Radiant: Volume 6 manga review

Radiant Graphic Novel Volume 6 cover image

Seth is an apprentice Wizard, one of the “Infected.”  Seth was infected by evil creatures called “Nemeses.”  Being an “infected one” is what gives Wizards their powers, and having survived the corruption of the Nemeses, Wizards are the only ones that can fight them.  Seth is learning how to use magic (called “fantasia”) to fight the Nemeses, but his ultimate goal is to find and to destroy their mythical nest, Radiant.

Radiant, Vol. 6 (Chapters 37 to 44) opens in the kingdom of Cyfandir.  In the bowels of the castle, Caislean Merlin, Seth is trapped in a projection spell.  In the countryside, people are seeing his projected image, and they think that he is one of two “Spectrum Nemeses.”  And the Wizard Knights are targeting both of them.  Now, aspiring Wizard Knight, Ocoho, and Seth's old pals, Mélie and Doc, must enter Caillte Forest, a place you enter and may never exit, to save Seth.

Meanwhile, Grimm is in a life or death battle against three entities that are apparently hunting Seth.  In fact, Captain Dragunov and Captain Liselotte of the Inquisition are also hot on Seth's trail.

[This volume includes a question and answer section, in which Tony Valente answers fans' questions.]

THE LOWDOWN:  The Radiant manga is an original French manga that attracted the attention of a Japanese publisher.  Now, it has come to America, via VIZ Media, as a series of graphic novels that gets better with each volume.

Radiant Graphic Novel Volume 6 is worthy of being called this series' high point, but I just said that about Vol. 5.  Actually, I think that Radiant broke through with Vols. 3 and 4.  The series' internal mythology expands in several directions – new lands, new characters, new threats, new sub-plots, etc.  Creator Tony Valente is inventing with the imagination of the best magical action-fantasy manga (such as Blue Exorcist and Twin Star Exorcists)

The characters are becoming more interesting as we see more of their personalities.  I must admit that for the longest time now the characters seemed like slaves to the plot and narrative.  Lately, though, they are growing in depth.  Now, more than ever, I recommend Radiant.

I READS YOU RECOMMENDS:  Fans of fantasy, action, and magic will want to read Radiant.

A+
10 out of 10