After the excellent Terrarium available at Glénat Manga since last June, we present this time a series published by Ki-oon in 2010, Artelier Collection, a shonen signed Yen HIOKA!
Artelier Collection T01
Artelier Collection is a shonen finished in 13 volumes. "In the world of Artelier, the genius craftsmen, the Masterpieces, possess a power that is said to be granted by the hand of God. The objects and clothes they make contain a magical power capable of fulfilling all wishes. Makumo, a young apprentice, discovers one day that he has the exceptional ability to bend the fabric to his will. Accompanied by Kiriku, another prodigy with exceptional talents, he embarks on a quest to explore all the possibilities offered by this mysterious talent. But very quickly, their path will cross that of the members of a mysterious organization that multiplies assassinations in the four corners of the world. They will soon discover that these crimes are only the first step in a macabre machination behind which fearsome Masterpiece know!»
A hero in the making!
Artelier Collection takes us into a universe combining action, magic and comedy. A rather catchy base for this kind of series. However, the disadvantage is that these themes are very exploited and that the novelties are sometimes not very original. The main character, Makumo, is an orphan whose past is still unknown to us. And as you might have guessed, the latter will have an incredible destiny. Sidelined, called a liar by the other inhabitants, he will have to face life alone and show the rest of the world what he is capable of. Again, nothing very original since this kind of main character is very classic. They are found in many shonen, as in Naruto for example. The evolution of the character then leaves little suspense, although a reversal of the situation is always possible. We also find, here too, situation comedy, well dosed. Apart from the classic side, this main character remains very endearing and makes us want to follow his adventures carefully.
A classic scenario
On the side of the scenario, although it is not a novelty, the magic is brought in a different way and still gives an appeal to the series. Indeed, we follow a tailor. He will therefore have to imbue his creations with magic to give them abilities. This reminds us of RPGs, in which your character must equip himself with armor with the best possible abilities. We must admit that this last point has particularly appealed to us. Although our hero has trouble using his magic, that it is related to clothes changes the hero needing only his body to fight. This distinction gives a lot of potential to this work. You may have noticed in the synopsis the mention of a secret organization. In this first volume, it is not mentioned at all. We hope to learn more about the latter in the second volume. Moreover, without taking into account the synopsis, based solely on this first volume, it is difficult for us to see where the author wishes to go. The thread is quite blurry. However, we cannot judge a series solely on a first volume. Indeed, the story is quite long to set up. Although there are action scenes, this first volume is relatively slow. In addition, the end of this volume is a bonus story unrelated to the original storyline. This can create confusion since this bonus chapter is quite substantial. On the graphics side, HIOKA Yen offers us a very appreciable pencil stroke. Whether for actions, comic situations or more serious moments, we have nothing to complain about the quality of the drawings. This first volume of artelier collection offers us a classic story, but which remains overall very pleasant to discover. We hope that the second volume will plunge us more quickly into the plot.
