Air Gear, Vol. 1
This zippy little manga, which attempt to take skating tricks to superhero levels, shows more promise than it delivers. Itsuki is an orphan and a young roller-blade daredevil who lives in a house with four orphan girls. When their turf is challenged by the Skull Saders, an evil gang of skaters, Itsuki puts together a gang to fight them, and the result is an oversimplifiedWest Side Storyon roller-blades. Statements like "We have wings on our feet" and images of skaters flying with birds are mostly rhetoric—their tricks never really affect the plot. Creator Oh! Great is best known for the sexy, violentTenjho Tenge, but he's toned down his work without losing the beautiful drawing and strong action. The girl characters Ringo and Mikan are real people with talents and secrets, although there are a few panty shots here and there. The hard-to-follow plot focuses too much on Itsuki—we see his emotion, but we don't know why. Intriguing characters arrive at the end—a skating gnome, a witchy old woman with a mobile skate shop—and give the series promise. This mix of gang warfare, strong girls and trick-skating has all the ingredients for popularity.(July)Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.