Gestalt Vol. 1by Sheena McNeilReviews may contain information that could be considered 'spoilers'. Readers should proceed at their own risk. Publisher
Credits Grade: 5 This is a world where dark elves, priests, and sorcerers can call upon spells and miracles — and these depend on how each has leveled up (like a game). Father Olivier is a priest who has forsaken his order to journey south to a forbidden and evil place seeking truth. That place is Gestalt, or G, named for the god who was banished there after warring with his fellow gods and losing. Along the way he gains a "slave", Ouri, who is a sorceress with powers he's not heard of before (namely summoning — and it's not that she's a high level). They are soon joined by a dark elf, Suzu, and a Fortune Teller. Their journey is off to a hazardous start with Ouri's siblings showing up — and each sibling wants to kill all the others. But it seems there's something demonic about even Father Olivier ....I'm a little confused about Ouri and her siblings. Ok I'm a lot confused. Apparently each of them has another being within them that they can talk to (conversations no one else hears) and for some reason the siblings that were raised together want to kill each other. And talk about mood swings! Ouri's personality is all over the place. I loved her at the begining with the cute signs (and when she couldn't talk), and while I'm still rooting for her I'm not sure I like her. I'm very curious about Father Olivier who seems to have a similar entity in him (that he's unaware of), but we're left on a bit of a cliff-hanger with that. Gestalt is from the creator of Loveless, and while the art quality is there the battle choreography and creativity leaves so much to be desired yet again (except her hair — that's awesome). Some of the characters have a look that reminds me of Mineko Ohkami's art (Dragon Knights) which I love, but here it's almost a bit akward — and I think that's due to the plurality of the characters (as they switch visibly when the entity inside them comes to the front). My head still hurts from trying to understand it all. Add to that the game-like statistics for every spell and I just have to groan. I like that the boxes are there to explain them to me, I just wish the whole leveling thing wasn't there at all — it's so unnecessary, and yet it's given such emphasis!! Everything is dependant on what level they are overall, and what levels they've achieved in different areas of spellcasting — even the priests and their "miracles". It's ridiculous! That alone should tell you to stop reading. I would say it ruins a perfectly good story, but this story has so many issues of its own. You're supposed to grab your audience with the first volume, not confuse them and lose them or make them think they're in some poor excuse for an RPG! If the story seems interesting and you like the art then check it out, but if some things don't get straightened up and cleared up in volume two, this manga should get put down for good. Written: May 8, 2009
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