cover image E'S Volume 2

E'S Volume 2

Satol Yuiga, . . Broccoli, $9.99 (197pp) ISBN 978-1-5974-1120-2

I njured psychic Kai is recovering as this pedestrian manga begins. Various factions are fighting over his homeland of Ashurum, a training ground for those with mental powers. While calling Ashurum home, he's being cared for by those in an opposing faction. The characters and story are all very familiar, as though this work were assembled randomly out of pieces of other manga. It shouldn't surprise anyone that being cared for by nice people makes Kai reconsider their position. The mental abilities allow for scenes of swirly explosions, jagged sound effects and nondescript lines of force when a mercenary shows up to recapture him. Events are extended through pointless dialogue exchanges. Scenes seem to take forever to play out when the reader's already predicted what will happen. Shonen manga addicts may enjoy the typical goings on and lovingly delineated scenes of clichéd destruction. (May)