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Immortal Rain: v. 1 (Immortal Rain)
by Kaori Ozaki
Product Group: Book
Publisher: Tokyopop Press Inc (2005-09-01)
ISBN: 1591827221
EAN: 9781591827221
Dewy Decimal #: 741.5952
Paperback: 232 pages
Reading Level: Young Adult
Condition: New
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Customer Reviews
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Simply fantastic- a must have manga!
Rating  (5)
Date: 2008-08-11
I picked up the first volume by chance and decided I'd give it a go, turned out to be an amazing manga! Kaori Ozaki's artwork is stunning and the storyline is truly gripping. The characters are all well developed and distinctive they are certainly not what you would find in your average shojo manga! A wonderful mix of fantasy,romance and action, it will have you hooked. I've bought every volume so far and all I can say is that it keeps on getting better and better.
I would strongly recommend this to anyone interested in manga or even if you're not this will definately get you into it!
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Something a bit special
Rating (5)
Date: 2007-01-11
3 out of 3 customers found this reveiw helpful
I don't know what it is about this series that has me giddy with pure pleasure. The plot isn't even that original. "Look-at-me-I'm-an-immortal-guy-see-how-I-suffer" - not exactly a fresh idea. But there is just something absolutely irresistible about Rain and Machika's tender relationship that sets the series apart. Being only 7 volumes long, it's a good investment, especially if you want something deeper and more meaningful than your average manga. Having said that, the first volume gets off to a pretty slow start. I hope that doesn't discourage people from perservering with the series, as it really is a hidden gem. Now, enough of the eulogies, onto the actual review:
ART
Kaori Ozaki's art is fluid and flawless. As this not shojo (even though there are deep themes here, really) there are no flowery backgrounds and fancy panel layouts. The action scenes are done extremely well. I suspect that Ozaki probably leans more towards the shonen market than the shojo. The characters are clearly recognisable and distinctive, and facial expressions are really just perfect. The linework is pretty thin, kind of unpolished and rough round the edges. However, I think this adds to the fugitive-y feel of the series. I also noticed that Ozaki doesn't use much tone, only in close-ups. Consequently, her art looks more anime than typical manga. And there is plenty of eye candy here. Rain in sexy in a rugged kind of way (at least, without those ridoculous glasses) and Sharem is as sensuous and elegant as a Siamese cat. Machika herself is endearingly tomboy-ish, and utterly adorable - with added spunk too.
STORY
As I mentioned before, the central plot isn't the newest you'll find (although it does get more involved later on). However, the strength of the manga is that it takes this fantastical idea and somehow makes it seem almost possible. That is how effective the characterisation is. We feel sympathy for Machika, utterly alone in the world. We are intrigued by Rain and his enigmatic past. Most importantly, however, we are able to relate to the villains, who are just as human are our protagonists, with their own motivations and goals (this develops more in the second volume).
PACKAGING
Tokyopop have done a competent job. Cover looks attractive and suits the story. Right-to-left reading, with sound effects translated about 60% of the time. No honorifics here, not sure if it was the same for the original. TP has also retained the "bumper" pages, ie., character bios in the form of fighting game character profiles that are scattered between the chapters. There is also mangaka-talk at the end, with some rough preliminary sketches of the characters. Overall, good job.
If you're still not convinced, then there's not a lot more I can say. What I will say is that if you're a fan of both shojo and shonen, and would like to see them merged into one: this is perfect. With just the right amount of action and heartfelt moments, Immortal Rain manages to be a stirring adventure that's grounded in humanity.
Very highly recommended
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Pretty Decent Manga, good start to the series
Rating  (4)
Date: 2005-10-07
5 out of 5 customers found this reveiw helpful
I ordered this book out of pure curiosity after seeing the advert. I must say that when i started reading i was pleasenly suprised the book has a solid storyline which looks promising for future books. The story centers around a 14 year old girl calld Machicka who sets out to collect the one bounty her grandfather Zol the grim reaper could not capture. The Immortal called Rain (and also another really long name that i'm not even going to attempt to spell) the rest of the book follows her and Rain's adventures a she chases him to get the money. I will say these words of warning though this manga is rated 16+ for a reason, there is some gore, nudety and swearing which may not be that apparent in the first volume but as the series progresses it deserves this rating. Enjoy
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