History's Strongest Disciple Kenichi Chapter 431

This is the Neo-version of "Tatakae! Ryouzanpaku Shijou Saikyou no Deshi" (A martial arts manga by the same author and featuring many similar characters and events)

http://www.mangafox.com/manga/history_s_strongest_disciple_kenichi/


However, this volume also ends up creating just as many new questions as the ones it answered, and while that's probably good for keeping the suspense going, it can also be irritating for those who simply want to know what's going on. The occasional glimpses of Megu and Hiro don't help much—all we ever learn is that they're currently in hiding under the care of another superpowered baddie, and Hiro is losing is mind. Thus the story's greatest strength also becomes its greatest weakness: it refuses to reveal all the cards, and in doing so keeps readers interested but also frustrated. The story may not seem slow-paced while reading it—Taisuke is always on the move, and a couple of fights fill the necessary action quota—but after realizing how little has been revealed after the second volume, it does feel like it's taking forever to get anywhere.

The clean, sharp-lined art provides an unusual counterpoint to Taisuke's dire circumstances; one would think that a world in crisis would look more gritty and blood-stained than this. Don't worry, there's some blood after all—but these gory moments happen just a handful of times in the book, which makes them all the more shocking when they come up. The depictions of suburban Japanese life are so ordinary that when a gruesome beheading pops out of nowhere, it's a disturbing experience on both a visual and cerebral level. Perhaps the style is too ordinary, though: Taisuke's character design is completely forgettable once the book is closed, and the same might be said of his supporting cast; meanwhile, the environments are depicted as bland expanses of buildings and greenery. In the end, only the action scenes remain memorable, with the characters' powers leading to some striking visual effects.