WORST #3 REVIEW

[Seth Kim]

Reviewer: Seth Kim, loki@darkhorsemail.net

"It's a FIGHT!!
In the cruelest sense of the word!
It's a FIGHT!!
And everyone's all come out to play!
It's a FIGHT!!
And somebody's gonna get hurt!"

Story by: Hiroshi Takahashi
Illustrations by: Hiroshi Takahashi
Published by: Digital Manga Publishing

Worst is the latest work of manga scribe Takahashi Hiroshi, most famous for his screenplays of the Ringu series of horror films. It may come to many as a surprise that a series like Worst was created by the same person who played a significant part in bringing us some of the most frightening images to grace contemporary cinema, but in truth it's actually Worst that is more Takahashi's forte. Worst is what the Japanese call a "Yankee manga", a popular genre normally dealing with high school gangs and their day-to-day affairs. Takahashi is a mainstay creator of the genre, responsible for several popular series that preceded Worst, most prominently Crows. In the lightest sense of the word, Worst is the sequel to Crows as it is set in the same continuity and in the same unspecified Japanese community. Many of the supporting characters of Crows are still loitering about in the background, but Worst is a new story with new characters.

The basic premise of Worst follows the exploits of high school student Hana Tsukishima. The aloof Hana moves in to town from "out of town" (as he puts it), a wild card not only in his boarding house, (where his roommates are some of the most infamous young men in town) but more importantly at his new school, Suzuran High. Suzuran, aptly labeled the "School of Crows", is one that is feared as it is frowned upon. Its "students" are among some of the toughest breed that the nation has to offer, resilient to the point that no one in its long and decorated history has been able to claim that they were boss of the school. Not even the protagonists of Crows. Hana of course, shocks the school as well as the community when he quickly works his way through the entire freshman class in the annual Freshman's Battle, (an event and tradition to see who of the new class is the strongest) and goes on to announce that he will be the first boss that Suzuran has ever had.

At its core, Worst is another story of teen angst and growing pains, of blood spilt for the sake of bloodshed. What's conspicuously missing, are the tales of teenage heartbreak, a point that is actually brought up by one of the characters. What may feel new about Worst to many prospective readers, is that it is a Yankee manga, a genre that Western readers have not been massively exposed to. The Yankee manga, which has nothing to do with Americans, could be said to have its parallel in the Yakuza film. Both genres share the same themes of loyalty, violence, and honor, yet in different settings. These are stories of those denizens in society that may be looked down upon, but in the end, that is what it comes down to. They too have their stories.

Worst, or moreso its creator, knows what genre the story exists in, and he exploits that aspect. The characters may be thugs and gangsters, but they're also high school kids. That they try to prove their worth and mettle through fighting, doesn't in any way mean that they are supermen. This is a key element missing in many other series of the genre. The denizens of Worst know deep down that the adults may have been right about them all along. They realize that they just may be heading to a dead end job and a meaningless life, or that they may just end up plain dead. At one point one character relates to another a news article of a Yakuza who was found dead, shot in the face. He tells his surprised friend that the Yakuza had gone to their school two years earlier. But even with such an ominous and perhaps inevitable future looming over the kids' heads, the feelings that they have are universal. These are the same emotions that we have all felt at that age where we thought we were invincible, regardless of where we live and what we learned. Isn't that what high school was about? Proving to everyone and most of all yourself that you were somebody?

Volume #3 in particular, continues the steady pace set by the first two volumes before it. With another school year, there's always a new class, and with a new class there's always a vigorous shake to the status quo. With Hana's crew set in climbing the peak that is Suzuran, the other prominent gangs that once held the shaky foundation of the community also set into motion their own plans. The loyalties of Takumi, the only questionable "brother" at the boarding house Hana lives in are questioned while the skinheads at Hohsen High make their move against Suzuran. The looming war between Suzuran and Hohsen seems inevitable with each passing moment, while the new blood in both gangs see the battle as their chance to initiate themselves into the big leagues and make their respective moves.

Volume #3 has all of the staple elements that make Worst such a fantastic read. Although one would suspect a Yankee manga to be filled cover to cover with pointless fighting, (as many Yankee manga seem to be) there is surprisingly little action in Volume #3. What brawling there is, serves to further advance the plot. The newer characters are more fleshed out and established, while the returning members of Crows also strut their stuff, now seasoned veterans when they were once just as green as the principal cast of Worst. Don't fret though, Worst is a perfectly understandable and enjoyable read without any prior exposure to Crows. Takahashi also takes moments in between the tension and drama to focus on the little moments, such as two of the major players and rivals of yesteryear talking about current events while seeing who can knock a tin can over with a rock first. Another sub-plot with Tora, the weakest brother of the boarding house quintet, dealing with his lack of courage and physical prowess is also touching, as well as another reminder that Worst isn't about metahumans who save the world on a daily basis, but teenagers who know only how to speak with their fists.

The writing, especially the dialogue (which on more than one occasion, gets the blood boiling) is top-notch, but the art of the series also deserves due mention. Takahashi at first glance is mediocre at best, but not unlike Frank Quietly, his work tends to grow on one. His art is as crisp as it is clean, detailed even by manga standards but never crowded and messy. His ability to tell the narrative through his art is also notable, although at times all of the teenage posing can be self-conscious. (Which is of course, the point) What can be refreshing to some and perhaps disappointing to many, is that you won't find the generic bug eyed look that many associate directly with the term "manga". The characters of Worst may not look like high school students at times, but Takahashi's mastery of facial expressions and body language and his still relatively more realistic style more than makes up for such a minor flaw. His fights in particular, are brutal and kinetic, with soccer kicks to a downed opponent and punches to the kidneys, just how real fights should be.

Worst is certainly not a heavy read on par with say the likes of Neil Gaiman or perhaps Shirow Masamune. But to disregard the book and moreso the genre of the Yankee manga as simple male posturing is very much pretentious and ill-informed. Worst's main narrative may deal with high school students and the gangs they inhabit, but the tales that are told within the pages are anything but sophomoric and cliched. Instead, Worst is a sometimes whimsical, sometimes thoughtful, but always enjoyable look into a world and time that most of us have come to take for granted. For those few moments that I'm with my newfound friends at Suzuran High, I look around and smile. Their blood certainly hasn't gone cold. Neither has mine. Not yet.

ART:


STORY:


OVERALL:

[Ovid]

Great review, Seth. I've been intending to find out what all the manga fuss was about, but the art's always driven me away. I'll definitely check this out, though.

[Seth Kim]

Thanks Martin. Means a bunch. Worst is definitely a good jumping on point for people who haven't read that much manga but be warned the translations are pretty bad... As for the art, here's a sample page from the web site, check it out.

http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a1...aJun/Worst.jpg

[Anand Khatri]

Wow the art is pretty damn good. Looks like more of my money will be going to books. Only manga I've been reading is Battle Royale, which should be ending soon.

Great Review Seth.

[Dylan McKay]

The art is nice. And based on that page, I can see how the translation is iffy.

Still, I really dig this style of manga when it's done well, so i'll keep an eye out.