Rosy's scrawled manga recommendation: Jagan Wa Gachirin Ni Tobu by Fujita Kazuhiro

Jagan Wa Gachirin Ni Tobu
Fujita Kazuhiro

Blurb
The mountain gods have sent down a punishment to the people of Japan. An owl by the name of Minerva. All who fall under this owl's gaze die, their eyes spurting out blood. One man stood up to the owl, a famous hunter by the name of Uhei, however just as he was about to loose the finishing bullet, he was interrupted by the American army taking the owl into their care for study. Thirteen years later, an American warship crashes into a Tokyo harbor, and all the men on board are dead, their eyes bleeding. The owl has been freed, and it now rampages throughout Tokyo, killing at random and in mass amounts. The American government has decided that only Uhei, the man who nearly killed the beast before, can help them. So they send the Delta Force and CIA out to see just how the bird can be brought down...

Alternative names
邪眼は月輪に飛ぶ
Wicked Eyes Fly to the Full Moon

Status
Completed

Manga reader sites (free)
Manga Here

Rosy's scrawlings on Jagan Wa Gachirin Ni Tobu
Jagan Wa Gachirin Ni Tobu spans only seven volumes, which means it is a short and rather succinct story for a manga. But that is part of the charm of this story, which reads like a modern-ish fairy tale. There are elements of much older fairy tales in the characterisation but then there's bombs, governments, fighter pilots and an apocalyptic scenario sweeping across a city. There's no damsel in distress to save but there is a brave and loudly spoken young woman in need of some family resolution. Also, the hero is an old man wearing a creepy mask who's on a hunting mission. And that's addressing the Western fairy tale styles. There are even more discrepancies when comparing this story to Eastern fairy tales but still, the fairy tale aspect of the story is there.
While seemingly about the need to destroy a monstrous owl that can kill any being it looks upon or who looks into its eyes, the story is more to do with redemption and mending old emotional wounds. Even the owl is pitifully wounded in its own way. Each of the main characters has something to recover from in order to succeed in destroying the owl and facing their own future. I won't say much more as although the story is packed full of details and interesting characters it is short enough that if I say too much I'll give away too much. Just know that this is a charming short story to read when you have a little time to spare.
The art of Jagan Wa Gachirin Ni Tobu is somewhat scratchy and impressionistic at times. The symmetry of faces isn't always present but in many ways this just builds up the characterisation as many in real life don't have very symmetrical faces. The art also has a natural movement to it that is rare in mangas, with even still frames appearing to have a lot more life encapsulated in them than expected. The style is stunning in its own unique way and it quickly draws you into the story of an old hunter and his adopted daughter.

I'd recommend this manga to: those who love fantasy adventures, culture clashes and fairy tales.

Notes on manga reader sites
The quality of manga readers can vary. The uploads are often done cheaply or as a serious hobby by a collective. Be aware that sometimes licence hasn't been given but the sites noted above, Manga Fox in particular, are extremely careful about adding and pulling mangas according to license agreements. So you shouldn't have to worry too much about the material being pirated. There are also translated works and non-translated. Amongst the translated works you will find that the quality of translation may vary according to the skills of the translators. Usually the works are perfectly readable anyway, with only a few added or dropped words or a word in the incorrect tense or with/out plurals. But sometimes the text becomes gobbledygook. In which case, either seek another version or give up and buy an official copy once a printed translation comes out. The other issue of note is you may need to expand the screen to read the text easily as sometimes the scans are minimised a little.
I find that if a page doesn't download properly or some other issue occurs (too slow or someone ordered the pages incorrectly etc.) with one reader then skipping across to another reader and picking up where I was is quite easy and rarely annoying.
Otherwise, enjoy and watch out you don't get too addicted you forget about the necessary things in life.