Encouragement of Resolve
覚悟のススメ, Kakugo no Susume
"Manga pulp. Much pulp. Too much pulp ...".
Manga pulp is the name of the Dynamic Italia series that deals with collecting mangas with a high rate of violence such as Encouragement of Resolve, released in Italy as Il destino di Kakugo (the fate of Kakugo).
Encouragement of Resolve is a manga written and illustrated by Takayuki Yamaguchi.
What is most striking about it is the violent and fairly free aspect of the manga. In fact, gutting, bone-breaking, deadly martial arts, etc. are present on almost each page of the manga.
But maybe it's better to start with the plot huh?
Well, it is said that at the beginning of the 21st century the earth was shaken by huge cataclysms due to a settling of the earth's crust. Immediately after this event all the nations are in total chaos, they have to try to keep internal order and therefore they are all intent on cleaning, you know how it is, every time a Japanese's manga begins with huge cataclysms all the cities are represented destroyed, full of debris , etc.
But, let's have a little quiz. Who among you can explain to me why, in Japan, the country where all the buildings are built with rigorous anti-seismic criteria, most of the buildings, in the manga, are always rigorously destroyed? I don't sleep at night! However, the manga begins opens with two young people who observe a flower that is born in the midst of destruction; the moment is idyllic, and while they look into each other's eyes, a huge, unmade and very fat woman appears, named Hamuko, but nicknamed Beauty, in a bdsm outfit with tits in the wind, She grab the girl and after saying that she is the most beautiful and the girl is ugly, so in all sympathy, she crushes her in front of the poor boy, making him see that, indeed, the lady was beautiful inside.
Let's get off to a good start huh?
Now the scene changes, and we see a boy who shows up in front of his new school with a 24 hour bag and in a pseudo-military uniform; military salute to the school building and off to class. Did you get it right? This is Kakugo Hagakure. The peculiar thing is, as will be learned later in the manga, that he is the descendant of a Japanese war criminal who used to experiment on prisoners to obtain the ultimate bioweapon: a super warrior ready for anything and unbeatable. Original, don't you think? Never let one experiment to see how to eradicate dandruff or such useful things.
However, the first day goes well and we get to know other characters (Prof. Zenigata, his partner Horie who immediately falls in love with Kakugo, and other supporting characters). Just as Horie and the others return home they are attacked by Beauty; But a strange knight in armor comes to their aid ... Ooooh, who will it be? But I know that you understood it ... yes! It is He, Kakugo in Enhanced Zero Exoskeleton (that is, the name of the exoskeleton is 'Zero'). With several martial art hits Biozero he destroys Beauty, after realizing, however, that she is not actually human (and I would like to see! She will be 5 meters tall and 8 wide!).
During the fight, another pulp moment: Beauty is hit in the stomach and vomits everything she ate from Christmas to Easter the year before! And we can see how her tastes are somewhat anthropophagous (that means, 'she eats humans'). Among this riot of gastric acids and corroded bones, someone still alive appears: Hazamada, the boy of the beginning, who had been swallowed up. Here Horie is the protagonist of a touching skit: he dives into the vomit to console the dying Hazamada! sigh.
Well, now comes the interesting part. A mysterious woman attends the fight, from the room of the castle where she has just exterminated 4 fighters with, listen, hear, the martial art Biozero! Who is she? She proclaims herself the BROTHER OF KAKUGO! Aaaargh, but why, but above all, why?? I can't tell you (I wouldn't tell you anyway). This is one of the few mysteries that permeate this manga, and as the episodes go by we may know more about the past of Kakugo and Harara, Kakugo's brother-sister! And we will discover that the Zero exoskeleton is not just a simple armor, but actually hides a chilling truth!
Hoping that all this has sufficiently tickled you, I now turn to my personal judgment on this work. First, you must know that my evaluation yardstick is very varied: if the manga particularly grabs me I review it after the first issue, otherwise I read one or two subsequent issues. The latter is the case with 'Encouragement of Resolve'. In fact, the story is not captivating from the first issue, but becomes more consistent from the second, with the flashback on the upgrade exoskeletons. Then there is the part that I think is most lacking: the drawings.
They do not convince me completely, they are not like the ones in Fortified School, which are deliberately caricatured and sketched. Here they seem to want to have a semblance of 'seriousness' ... I have not explained well, perhaps, I mean that the proportions of the characters are not well done, the line is thin and immature, the screens are sometimes redundant! In short, I don't like the style of the drawing.
However, I find the design of the Enhancement exoskeleton very beautiful: it has the taste of WWII uniforms, and put in a modern context it reminds me of the old legends about the study of secret weapons by the Nazis that have not yet been discovered!
Final judgment: Encouragement of Resolve is not a masterpiece, I did not particularly like the drawings, but I do not totally advise against it, as there are some good sides.
So, if you are a bloodthirsty, and a fan of fighting and weird Manga, Encouragement of Resolve is for you. Not recommended for those who consider Dragon Ball a violent manga!
