07-Ghost Vol. 1

As I’m not male, I guess it makes sense that I can’t understand the whole best friend/simultaneous rival thing that happens in most shounen manga. I mean, I suppose I kind of get it – you admire something about someone so much that it makes you want to surpass it, in order to better yourself. Or maybe I’m completely off, whatever. My point is, what is it about that relationship that automatically means the two males sharing that bond of companionship are automatically sharing their bed?

07-Ghost is another hard one for me to review, because I feel like the main appeal for it is the fact it’s chock-full of sexually ambiguous pretty boys. Now, don’t get me wrong – I like my pretty boys as much as the next girl does. However, there’s something about the fact they’d be more interested in one another rather than a typical female like myself that turns me off on that whole idea. So usually, if I pick up a title like this, I turn off the part of my brain that makes all of those assumptions, and read it to completely ignore that aspect. When I did just that, 07-Ghost became a really interesting read.

Teito is that kid who gets picked on by everyone. Attending a school for military training as both a former orphan and slave, he gets flack from pretty much everyone. However, his best friend Mikage is there for him, and they work together with one another to pass their final exams in the magical art of Zaiphon. When Teito’s memories come back and he realizes he’s the heir of a country that was crushed by those now training him as a warrior, he makes a daring escape to take sanctuary in the Zone of God – a neutral religious nation. Separated from his best friend, Teito has to make the best of things while he figures out what he needs to do to keep from being recaptured by the Barsburg Empire.
I like the premise. I enjoy the story, and I really got into the universe that Yuki Amemiya and Yukino Ichihara have put us in. There’s this whole mythology with the seven ghosts that’s got me just plain curious, and I want to know more. The good guys are ambiguously good, with one being a total pervert (what good series doesn’t have one of those?), another brilliantly creepy, and all three are not shy about accepting unnecessary donations to the church. The villains are downright villainous, with no room to sway otherwise – and it had been a while since I vocally declared “THOSE JERKS!” out loud while reading. The characters are charming and interesting, and the series even ribs itself a bit on the whole potential of shouta-ai (young boy love) sprinkled more than liberally around.

The art is simply stunning – with large, sweeping, detailed landscapes and backgrounds, an amazing two-page full-color spread right at the beginning, and a taste of some cute four-koma (four panel) sillies in the back, this volume’s got a bunch of sweet extras. There’s even a well-composed preview for the next volume in the back that leaves you just hungry enough for more. The adorable art style and bad-ass action sequences certainly don’t hurt either.
07-Ghost leaves a strong imprint of a good story, with a lot of potential for great adventure. And if you happen to be a fan of boy love, then this is doubly up your alley (even if it’s not actually definitively there). Even if you’re not, though, the story and art is more than enough to get you past that hump. 07-Ghost is an intriguing read, and I really want to find out what happens in volume two by the end.