Customer Reviews

Dragon Head, Vol. 4

5 star:		(0)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Dragon Head is a great survival/horror/post-apocalyptic manga. If you liked the previous volumes you'll like this one too. You'll probably enjoy the one after this one more, but this one is essential for understanding that one.

Volume 3 and 5 (5 is especially great btw) are better, but Volume 4 is still pretty good and still deals with encounters with darkness within.

This is a survival horror manga. Occassionally, they have to introduce plot devices for transport and change up the scenery a little bit. The other poster seems to lament the fact that they are no longer in the same location they started. 10 volumes in a tunnel would've been kind of boring.

I don't expect Aristotelian unity (nor would I want it) in a manga. It kind of seems like an odd expectation that the manga doesn't change the scenery every now and again. Granted the way it does in this volume is a tad contrived, but from a plot perspective, it works pretty well. It complicates the plot and introduces a major plot device.

Dragon Head volume 4 hits a sort of narrative lull as the story gets bogged down with the protagonists stuck in a city burning away in the midst of a raging fire. While attempting to keep themselves alive in the midst of fire tornadoes and debris falling everywhere they need to dodge a small group of Army survivors intent on capturing Ako (female) for ungentlemanly purposes. Even though Vol. 4 falters compared to the first 3 books I still look forward to the remaining books in the series.

Minetaro Mochizuki, Dragon Head vol. 4 (Tokyopop, 1996)

Teru and Sato find out they're not the only ones left on the planet, but that may not necessarily be a good thing. A group of young Defense Force recruits have split their helicopter off from the rest of the pack and decided to go scouting for contraband and women. Needless to say, Sato looks a lot like both to them. Not sure the series is going to stay at the quality level it was for the first three volumes now that Mochizuki is bringing in the wider world (and more characters), but it's still good stuff. *** 1/2

After a slow but creepy start Dragon Head hits its stride with vols 3 and 4. Our heroes Ako and Teru have survived a train disaster that trapped them in a tunnel for days, only to find that Japan (and maybe the world) is devastated.

Run ins with feral teens and army deserters show that society is falling apart and there is no rescue or safe haven awaiting them.

The only problem is with so few characters and such high stakes I sometimes lose the sense of horror. I'm pretty sure Ako and Teru will be around for a while longer so burning cities, insane survivors and other menaces don't feel as scary as they should.

But still, I'm hooked and in for at least one or two more books.

Volumes 1 and 2 of this series were really great. Very inspired. Volume 3 was alright, and Volume 4 just completely drops the ball. I'm ready to give up on Dragon Head.

What I expected from a book/series with only 3 characters trapped in a tunnel with a train full of dead bodies was something very soul-searching and introverted and hopefully disturbing...

(spoilers)

But, instead, they escape and run into some generic thugs who make complete jackasses of themselves. There's no tension or suspense. I'm just annoyed with how empty and meaningless the story has become. I think the writer severely underestimated his audience, or is very lazy. Or both.