ES - Eternal Sabbath

Ryousuke Akiba & Mine Kujyou

I figured while we are all waiting for Fruits Basket, I thought I would post a little about this new manga, ES, being released by our good friends at Del Rey (Hi Dallas). Actually I am supposed to be studying for my dosage exam which I write on Thurs through next Wens. I only get five chances to pass it and if I don't then I am out of the nursing program, horrible ain't I....lol. Ahem anyway ES or Eternal Sabbath is the latest offering from Del Rey Manga and written by Fuyumi Soryo, the author of Shoujo fan favorite Mars (released by Tokyopop). ES however is anything but Shoujo, more of a Sci-fi, suspense, drama if anything. Now I must say this is not usually my cup of tea, but being a long time fan of Mars, I thought what the hell and picked up volume one which was just recently released. The story was quite engaging to say the least, ES revolves around a young man named Ryousuke who has the ablilty to alter the memories of people he meets, so much so that he can pretend to be there best friend or long lost grandchild and whatnot. Ryousuke never uses his ability for malice mearley as a means of survival, nothing more and nothing less. Occasionally though he will come across people like Dr. Mine Kujyou whose mind he cannot control or change at will. For me what makes this story so interesting is the mystery surronding Ryousuke himself, he neither helps nor hurts mankind, he just exists among them, trying to get by. The chemistry between him and Dr. Mine doesn't hurt as well, watching the two of them together is fascinating in of itself, simply because she does not know what to make of the situation. Mine is aware that Ryousuke is lying, but who can she tell, Ryousuke will just alter someone's memories to make it seem like she is the liar. I have to say the chemistry between them sizzles and makes for some interesting drama. As for Soryo-sensei's art work it is a massive improvement from her earlier work in Mars, I must say I was impressed greatly. For all my gushing about ES though all I can do is hesitantly recommend this series until I have read further installments. I can see this story getting real interesting and I admit I am dying to read the next volume, however there is the off chance that this series could fall flat on it's face (Not that I think it will mind you). Otherwise, I would say borrow it from your library just to give the first volume a try. It may not be everyone genre, but if Shoujo's your taste then check out Soryo-sensei's Mars series to familarize yourself with her work; then just for fun give ES a try.

P.S - This goes without saying but all images posted on this site belong to there respective owners and in this case Fuyumi Soryo and Del Rey and whoever else has rights to this manga. But I am sure you all knew that already:)