By killing the godfather, Kenshiro thought he had collapsed the rival clan of the Poppy Union. But a new leader has emerged from the ashes and the fourth volume of Soten No Ken sees a new war brewing.
The Godfather 2
This new head of the Poppy Union, Zhang Taiyan, has put his clan's debris in order. While it dominated the entire city of Shanghai, this mafia group collapsed in a few days following the return of Kenshirō since the beginning of Soten No Ken. This powerful warrior of the Jade Syndicate who came to carry out his revenge killed the godfather then he recovered his fortune and even freed his friend and leader who was thought to have disappeared. Pan Guangling wants his mafia group to regain his power over the entire city.
The struggle between the Jade Syndicate and the Poppy Union is revived, but they are no longer alone. Indeed, the two clans gather very broad alliances in anticipation of the war. We discover who is behind the union of the Poppy and this explains the mediocrity of previous leaders who were only straw men. Through these alliances, Soten No Kenbecomes a political series where Tetsuo Hara gives his opinion on the geopolitical context of the time. His view of Japan's responsibility for the war seems much more modern than in many recent series. The mafias also had to deal with the France's representative, Colonel de Guise. Through this character, the reader enters the colonial administration of the city which, like the mafia, is divided into several clans and ravaged by corruption. Malraux, a police captain in the French concession, sought to strengthen his power. Born in China, de Guise served mostly the France in the previous volume, but his moral values and revelations about his family push him to take sides in the gang war rather than crush the two groups.
Getting stronger and stronger
In this fourth volume of Soten No Ken, the writer and artist Tetsuo Hara continues on his way: explode everything without taking any gloves. This can be seen in the fights that become more unreal over the volumes. Fighters practicing Hokuto Sōkaken have inhuman talents. Zhang Taiyan can push his finger into someone's skull up to the brain and by touching a specific area, he forces them to do whatever he wants. Kenshirō forces people to tell the truth in the same way. Tetsuo Hara continues to mock the proportions reaching a titanic level here. The depiction of violence is also more gore. Strangely, this representation of violence coexists with a presence of the Buddhist religion. However, we are far from the canons of the temples: tattooed monks, the five fangs of the Hokuto Sôkaken come from Hebbei to crush the Jade syndicate. Religion is therefore on the side of evil.
Seven in China?
The frontality in Soten No Ken also goes through the characters of the characters. The words or images are sometimes outrageous. In the first chapter, a mobster with a huge metal pliers prepares a kidnapping in a park, but must wait for his boss who is in full carnal exchange in the car. One might think that Tetsuo Hara has the goal of traversing the seven deadly sins through the leaders of the Poppy Union. Everyone is plagued by an all-consuming obsession. After the gluttony of the previous one, lust is the main motivation of the new godfather Zhang Taiyan. He is particularly interested in married women whom he perverts.
The problem for the reader of 2022 may be shocked especially since it is accompanied by a representation of women for the least dated. Zhang's lovers barely speak and constantly stick to men to be at their service. In contrast, other women are saints who often end badly. The opposition is clear with Kenshirô. He now knows that the love of his life, Yuling is not dead and wants to find her. In the meantime, he meets women, but remains very blue flower. On the contrary, Zhang believes only in female conquest and despises love.
The work of the editor Mangetsu is also to be commended. Not only is the Soten No Ken series excellent value for money, but it also indicates on the back cover the names of the translator (Odilon Grevet) and the letteror (Tomiko Bénézet-Toulze). Two pages at the end of the volume explain the context of the 1930s and help to locate historical characters present in the manga.
Soten No Ken continues on its lineage, but pushing the button even more. Mafia wars become open and collective. The fights and the representation of bodies become unreal. Fans of fighting will find their pleasure hoping to discover the rest of this colonial saga.
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