Monday, July 18, 2011

Manga Review: Mobile Suit Crossbone Gundam - Skull Heart



Genre: Mecha, Military
Volumes: 1
Original Run: Nov. 2002 - Oct. 2004
Magazine: Gundam Ace, Shonen Ace
Written by: Yuichi Hasegawa
Published by: Kadokawa Shoten












Review:
                Crossbone Gundam is a great series and it really deserves to have a sequel. Actually, the Skull Heart isn't completely a sequel. It's a combination of past and future events that weren't shown on the first manga. It also features side stories that are not related to the original storyline. Consider it similar to an anime's filler episode. I do believe that side stories are a great way to make sequels. It's not something you would expect from a typical manga and they add new twists to the series. Too bad the Skull Heart only has 7 chapters. It would have been better if the sequel had atleast 15 chapters. For those who are wondering on why Skull Heart was the title of the sequel, it's named after Tobia' new unit (Crossbone Gundam X-1 Kai). You will notice on the X-1 Kai that the skull on the crossbone crest is heart-shaped. The manga focuses on Tobia and how he matured to become a great pilot. Of course expect the other Crossbone Vanguard crew to make a special appearance as well.

                 The artwork definitely improved compared to the last manga. I was finally able to appreciate the battle scenes a lot more. You will also notice the characters and mobile suits became more detailed. There's no real story in the Skull Heart series since the story changes on each chapter. There's no plot either. It's just a side story telling manga. Everything is straight forward. But you will definitely like each chapter and learn a lot from the Crossbone history. Since it's a filler manga, it also introduces new characters that are irrelevant to the original story. Look forward also to new cool mobile suits other than Tobia's X-1 Kai.This are the only things on what the Skull Heart series has to offer. I know it's few. But what can you expect, considering it's just a 7 chapter sequel manga.

                  Overall, the Skull Heart isn't really that great. There are only a few chapters that I like and the rest are already boring. The previous manga is definitely much better in terms of storyline. Although, other people might find this manga amusing. The only thing I love about this sequel is the improvement of the artwork. I'm not going to suggest the Skull Heart manga unless you like side stories. Only a big fan of the Crossbone saga would appreciate this sequel. If you have read through the whole Skull Heart manga, then you might as well read the following sequel (The Steel Seven). This concludes my review on Crossbone Gundam - Skull Heart. Thank you for reading and I hope you found my review useful. Check out also my other manga and anime reviews.


Rating: 3 out of 5


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