Based on the successful Anime, TokyPop has released a fantastic new Manga, Heat Guy J. Set within the spectacular city of Jewde (or Judoh in the Anime version), Daisuke Aurora and his android partner Heat Guy J battle crime as agents for the Special Services, supervised by Daisuke's older brother. This Manga actually contains four separate, self-contained stories.
In the opener "City Guy" a member of the Solloso crime family, found to be dealing in illegal tobacco is found dead as Daisuke investigates. He soon finds himself confronted by the killer, a rogue android that is outlawed in Jewde. The Android knows of heat Guy J and wants Daisuke to call him out for a confrontation. Daisuke refuses and the android attacks, finally getting J to appear for battle.
In "Rumor Bomb" Daisuke is given the rather dull assignment of trying to track down the maker of the "Angel Diva" trading cards. The cards are being produced without the knowledge of the women shown on them and sold into the black market, making them a hot collectible. A far more interesting case is that of the serial bomber who has already struck several targets in Jewde, but that is being handled by the regular law enforcement until Daisuke and J find themselves caught up in the twisted plot of both crimes.
"Beast Party" finds J and Daisuke attending a swanky, pool part at a hotel owned by the head of the Wei crime family. A beautiful and buxom party guest who throws herself at the mob boss turns out to be an android assassin and Heat Guy J soon finds himself in battle with the gorgeous machine.
The last, and best story of the group is "Steel City". J and Daisuke are attending the Jewde robot expo after hearing rumors that a powerful android named Grendel plans to attack the show. The pair are led into a trap and find themselves facing a massive mecha. But all this was just a diversion as the new head of the Leonelli family sends the powerful Grendel in to kill both J and Daisuke...and J is in shut down mode to cool off from his last battle. Can Daisuke survive in time until J reboots?
This was one of the best Manga's I've ever read. The interplay between the over-eager yet lazy Daisuke and the stoic, dedicated J make for great reading as J constantly has to remind Daisuke about their responsibilities. The dialog throughout is zippy, and tinged with hilarious sarcasm. Kyoko, the Special Services secretary is in a constant battle with Daisuke to get his reports filed on time as well as fighting with him over his bullet limit. At it's core Heat Guy J is a traditional buddy cop show, it's just that one of the buddies is a steam-powered Android. The series was created by Kazuki Akane and features excellent artwork by Chiaki Ogishima. In addition to the four stories there's also a nice reference section detailing the series' main characters. Outstanding debut Manga from TokyoPop!
Reviewed by Tim Janson
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