Platinum End: Volume 9 manga review

Platinum End Graphic Novel Volume 9 cover image

Mirai Kakehashi attempts suicide by jumping from the roof of a building simply because he is tired of living.  Instead of dying, however, Mirai is saved by an angel named “Nasse.”  Through her, Mirai learns that 13 humans have been chosen as candidates to replace God.  Each candidate has a guardian angel, and Nasse is Mirai's, and the two have befriend another candidate/angel duo, Saki Hanakago and “Revel.”

As Platinum End, Vol. 9 (Chapters 28 to 31) opens, Kanade Uryu, god candidate and erstwhile superhero, “Metropoliman,” is dead.  He was killed by Nanato Mukaido, a god candidate and Kakehashi's friend, at the cost of Mukaido's own life.  To sixth grader god candidate, Susumu Yuito, and his angel, “Penema,” the death of Metropoliman offers a chance to change the status quo of the god candidates.

So Yuito appears on television and begins revealing all of their secrets.  Now, the hunt is on for god candidates, as Japan and the other nations of the world race to find god candidates.  Is this the start of a new battlefront?

[This volume includes bonus text.]

THE LOWDOWN:  The Platinum End manga is from the mangaka super duo of writer Tsugumi Ohba and artist Takeshi Obata.  Their previous work includes the controversial Death Note and the illuminating industry insider manga, Bakuman。.

Platinum End Graphic Novel Volume 9 somewhat eschews the darkness and edginess of Vols. 7 and 8.  Ohba and Obata moves the series towards new conflicts, as they have dispatched the story of its murderous mastermind, Metropoliman.  The newly revealed god candidates are intriguing if for no other reason than that they are eccentric.  The story gains another angle of intrigue.  What are Mirai and Saki really up to?

Vol. 9 features an excellent translation by Stephen Paul that is filled with engaging dialogue.  Also, the lettering by James Gaubatz deftly suggests the tone of conversations, and tone turns out to be quite important here.  We've gotta come back for more, dear readers, and soon.

I READS YOU RECOMMENDS:  Readers looking for good comic books will want to read Ohba and Obata's latest “Shonen Jump” title, Platinum End.

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9 out of 10