Manga-ka: Kazuya Minekura
Publisher: Tokyopop
Rating: Mature (18+)
Released: November 2008

Synopsis: “Sanada and the young new leader of the Izumo group finally make their move – by kidnapping Tokito! But after what happened to the Tojou group when Kubota was involved, they should have known better. Now, Kubota is on a mission, and nothing will stand between him and getting Tokito back.”

Wild Adapter takes a turn down a dark and dirty path here in the sixth volume when Tokito is kidnapped by the Izumo group as they seek more information about the deadly W.A. drug. More over, Tokito interests their boss even more when they realize how close he’s gotten to Kubota.

And how far will Kubota go to get back Tokito? Pretty damn far, and leaving nothing short of a masterful massacre in his wake, Kubota utilizes connections both past and present to find Tokito and take down everyone involved along the way. It’s a volume that definitely shows the murderous skill that Kubota possesses and how far he’s willing to take it. As scary as it is watching him lifelessly kill so many, at the same time it becomes almost eerily endearing for a man who so rarely seems provoked to do much of anything.

Still a key part of the story, Kubota and Tokito’s relationship is as ambiguous as ever. There’s no denying that the two are very close, but not romantically, which leaves them at a point of being more than friends but not lovers, merely two man who share a powerful bond forged through missing pasts and an inability to trust. It’s especially interesting observing the relationship from the standpoint of Kubota whose aloof personality and gritty past leave little to suggest he’d get very attached to anybody.

As for the continuation of foreshadowing plot lines, it seems that Tokito’s past will soon come to life as the detective claims to have discovered who the amnesiac teenager actually is. The drug W.A. remains an enigma to most, with its effects known but little else. This lack of knowledge applying to both a majority of the characters and the readers, which coupled with the yet to be fully exposed truths regarding the characters themselves, leaves Wild Adapter with lots left to give.

At risk of sounding like a repeat of my review of volume five, Wild Adapter continues to keep me completely hooked with its fast paced action, potent character drama and wickedly dark tone. My only disappointment is how short each volume feels by the time I’m done. As usual I’m looking forward to the next one with great anticipation and hope the series continues to maintain its grittily-charged charm.

Review written November 23, 2008 by Lissa Pattillo.
Book purchased in-store from Chapters

Follow

Share on Tumblr

About the Author: Lissa Pattillo

Lissa Pattillo is the owner and editor of Kuriousity.ca. Residing in Halifax, Nova Scotia she takes great joy in collecting all manners of manga genres, regretting that there's never enough time in the day to review or share them all. Along with reviews, Lissa is responsible for all the news postings to the website and works full time as a web and graphic designer.