What would you do if you were the only person who knew a beloved savior was really a devil? Would you stand up or would you turn away, saying “This is not my problem”? That is the dilemma facing Ando, a seemingly ordinary high school student who possesses a mysterious power. He can make people say anything he is thinking. But after being viciously teased for boasting about his power in elementary school, Ando has made a vow to himself to not get involved in other people’s problems. That vow is challenged, however, when the city where he lives becomes caught between two forces: the money-hungry businessmen who want to develop at the expense of the city’s residents and the mysterious Inukai, the young leader of the vigilante group Grasshopper. Inukai seems to be the answer to everyone’s problems, but Ando sees a very different side of the charismatic man.
Osuga’s manga (based on Isaka’s novel) is not quite up to the level of socio-political commentary of series like Tsugumi Ohba and Takeshi Obata’s Death Note or Naoki Urasawa’s 20th Century Boys (both also published by VIZ), but it’s a really good stab in the right direction. And because it includes more shonen-style action and comedy, there is a chance of it appealing to readers who might be turned off by manga that is more subtle. Few of the characters in Maoh seem to be completely good or completely evil. The corporations only think of the bottom line, but are they wrong to bring in new development and, either way, does that justify what Inukai does to them? Inukai’s methods are brutal, but he does have a point about the ruination of the city….
This review was originally posted at Good Comics for Kids. Please visit the original post to see the rest of the review.
Maoh: Juvenile Remix, vols. 1-4
Original Story by Kotaro Isaka; Story and Art by Megumi Osuga
Vol. 1: ISBN 978-1-4215-3428-2
Vol. 2: ISBN 978-1-4215-3429-9
Vol. 3: ISBN 978-1-4215-3430-5
Vol. 4: ISBN 978-1-4215-3431-2
VIZ Media LLC, 2010-2011
