April: Until Death Do Us Part vol 1

[Mike, The Moderator in the Darkness]

Our manga for April is Until Death Do Us Part, Vol. 1. Discuss it here. :)

Twelve year old Haruka Tooyama is a powerful precog, which unfortunately makes her a much sort after "commodity" for several unscrupulous parties. When she uses her powers to find a protector, a blind man was not what she expected...

[Mike, The Moderator in the Darkness]

I adored this when I read it a year ago, and love it just as much now. The characters are interesting and multidimensional. The premise and environment have nice science fiction touches while still being well grounded and internally consistent. The art is fantastic.

But what I like most is that the plot and it's characters are intelligent. This is an action manga, but the action is driven by various parties with different agendas acting and reacting in smart ways. It's all quite compelling and I'm looking forward to getting further into the series.

Some discussion questions:
1) What do you think of Haruka and Mamoru? Are they good leads? How about the supporting cast? Any favorite/least favorite characters?

2) How well or poorly are the science fiction and technological elements used? Do they add/detract from the story?

[Mike, The Moderator in the Darkness]

1) I like them both a lot. They have strong personalities and a bit of depth already. Mamoru drives the series' action and Haruka adds intrigue. It's a great pairing. The supporting cast is equally engaging, from the policeman sniffing around the edges of our leads' actions to the combat team "The Wall." Don't really dislike any, although I find Igawa somewhat bland and uninteresting so far.

2) I think they are used well and add to the story. Mamoru's "sight" has advantages and disadvantages that are well explained and integrated with the plot/action. The way tech is used to enhance traditional weapons and fighting styles is inventive yet logical. It all fits together quite nicely.