elements, with archaeological and insurance related cases. But at the same time, Keaton is just taking care of stuff in his spare time, around his teaching job and things with his family.

The cases were fine, with a lot of history and backstory for each chapter that had one. And I’m sure a lot of people find that more interesting than I do. This is definitely aimed at people who enjoy this older man point of view, with history. But I enjoyed the story lines featuring his family more.

His daughter is pushy and strong-headed, and I liked her. She has a boyfriend and she’s in college, but mostly she’s fed up with her father being still not over her mother after being divorced for years. Him being in the same position as her grandfather, as well. The best chapters, for me, were when Keaton and his daughter talked, and the one where Keaton and his father get caught up in old memories of his mother.

This is very much a seinen, mystery/history, slice-of-life series. It had an older-fashioned feel to me. Not quite up my alley, but I know a lot of people are enjoying it.

A review copy was provided by the publisher, VIZ Media, and Erik Jansen from MediaLab PR. Thank you so, so much!