Customer Reviews

Mega Man Gigamix Volume 2

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

 

 

Although the high quality of MegaMan Gigamix Volume 1 fully deserved a 5-star rating in my previous review, I must say that this volume deserves 5 stars as well -- yet it is significantly better overall. The first volume was a mixed bag for me, as the first story was brilliant whereas the second story was drastically different in tone and felt kinda weird for me (it went from dark and serious in the first story to campy and silly in the second story; I honestly thought the first story was better). Volume 2, however, stays the same in tone and atmosphere throughout. And this works great as it leads to the epic conclusion of the series, introducing us to the menacing villains known as the Stardroids.

Volume 2 contains two stories, and the second story follows directly after the events of the first story. These stories take place after "Asteroid Blues", the first story from MegaMan Gigamix Volume 1. In "Asteroid Blues", the story centered on MegaMan, Dr. Light and Dr. Wily teaming up to work on a super-powered robot that can excavate a mysterious asteroid containing powerful energized crystals. After the events of this story, we enter the first story of volume 2, "White Nightmare". In this story, a mysterious robot attacks Dr. Wily's base and destroys just about everything -- leaving Shade Man no other choice but to escape while saving his creator, Dr. Wily. They meet up with Dr. Light, MegaMan and others, but their meeting is interrupted as the mysterious white giant attacks them.

The next story, "Dark Moon", follows right after the events of the first story but I won't give away too much info for the sake of not giving away any spoilers.

Hitoshi Ariga still manages to do an excellent job as he continues the Megamix/Gigamix storyline. Near the conclusion of Gigamix, the story gets darker and more captivating as despair takes place in the life of the heroes of the MegaMan universe -- making them work together and even then causing the reader to think, "Will they win this battle?" There is some occasional humor here and there, but there is a fine balance this time around. The humor isn't used too much, but instead is appropriately delivered as mere comedic relief. And, of course, the artwork is top-notch just like all the other stories in the Megamix/Gigamix series.

I definitely recommend any other Megaman fans to check this out. It's a fun read with a great storyline and awesome artwork. This book easily gets 5 out of 5 stars from me.

Let me start by getting something out of the way. I could have reviewed this book months ago when I received the preview copy, but I genuinely wanted to read it on paper first. And I am glad that I waited.
Story:
The story is a continuation of Asteroid blues that introduces the Star Droids in a unique way and combines many elements of Mega Man 8 and Mega Man V. Unlike Gigamix vol.1, Gigamix vol.2 has two separate chapters of the same story, making it a very lengthy and entertaining read. I don't want to delve to deeply into the plot because I fear it may ruin the experience for you, but I will say that it is unique in that Wily and Light seem to truly be forced to team up to combat the threat of the Star Droids. Also getting to see a different side of Dr.Wily, and younger versions of he and Dr.Light was a unique opportunity. There is a Cutman transformation that is truly awesome, and an explanation for why Dr.Wily and Dr.Light ever decided to work together in the first place.
The story is packed with action and heart, it is an eye opening insight to the world of Ariga's Mega Man that is in line with how I originally viewed the character at a time when the internet didn't truly exist and I was left to my own devices to interpret the story. This story invokes nostalgia and the desire to see Ariga direct and create the story for any future Mega Man game titles. If only Capcom would hire this man.
This manga is truly worthy of the paper it was printed on. The story is 10 times better than anything Capcom has ever officially given us in the game series. This is mostly due to the outstanding efforts of the Udon translation team. They seem to understand how to give us a story that is not simply translated directly, but instead tailored to an American audience while remaining 100% true to the original source material.
Art:
Ariga's artwork has as many robots as possible jam packed into each panel, creating the feeling that even with their combined efforts, they are destined to fail. I was never left wondering what was going on, and each page has amazing detail and clarity. Every time I think Ariga cannot top himself, he goes the extra mile and dominates my brain with imagery that is explosive and complex. The character designs are hyper detailed and show that Mega Man characters can be so much more than the simple way Capcom's artists draw them, it just takes the right amount of imagination, and Ariga's got that in spades.
To sum up the review, I would just say that if you are a Mega Man/Rockman fan and this isn't in your collection, you should get it immediately. Why are you still reading this? Go get it.

-Turian, Rockmanpm.com

This volume incorporates the Megaman 5 game from Game Boy, featuring the Stardroids. THis is pretty cool because all previous Robot Masters had been created by Drs. Light, Wily, or Cossack. The entire story is not within here though, as the story of the Stardroids is told in this volume and the upcoming Gogamix Vol 3. The art is pretty sweet, and this manga is a must for any Rockman/Megaman fan.

Unlike the Megamix books and Gigamix 1, this book is one long continuous story. It is set shortly after the events of the first story in Gigamix 1. It's not clear whether the events of the second story happened or not, or when. The first section of GM2 roughly follows the plot from MM8. Duo crash lands on Dr. Wily's island, appearing as he does in the cutscene in the beginning of the game, not the more familiar form we all recognize.

There are a few changes. For example, there's no mention of any type of good or evil energy, and Dr. Light does not sound like Elmer Fudd with a head cold (thank god.) Mega Man never goes to the island, instead proto-Duo chases down Wily trying to kill him as the RMs attempt to hustle the unconscious doctor off the island. After a very long battle, Mega Man defeats proto-Duo and the eight Stardoids literally crawl out of his corpse. It's pretty creepy. The Stardoids are presented as an unstoppable evil force out to get their jollies by destroying the Earth and tormenting people and robots just because they can.

The story is intense and well paced, and more than a little sad. It's also very grim and dark, much more so than the previous volumes. Humans are never actually shown getting killed, but there are human casualties mentioned. The story makes it clear that robots are people in this world, and many of them apparently end up perma-dead in very graphic ways, though who knows? It might be some elaborate ruse on Wily's part. Can't wait for the last volume.