Gachiakuta
By Kei Urana
Review by Mida
This manga is SO MUCH FUN. A rip-roaring adventure through a punk world haphazardly constructed out of junk and slathered in graffiti, every landscape is completely unique. Mountainous piles of trash stretch across the horizon while tiny spots of civilization dot the landscape like islands in an oceanic landfill. In lesser hands, it could come out feeling a bit samey – but Urana’s excellent art brings this dynamic world to life. The character designs are insanely cool, with drapey clothes, bizarre weapons and wacky hair. Copy-paste characters, these are not.
But my favourite part of the series is the whole power system that enables some EXCELLENT action. The whole basis of this manga is the idea that if you care for something enough, it gets a kind of soul – a stark contrast to the people above the Pit. Each character has an item that they treasure so much that it manifests into powers – my favourite is Zanka, who just has a really good staff. This leads to fights with very distinct choreography where the weapons aren’t traditional swords or guns, but a pair of scissors, a hammer or an umbrella.
This series more than deserves the hype. If you are a fan of battle manga like Jujutsu Kaisen, Chainsaw Man or Dogs: Bullets and Carnage, Gachiakuta is your next favourite read.
