Now and Then, Here and There - Discord and Doom (Vol. 1)
Shu, a spirited schoolboy and overeager kendo student, is whisked off to a galaxy far, far away by an alien SWAT team on snakelike ships. The lovely images of Earth are replaced with the grand and imposing designs of a military world, and Shu's happy-go-lucky life turns much darker. He's hunted, interrogated, tortured, and finally drafted into a sadistic king's army of lost boys kidnapped from worlds all over the galaxy. The initial five episodes of this 13-partmangaseries from Akitaroh Daichi (Jubei-Chan the Ninja Girl) are strung together as a two-hour interstellar adventure (though the opening and closing credits of each episode remain intact). New characters and intriguing ideas are layered in with each installment, but it all feels like a setup for the coming story of galactic war and brewing revolution. A slow start to a promising epic. Rated 16 and up.--Sean Axmaker