No One Left to Fight

This vision of superpowered fighters questioning their choices in midlife gives a playful spin and tribute to tropes and archetypes established in 1980s manga/anime series such as Dragon Ball and Fist of the North Star. Laid-back warrior Vâle sets off on a pilgrimage to the spot where he once saved the world years earlier, encountering old friends, some of whom join him. These include his cohort from his youth spent training to be a fighter: Krysta, who Vâle loves but who married surly, jealous Timór, and Winda, who has held onto her love for Vâle since she was a child. Other inventive characters fill out the world, such as crab-human hybrid and babysitter Fargan V (left watching over Krysta and Timór’s boisterous twins); pontificating hermit companions Kaya and Quon; aged Mistress Harga, trainer of heroes; and the eerie, antlered Hierophant, the requisite villain (turns out: “there IS someone left to fight”). Though punctuated with exaggerated action scenes, this is largely a gathering of the fellowship arc, exposing long-simmering resentments, unrequited attraction, and existential crisis among the cast. Striving for greater character depth than the genre’s usual bash-fests, the creative team bring the far-flung sci-fi/fantasy environment to life with gusto and dayglow artwork. The cliffhanger ending will leave nostalgic superfighter genre fans eager for the next installment. [em](Mar.) [/em]