CORPSE BLADE VOL. 1/ Story and Art by HAJIME SEGAWA / Published by TITAN MANGA

Middle school student Tsuranuki Tsutsuki never had a normal home life. His father trained him and his twin sister using an illegal shooting gallery in the basement of their home to prepare them for some impending disaster. It was weird, but that is probably the only reason Tsuranuki is still alive.

One month ago, something happened that sealed Tokyo off from the rest of the world and caused people to start turning into zombies. Tsuranuki was forced to abandon his sister, but is certain she is still alive. Thankfully, he is not alone in his search. He is joined by a high school girl, Karina, who claims to have been sent by his father to save them. She also claims to be part of a secretive clan of monster hunters who have been fighting zombies for generations.

Corpse Blade Vol. 1 is somewhat hard to classify in pure genre terms. It is a survival story, but the basis for its mythology is mystic rather than scientific. It is also something of a wish-fulfillment Shonen, as a tween survivalist finds himself paired with an older girl. Naturally, there are plenty of panty shots as Karina goes to town with her sword, but there’s no perv humor and not much hint of romance. The focus here is purely on the action, explaining just how a zombie apocalypse broke out, and laying the groundwork for some great destiny for Karina and Tsuranuki.

The artwork of Hajime Segawa is solid, but hardly revolutionary. It mirrors the story in this respect, with vivid details. The line work is a bit thick at times, and some of the action is hard to follow at points. Symbolically, this may be meant to simulate the fog of war, but I think that the best visual moments of the book are the quiet scenes between Karina and Tsuranuki. That’s something of a problem given this is an action manga.

Still, despite the occasionally cluttered imagery, there is much to recommend Corpse Blade Vol. 1. General audiences may have a hard time getting past the mix of genres. However, fans of survival horror, disaster stories and weird horror will find a lot to like here.

Corpse Blade Vol. 1 arrives in book stores on December 17, 2024.