FLAG FIGHTERS

— by Eugene Cheng

How many martial artists does it take to screw in a light bulb? Answer: none; they just channel their chi/ki to create an incandescent aura. Most anime fans would have answered that one correctly.
How many martial arts movies and related anime videos will domestic companies release? Answer: all of them; unfortunately, it seems, as is the topic of a recent editorial.
How many martial arts manga titles have been released in the past year? Answer: surprisingly little.
Considering the phenomenal profits that most animated martial arts series garner, it is astonishing that their manga counterparts have not attracted more attention. The number of manga martial arts titles can be counted on the fingers of a single hand. Perhaps poor initial offerings in the earlier years have soured publishers to this particular genre. But up-and-coming publisher Studio Ironcat has chosen to ignore past performance, and publish FLAG FIGHTERS, a title written and drawn by popular manga artist Kanzaki Masaomi.

Kanzaki-san's more well-known works in Japan are XENON and STREET FIGHTER: RYU. No stranger to the martial arts genre, Kanzaki tells an interesting story in his FLAG FIGHTERS book. There are some fighters, he claims, that are far superior to those of the "legitimate" fighting world. These fighters are shunned and feared for their abilities. For this reason, they must turn to another league to entertain their violent tendencies.
The Flag Fight provides the means to these ends. Each fighter claims a flag for their own, and must protect this banner with their honor and lives. The Flag Fights are few and far between, but many people wait many months just to see this spectacle. It is an "Ultimate Fighter" match of sorts, where the winner claims his opponent's flag, and the loser is retired from his Flag Fighting career. It would be standard fare, but for the rumor that, if a warrior manages to collect 1000 flags, it is said that the world would be his.

In this first issue we are introduced to the storyline, and witness the first Flag Fight in several months. In the red corner: "Bastardman"; in the blue corner: "Kill the King". More aptly named fighters, the world never knew. The match is witnessed by a mysteriously cloaked figure, who, by issue's end, confronts the eventual victor of the fight.
The story begins with an average plot; however, it holds promise. The art and layouts are nice. The translation is a bit rough around the edges, yet it is surprisingly effective. Throw into the bag the fact that it is published by a rebellious newcomer with several good titles due out soon, and you have a potential gem here. The story which develops over the next few issues will determine whether it's a snoozer or a hit. It would be worthwhile to pick it up and see how it does.