The publisher Mangetsu has put forward very diverse series but he had not yet tackled the thriller. It's done with Golden Guy, the new series by Jun Watanabe.
Yakuza Gold
Mangetsu takes care of his new series. The black and red cover highlights the title enhanced with a gold print. Then, the main characters are introduced. The frame is set in the first scene: a young man with blond hair is beaten up by three little mobsters. However, they freeze when an equally young man arrives but wearing a suit. This is the main character of Golden Guy. Gai Sakurai leads the modest Osaragi clan in Yokohama within the Kikaku family. He settles the dispute very quickly to return to his small illegal business. Everything follows its course quietly but the death of a yakuza comes to upset the mafia balance.
The clues lead Sakurai to suspect a group of the same family. Indeed, the Akane clan wants to recover the hidden treasure of the Tokugawa that would be held by the Osaragi. This treasure allowed the clan to obtain the support of the population of its neighborhood rare in the Japanese mafia and to promote the development of a whole part of the city. But the leader of the Akane suspects that there is still gold left. The Osaragi are supposed to be in possession of treasure but they have a minor role in the organizational chart and therefore receive very little money. This discovery is far from being an invention because dozens were built in the 1980s during Tokyo's strong urban growth. Each boss is tense while wanting to avoid a bloodbath. Hypocrisy reigns in Golden Guy because none admits to being responsible for the murders and denies wanting to engage in a gang war. However, will they be able to control their lieutenants eager for revenge?
A thriller in manga
The cinephile immediately sees the references of Golden Guy. These impeccable outfits, these zooms on the gun at the end of the arm or the framing of the bottom of the ground are reminiscent of Hong Kong thrillers. Scenes of dialogue between mafiosi take place in a bar or sauna. When banknotes are thrown into the air, the drawing gives the impression of artistic slow motion. There is also a meeting between the two leaders at a summit meeting of all the clan leaders of the same family. The finale of this volume is as impressive and choreographed as a film. We even look for the names of Chow Yun-Fat or John Woo on the cover of Golden Guy to be sure. There's also this mix between action and goofy humor. The lieutenants of the Osaragi clan are jesters.
Thrillers have become Jun Watanabe's specialty. The writer and cartoonist became known in France by the seinen Montage around a news item: the theft of 300 million yen. He had taken a step aside in horror by Final Curse and returns to crime by Golden Guy. We see from the drawings that Jun Watanabe masters the codes of the genre. Blood spurts and the discovery of a corpse is chilling. The onomatopoeias and the very dynamic layout during the fights explode the retinas of the readers. The level of violence rises with each page. However, the scenario seeks to remain plausible. Weapons being complicated to find in Japan, conflicts are initially resolved with knives.
Like a bullet coming out of a pistol barrel, the first volume of Golden Guy is an excellent series launch. The first chapters introduce the characters, the yakuza scene and the issues ahead. Once the frame is set, Jun Watanabe gradually raises the tension until offering in the last pages two reversals of situation.
If you are interested in this treasure, you can find manga set in the Tokugawa era: Butterfly Beast and Keiji.
