Manga Review: Radiant, Volume 3, by Tony Valente

Rating (Out of 5): ~3.5-4

Publisher: VIZ Media

Release Date: January 2019

Volumes: 11+

Spoilers?: No.

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

Volume: 1. 2. 4.

Goodreads Synopsis:

The world is overrun with monsters called Nemeses—and a young boy infected by one will stop at nothing to defeat them all!

Evil creatures called Nemeses fall from the skies and the only ones who can fight them are Wizards—infected ones who survived a Nemesis's corruption. Seth, one of these survivors, vows not only to fight the Nemeses, but to find their mythical nest, Radiant, and destroy it!

The battle in Rumble Town rages on, and Konrad shows no signs of stopping the onslaught against his own people. Seth, Mélie and Grimm team up to fight Konrad and the Inquisition, but a new opponent enters the fight—Hameline, a Nemeses Tamer! As the fight destroys the city, Rumble Town’s entire Islet risks collapsing! Will Seth and his friends be able to stop the madness and save everyone in time?

Review:

The color pages in this series are so pretty. Again, I have to mention it. The coloring on the covers themselves are gorgeous, too, and I love that we get a bit more of that in the volume.

We're still in the middle of fighting Konrad as this volume starts. The mysterious witch is addressing the town, and she has a story to tell, one that's shocking to the townspeople. It gives Seth some motivation to finish this fight, too, since he'd been going at a normal level up till this point.

Seth has really grown on me. Instead of seeming like just a normal, over-exaggerated kid, he's learned to hold back and yet to do what he needs to, when it's important to fight. He's not afraid to do what he believes is right, and I like that. He also seems like a quick learner, too; after seeing someone do something, he learns and tries it and gets better because of it.

In the second half of the volume, we meet several new characters. They're part of the Inquisition, and they're coming to take control and do what they can for the chaos and impending danger of Rumble Town. I'm intrigued by a few of them, but it's the one at the cliffhanger that has me really interested. I want to see what it means and where this goes next. It was hinted in the previous volume, and I'm really excited by the prospect.

This series has really grown on me. Now I'm actually excited to read the next one.

A review copy was provided by the publisher, VIZ Media, for an honest review. Thank you so, so much!

Manga Review: Radiant, Volume 2, by Tony Valente

Rating (Out of 5): ~3.5

Publisher: VIZ Media

Release Date: November 2018

Volumes: 11+

Spoilers?: No.

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

Volume: 1. 3.

Goodreads Synopsis:

The world is overrun with monsters called Nemesis—and a young boy infected by them will stop at nothing to defeat them all!

Seth is an aspiring wizard living in a pastoral village under the watchful eye of his mentor. Like all wizards, he is an “infected”: one of the few living creatures that has survived contact with a Nemesis, creatures fallen from the sky that contaminate all they touch. His apparent immunity led him to choose a path that seemed to be a perfect: to become someone who hunts and fights the Nemesis. But Seth longs for a quest that goes beyond the simple hunt for monsters. He wants to find their home, Radiant. Along with other wizards, he travels the world in search of Radiant, under the sinister eye of the Inquisition…

Somewhat better at controlling his powers, Seth and company head for Rumble Town. Their mission is to capture a living Nemesis! But the Inquisition holds Rumble Town in an iron fist, and they’re promising a tantalizing reward to whoever captures Seth! Plots, manipulations, betrayals, a hunt for the infected: the confusion reaches its height when the mysterious bandaged Grimm arrives. Who is he and why does he attack wizards when he himself seems to use magic?

Review:

The artwork in this series is rather pretty, and I love the color pages at the beginning—they're beautiful. The intense moments, and expressions of realization for instance, are really pointed and well done. The fighting loses me a little sometimes, but that might be partly me, since I don't read much action. That's my only complaint, though, regarding the art. The humor is pretty good, too. It's growing on me in general, but the way the punchline is given, and the pauses for effect, are very good. Doc's way of mispronouncing words is a bit annoying, but I think that's just a purposeful character flaw.

Seth is training to better use his fantasia, and how to blend in like a normal wizard. He's determined to jump all in, though, and wants to start hunting nemesis and find radiant, their source. In his journey to discover it, him, Melie, and Doc go to an islet that hates wizards, and end up being part of a town-wide inquisition. It very quickly turns rough, destruction everywhere, and with a stand-off with the town captain. But it looks like they've all got one common enemy.

The first volume was just okay, but this one grew on me. I really like Melie, and enjoy her split-personality, but also how odd she is, and how badly she wants friends. Seth is a good kid, he's smarter than he looks/acts, and I don't mind following him. I'm intrigued by the new characters in this volume, particularly Grimm. I'm looking forward to seeing where this fight goes next, how it wraps up and where that will leave Seth.

 A review copy was provided by the publisher, VIZ Media, for an honest review. Thank you so, so much!