Jiraishin is a cop drama.. it revolves around our hero, Kyouya (Ky in the English version), who's a very cold, hard cop. In a bleak, gritty representation of Shinjuku, Kyouya doesn't take any crap from anyone, and he doesn't waste his time suffering fools. He just deals with the case getting closed and the bad guy getting what he deserves. He'll put his job above just about everything else in his life, it seems. He's not exactly popular amongst his superiors, but he's known for being the best detective around, so they'll put up with his somewhat caustic attitude.

I'll admit that the bishounen freak in me is rather fond of our beloved hero, Kyouya. ^_^ However, there's a hell of a lot more to reading Jiraishin than just that. The plots are very intricate.. every file digs deep into the best and worst of human psyche and makes you really stop and think about just what we're all capable of. And more than that, the actual style in which the manga is drawn is very black and dark.. and also very sparse at times, so that when something important shows up, you notice it. Takahashi-sensei has been perfecting his style over the years and it's getting slicker and more amazing with every volume. All in all, Jiraishin is much more than your average cop drama. Expect the unexpected.

The fact that I can't read Japanese very well yet is somewhat of a hindrance for understanding what's going on, of course. But despite that, I can follow the story well enough via the pictures (and what info I can beg from people who can read it) and I find myself constantly being astounded and impressed by what I see. Jiraishin is not your average manga. ^_^ I now own all nineteen available volumes, all of which I highly recommend! My favourites would have to be volumes 4, 10, 13 and 16.

And please note: I buy Jiraishin in it's Japanese form, and prefer it that way. Thus, I'll always refer to it as Jiraishin, rather than Ice Blade; I'll refer to the characters by their Japanese names, not their English ones; and I'll use the Japanese standard of putting family names before given names. Don't be confused.. this is still the same Ice Blade you buy in Mixx. ^_^

The scene Mixx didn't want to show you! For those of you familiar with Mixx 1-1, the file that was 'edited', as it were, is called Puppet, and deals with a long-haired blonde boy named Kento who murders for his so-called father. If you happen to have the magazine, go and take a look at page 135. What do you see? You see Kento, lying in bed by himself, thinking wistfully "Another job done.." Ahh. But there's more to it than that. Take a look at this page. This is what really happened. Just a few extra panels, but they make all the difference. That guy is Nowell, the policeman who's the rat ruining Kyouya's cases. And what is he saying? Well, thanks to my friends Washuu and Kennedy (arigatou!) this is it: "Suteki da yo. Saa.. sono kitanai fuku wo nuide." The translation? "This is nice. Well, take off those dirty clothes."
So what does this mean? Means that there was a hint of homosexuality in there. Oh, the tragedy! ^_~ Is it really all that offensive?!
I pestered Mixx's Editor-in-Chief for an explanation. The official word: it was the first issue of the magazine, and they didn't want to scare off their distributors before they'd gotten a good look at what they were buying. (Parasyte got censored as well..) They couldn't put it in a later issue due to page count. Hn. No comment. ^_^
And latest word is that this particular scene was put back into the story in the manga volume release. Boy, am I glad to hear it. (My only question is: would they have put it back in if we hadn't noticed it's absence in the first place and kicked up a fuss?)

For a great page focused more on the MixxZine release, check out Celes Star's Ice Blade. And of course make sure you visit mangaka Takahashi Tsutomu's Official Website!

If you would like to discuss Jiraishin with other likeminded people, please subscribe to the Jiraishin mailing list! Just send a blank email to jiraishin-subscribe@yahoogroups.com.

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In my next life..
I'd rather be an emotionless flower..
However short a life span..