Gestalt 8

Yun Kouga – Viz – 2010 – 8 volumes

I still think I might be Gestalt’s biggest fan. It does have some storytelling and character design issues, but I can’t help but enjoy myself when it comes to the magic elements and the story.

I had trouble jumping back in here, since I couldn’t recall if Black Olivier and the being inhabiting Messiah’s body had been explicitly stated in the previous volume. I don’t think they had, since the ambiguity leaves a lot of wiggle room when it comes to the final confrontation. It’s been clear that Ouri’s had some divine help all along too, and even her helper is misidentified at first.

The way the divine beings appear is a little strange, since I was expecting the characters to play out their various roles, but the ending was still suitably epic, with the full telling of the past making things come full circle and the island of Gestalt’s fate on the line, along with that of the rest of the world.

The relationship between the Gods could have been clearer, since the only two I was sure of were Gestalt and Salsaroa, but the other players didn’t matter a great deal (it did a little bit, since one had been important through the whole story and his role wasn’t clear at the end, but it was easy to forgive). Salsaroa’s role was very satisfying, and I loved the way it made Olivier react to things. Of all the philosophical stuff spouted at the end there, Olivier’s was the best as a result of Salsaroa being there.

In the end, Ouri was easily my favorite character, and was a big part of what made this series so fun. Seeing him adapt to the attitudes of the others while staying completely true to himself, was really nice, and it’s a shame the other characters weren’t really developed enough to touch him. His parting words of wisdom were really great, and unlike the usual broken ramblings other manga series end with. Granted, we got some of that with the other characters, but Ouri left his sister with some of the most straght talk you’ll see.

Gestalt does go through several different phases, and it sometimes loses focus of some things while chasing down others… there are a lot of things that are difficult to follow, sometimes the characters are hard to tell apart, and frankly, I don’t think that tournament with Ouri’s siblings ever went anywhere. But all the same, it was worth reading, and I loved all its key themes, its fantasy flavor, and Ouri. It’s definitely not for everyone, but if I liked it this much, I know there are others, and it’s safe to say that it’s worth reading all the way through to the end.

This was a review copy provided by Viz.