Ryu’s Musings – Witch Hunter Omnibus Vol 01

witchhunter_vol1-2_fullLanguage: English
Direction: Right to Left
by: Jung-Man Cho (Manga-ka)
Publisher: Seven Seas Entertainment 
Type: Omnibus, Series
Genre:  Supernatural, Shounen

Synopsis:

In a world where witches have declared war against humanity, the surviving human population has gathered specialists with the power to hunt and destroy witches.

Tasha Godspell, also known as the "Magic Marksman," is one of the best Witch Hunters there is. Along with his sword-wielding Jack-o’-Lantern partner known as Halloween, Tasha puts his magical training and weaponry to good use, in his constant battles against witches. And yet, he cannot bring himself to fully hate the very witches he is tasked to destroy.

This is the second new release I’ve picked up, again this is released by Seven Seas Entertainment.

I do like the art style in this series, it reminds me of another title i read some time ago though for the life of me i can’t remember what it is.

the cover of this omnibus edition grabbed me right a way, weird kid with guns and a pumpkin with swords, what’s not to like!!

Jung-Man Cho did an awesome job on this series. the art is excellent, the characters especially are highly expressive drawing you into the emotions of the story. I love this, since it makes it so much easier to follow. It means that at times it’s almost like watching an anime rather than reading a manga.

I love the character designs, it’s got a mixed feel of gothic and medieval to it. I just remembered!! It reminds me a lot of D-Gray-man. The clothing and weapons used in the series are awesome, with the witches looking like medieval princesses in distress, though they’re the ones causing the distress.

I love the way the art progresses throughout the volume, with the witches he faces getting unique outfits that are all pretty awesome. The various weapons used by the witch hunters are reminiscent of Full metal Alchemist, some being guns, other fist weapons etc.

The story is a little muddled at first, however it does become clear as the first part of the volume progresses. The story does feel like it going to have two intertwined stories, which if it’s done well will prove for a really interesting story. The characters themselves were really well developed as well, with varied personalities, all of them warped in some weird way. Which makes for amazing interactions between comrades and enemies.

What i really liked was that the lead, Tasha, is a character i hate, and we’re meant to. He’s the hero of the story but he’s got one hell of a warped personality which comes out quite frequently. By the end of the volume i wasn’t sure if i liked or hated him. On the one hand i get what he’s out to do and his motivations. Watching him try and fulfil those with a single minded determination is great fun. However we also get his warped personality, which comes into force quite frequently. Which taints his ‘noble’ aims and makes you want to beat him up.

Again, as with Angel Para Bellum it’s hard to make a call on this series as it’s only just been released. However unlike Para Bellum it’s being released as a double volume omnibus edition. So you get two volumes. I do think this is a great series and is once again one I’ll be keeping track of, and will finish since it’s only six volumes, being released in three double omnibus’.

Once again Seven Seas do a really good job with the release, and once again we have that icky paper. I like the fact they’re releasing as a omnibus edition over single volumes. I’m an impatient sod who likes omnibus editions since i don’t have to wait for more volumes Open-mouthed smile I also loved the fact they kept all the extras from the original releases, though i do miss the colour panels they used to include, even if i do understand why they were dropped.

Author: Ryu Sheng