The God of Death who must kill to fulfill his duty,
The Angel of Death who fights to avenge the one he
loves, and
a young boy who dies and is met by sweet understanding
through a messenger of God.
Anyone picking up on a theme here?
Lament-
The Wolf is the God of Death, dedicated to his
duty to bring souls to their final resting place, to
set them on the journey home.
As the Wolf walks the earth, battling those who fight
for their beliefs during a time of great pride and
honor, the
Raven silently watches him with a sharp gaze. Hato -
the Raven - who is also an entity of Heaven, observes
his
beloved Wolf- stealthily cut down brave
souls in order to carry out his God-given duty; a
mission
charged to him that comes with a great deal of remorse
and cost to his soul.
I personally found the names of the animals chosen for
each character to be of interest, by the way of
symbolism.
The Raven, according to research on the Native
American nations of the Pacific Northwest Coast, is to
be a
representative of a change in one^³s consciousness, in
one^³s way of perception.
Hato seems to see the Wolf^³s given part in the cycle of
Death as something that is beautiful and alluring.
Ichirou,
however, sees it as a weary burden upon him and the
Raven understands his view as well, offering quiet
sympathy
despite his initial seemingly superficial take on
things.
The Wolf is said to be symbolic of perseverance,
stability, and intuition. Indeed, the Wolf does his
duty with stoicism
and caters to his last opponent^³s request with a
quickness that bespeaks of respect for one^³s wish to
die fighting,
with a sword in hand. He identifies and sympathizes,
cradling the soldier in his arms shortly after their
battle.
I found the drawing style to be excellent; the lines
seem confident and well-practiced. The action scenes
take place
in a setting that easily makes one recognize the
desolation of the blood-soaked terrain.
And though you have probably guessed by now, the story
is not that of deep romance. Yet, there is a feeling
of
companionable love and steady strength of friendship
between the Wolf and Hato. For the Wolf, it is a time of
emotional war as well as physical and Hato comprehends
that, thereby becoming an unwavering point of support
in
case his friend is in need of one.
Duty versus the consequence his actions in terms of
personal regret; an inner struggle that Ichirou must
contend
with as Hato soundlessly laments for his Wolf.
Metal Angel Rhapsody- A man-made angel, one of organic and cybernetic
structure, gazes down upon a city and reflects upon a
life that
has long-since lost its luster. He is now a creature
of revenge, the embodiment of Adam returning to the
Garden of
Eden to settle a grievance of the heart with
bloodshed.
The Metal Angel, seeking out retribution, goes to the
home of his creator. Striking down security guards
with an
air of indifference for their lives, he obtains
entrance. He is on a mission of vengeance, inspired
by the loss of the one he had loved who was taken away by ^²God^Œ.
I like the textual aspect. It^³s intriguing in its
biblical analogies. There is an overall sense of
religion in this story
altogether due to Azrael, our protagonist - his
thoughts to his very being, an angel invading the
house of his
^²Father^Œ.
Now, for the technical stuff. ^_~
The use of gradients was appealing as was the style
used to convey motion in the backgrounds during the
action
scenes. If I had a quibble, it would be over the
occasional appearance of Azrael^³s wings in the way of
its tone of
color. It seems that at certain times, there are
points of darker color on Azrael^³s wings that are at
odds with the rest
of its hue, achieving a kind of off-beat spottiness.
Otherwise, the shading is effective, especially in the
cases of making Azrael^³s metal glare in light sources.
I think what I like best about this doujinshi is the
biblical references inherent throughout, and as sad as
the original
Adam^³s tale was about being cast out of Eden for
biting an apple - compared to this angel^³s rhapsody -
Adam, in
the end, got a better deal.
^²Love^Œ is a contemporary tale about a realistic yet
entirely unfortunate occurrence.
A young man lays weeping on a bed in what seems to be
a small motel room. He is questioning God, asking why
he was the personification of sin because of his
sexuality. Ostracized by his family, he welcomes and
anticipates
a death of his own making.
Waiting on a bed as the numerous pills and alcohol do
their work, he cries silently until he is approached
by a
stranger - an angel who wants to escort him to Heaven.
The young man denies the chance, saying as a sinful
being,he cannot go to Heaven but is silenced by a gentle
touch. The angel lets him know that he is not a sin,
but is loving
and is loved in return.
Very nice drawing style, with a soft touch of romance
between the angel and the young man. Yet what I am
moved
by most in this story is its sad honesty.
The young man had to leave the world behind in order
to find understanding, and that is a huge shame. It
makes
me wonder what his family would think, having been the
reason for his unbearable grief.
Yet also, there is feeling of hope found through the angel. Not only by its sweet reassurance to the young
man, but
as it is a messenger of God.
It is almost controversial to say so, but the Catholic
Church has a long standing reputation for being less
than
open-minded about homosexuality. A biblical figure,
the angel in this story is untouched by this
restriction on love
and I think that is just lovely.
Plain and simple.
~Owari~
--reviewed by
Tracy
ANTHOLOGY 00
