Mar 29, 2009
Manga review of Eden Volume 7 by Hiroki Endo. Translated by Kumar Sivabramanian. Originally published in Japan by Kodansha. Published in US by Dark Horse, $12.95, Rated Mature, Ages 18+.
Elijah wants revenge on Pedro for torturing Helena, which
included plucking her eye out with a knife and cutting off one of
her ears. But he's not going to be able to do it by himself. So he
goes looking for advice from the Automater, a retired crime
syndicate boss who actually got Pedro started in the business. From
her he hears about the bloody rise of Pedro in her organization and
how he first hooked up with Manuela, his supposed first love, and
of the abusive relationship that ensued, with Pedro regularly
beating her and her escalating addiction to heroin. It's up to
Elijah to decide after the story whether he still wants to kill him
or not.
As I've said many times, Eden is the greatest manga I've ever read
and I would even dare call Hiroki Endo manga's Shakespeare, so deep
is his knowledge and insight into the human heart. Again and again,
I am reminded of this when I read scenes in Eden where I say to
myself "yeah, that's exactly how human beings act and react". You
find yourself nodding your head as you read, thinking "this is
life". No other manga I have ever read gives me the feeling of
being so entwined with the human condition. This is usually a
feeling relegated only to what some call "literature" such as
Dostoyevsky or Proust. Eden is a horribly beautiful work that
always has another layer to peel back. While it has graphic
violence on full display, it also has flashes of humor, love, and a
genuine passion to understand what makes a soul tick through its
dense characterization. Classic.
My Grade: A+