NINJA WORLD JAPAN #3 – Manga Review

In Ninja World Japan #3, available from Enmaku on August 1, 2021, a young woman survives a devastating accident only to be rebuilt with cybernetic implants that make her the deadliest ninja assassin in the world.

The Details

• Written By: Gattaca Saito
• Art By: Tommy Inoue
• Translation By: Frank Dowd
• Cover Price: $3.99
• Release Date: August 1, 2021

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Was It Good?

It’s not bad. Although there aren’t many manga reviews on this site, we read a LOT of manga, particularly from Shonen Jump, so it’s a rare treat to get a creator submission from a new publisher looking to put their mark on the Western market with their own manga titles.

Mostly, the piece parts are all there and then some. The art looks like a typical manga with the benefit of color. The story setup feels authentic to the time and location of the story (20 years from now in Japan). And the general writing (pacing, dialog, scene development) works well enough. In short, this is a solid manga comic.

As you can see from the preview pages included below, this is a fully colorized comic. Whether or not reading a color manga works for you versus typical B&W material is a matter of personal taste. I liked the color, generally, but it tended to soften most of the scenes with the pastel color palette. B&W fosters dependence on shadow to provide dramatic impact, and it felt like the color softens the drama in a few scenes.

Another plus of this story is its format. It’s written with Western audiences in mind i.e. starting with the left cover and written left to right on the page. That’s helpful for readers that want to get into manga but can’t get used to reading in the “reverse” direction.

Regarding the story and writing, it’s fairly good. You get a mystery surrounding the true nature of Gabriella’s (the main character) clan. You have a shady corporation that’s determined to slyly force farmers to use their specially modified seeds. And you have some fun and games with Gabriella getting to know the local farmers without tipping off her unique skills. It all works. However,…

The story lacks an emotional hook. The main character is likable enough, but there’s no strong sense of charm or wit in the writing. That could be due to the writing or the artistic execution of the story, but the net effect is a story that’s simply okay-to-bland. It needed some punch to grab you, but as it is, the end result falls neatly into the average category.

Again, it’s not bad. It’s not the best manga in the world, but it does well to appeal to a Western-centric audience.

What’s It About?

[SPOILERS AHEAD – Click here if you just want the score without spoilers]

Gabriella has come to Japan for the first time to visit her distant relatives. During her bus ride from the airport, the bus is involved in a horrific crash, mortally wounding Gabriella. To save her life, the doctors at the nearby hospital use the Natsugami Procedure, an experimental treatment, to save her life by infusing her body with cybernetic implants.

Two years later, Gabriella is recuperating with “specialized” therapy under the watchful eye of her grandmother, Seri. Their family compound is isolated in the farmlands of Japan. It appears their family is well off and has some influence on the local towns. Grandma Seri’s therapy looks a heck of a lot like advanced ninja training, but Gabriella takes it all in stride, enhanced by her implants.

Meanwhile, the local farmers are pressured by the General Crop Corporation to exclusively use their enhanced seeds. A few of the farmers are resistant because the seed yield looks unnaturally good, and they’re concerned about what they’re producing for public consumption. When one of the more outspoken farmers, Mr. Gaku, refuses their offer, his crops suddenly start to die.

We conclude the issue with an unsettling display of employee discipline from General Crop’s boss, Dr. Burton, Gabriella’s imaginative ideas about ninjas as a myth, and an assault on the Harugasumi estate.

Final Thoughts

NINJA WORLD JAPAN #3 is a solid entry by a new publisher to the manga market with a title geared towards Western reading style. The art and general story are authentic to the manga reading experience, but the plot and art lack the emotional punch to hook the reader fully. This title may take a few more issues (chapters?) to win audiences over.

Score: 7.5/10