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Eagle:
The Making of an Asian-American President
Volumes 1 - 9
Review
by : Troy
Brownfield
Creator:
Kaiji Kawaguchi
Official Site: Viz
Communications
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Vol.1:
The Candidate
Vol. 2: Scandal
Vol. 3: The Vice-President
Vol. 4: New Hampshire
Vol. 5: On the Battlfield
Vol. 6: The King of New York
Vol. 7: Pandora's Box
Vol. 8: The Debate
Vol. 9: Passion
How
do you define a classic unfolding before your eyes? In terms
of Kaiji Kawaguchi's Eagle: The Making of an Asian-American
President, you declare that it's boldly original, painstakingly
researched, stunningly executed, and breathtaking in its audacious
scope. This series sets a dramatic standard for anime and
how it relates to the American audience.
The
set-up is so simple. Japanese reporter Takashi Jo gets the
chance to cover the primary campaign of a Democratic Asian-American
candidate, Senator Kenneth Yamaoka. There's a reason for this
beyond the simple common cultural background; that reason,
and the issues it raises, form the engine that drives this
series. Jo also feels a powerful attraction to Yamaoka's adopted
daughter. It makes for compulsive reading.
However,
smart characterization isn't the only element; it's not always
even the major one. Kawaguchi, creator of the hugely popular
Silent Service, is a staggeringly well-informed observer of
the American political process, and his examination of every
angle, from debates to whistle-stop speeches to the subtle
manuvering required to hire particular personel for Yamaoka's
campaign, rivals Aaron Sorkin's The West Wing in its grasp
of minute detail. And that's all without mentioning his art,
which can make something as ordinary as a scene with a roomful
of people watching TV emit a crackling energy.
As
I write this, several volumes past Nine have already been
released. Frankly, I'd urge any fan of political thrillers,
manga, or good comics in general to get on board. Each volume
clocks in at roughly 100 pages. That's right; those nine volumes
above comprise a body of work already that weighs in at over
900 pages. It's a complex, richly detailed narrative, and
I believe that its eventual impact on comics could be mammoth.
Troy
Brownfield is the Editor-in-Chief of Shotgun Reviews. Check
out Eagle and other Viz releases at www.viz.com.
Email Troy at psikotyk@aol.com
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