Golgo 13 2
September 11, 2007
I like finding series that my roommate and I can get into together. The main problem with him though is that he’s not a girl, and prefers manlier series that I wouldn’t otherwise read. Now, Golgo 13 has a few things going for it (it’s the oldest manga still running in Japan and the second longest), but it is still at its heart a kind of seinen political action-kinda series, and it’s not really up my alley. My roommate begged though, so I caved.
He recommended the first story in the volume, which was about Tiananmen Square and involved some men from Tibet hiring Golgo 13 to make a kill. It starts off a year after Tiananmen square, and then slowly, very slowly, goes through the few weeks before the protests were suppressed. Mostly it centers around an agitator from Tibet who tries to let everyone know about what’s going on over there. I didn’t think it got very entertaining until the very, very end, when Duke Togo appeared. What his role is is extremely confusing until after the suppression, then everything is explained and it falls into place rather beautifully. My roommate says this is the better story. I think it’s boring.
The second story opened with a prostitute in Tiajuana trying to flag down Duke Togo as she was being assaulted by gang members so they could meet about the job she needed done. Already, this one is a better story. Duke Togo infiltrates the Corsican mob and sleeps with the boss to try and find out who their chemist is and take them out, the point being to lessen the drug trade from said mob. Now, I think this story is awesome and not boring at all.
If you like slow political thrillers, you will inevitably enjoy the first story, while people like me who seek mindless action will like the second. Golgo 13, it’s for everybody!
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