Journey to Freedom, Volume 2: Crying Freeman

Rating:
Summary: a new hero for the millenium
Review: As the razor sharp distinction between what is good and what is evil blurs the closer we get to y2k, a new type of hero has emerged from Japan who is not James Bond or John Wayne.Crying Freeman is an assassin, an anti-hero, but he is so good at what he does that the reader is rooting for him to win in the end.He is, after all killing others of his own kind.The story captures the imagination because it is realistic and the key ingredients are very similar to a book written by Jack Trevanian called "Shibumi".In that book, an assassin named Nicholas Hel dispatches his targets with an obscure martial art that could only be translated as "naked kill". He is also very well versed in the art of seduction. I wonder if the author of Crying Freeman ever read that book? Shibumi is a Japanese word to describe the art of "effortless perfection", a quality amply displayed throughout the manga.In any case, if you're bored with the clean-cut goodygoody heroes of the past and are looking for something grittier, then Crying Freeman is for you.

Rating:
Summary: Great artwork, not so much on story
Review: I prefered others in the Freeman series but this is still great if you like Ikegami's style and the story. Good for violence though. Those people who've got the whole lot should enjoy this. Not really good if you've not read any others.