Dai Dark vol. 1

One thing I was disappointed with last year is that the “Dorohedoro” manga never went on sale at ComiXology.  I say this because I’ve got nineteen more volumes left to buy and I’d prefer not to pay a premium for them, no matter how much I liked the first three and (especially) the anime.  While I’m sure I’ll add these volumes to my (digital) library at some point, I’ve now got the latest series from its creator, Q Hayashida, to keep me occupied.

Zaha Sanko may only be 14 years old (and nearly two meters tall), but he’s already the most wanted person in the galaxy.  How did that happen?  It’s because someone spread the word that if you get Zaha’s bones, you’ll be able to make any wish you want come true.  Even if your wish is to become the ruler of the universe.  This has made Zaha’s life a living hell, but fortunately he’s got his talking robot/backpack Avakian to back him up and an adaptive suit known as Dark Hide to help fend off any attacks.  He’s also got a plan to get his life back:  Find out who spread the original rumor about his bones and kill them.  That’s easier said than done when he doesn’t know who or where they are, and the universe is a big place for anyone to hide…

The glib, easy, way to describe “Dai Dark” is that it’s “‘Dorohedoro’ in SPAAAAAAAAAACE!”  You’ve got a protagonist fighting against forces he’s barely aware of, his best friend who’s always willing to help him out, strange creatures trying to kill our protagonist, and a style that’s packed with dark and morbid humor that also happens to be very funny as well.  All this being said, we’re dealing with similar ideas between series rather than specific character types and plot points, and this helps distinguish these series.

Also, did you notice when I said “SPAAAAAAAAACE!”  “Dai Dark” is ostensibly a science fiction series as it takes place out in that great black void and has plenty of spaceships, black holes, and aliens to ostensibly make it part of the genre.  It also has a very occult look to it with most of the characters wearing cloaks that a bunch of sorcerers were chucked off Earth and landed on some faraway planets, Zaha included.  There’s also the matter of our protagonist’s Dark Flesh ability, which straight up seems to be magic – unless it’s a very sophisticated form of nanotechnology.  So I guess you could ultimately say that this is really a science fantasy series.

The real takeaway here is that you’re not meant to think too hard about the worldbuilding going on in this series.  The vastness of the setting and it’s indeterminate timeframe just mean that Hayashida has a functionally limitless playground to have fun in.  Which she does as while everyone in the galaxy may be after Zaha, that doesn’t mean he can’t have some fun along the way.

Granted, fun is the last thing on his mind when he’s picked up by pirates after drifting in space at the start of the volume.  It’s from their three-headed captain that we learn about the reason everyone’s after Zaha and it’s from him that we also see the fate of whoever goes after our protagonist.  After that, we get a multi-chapter flashback to when the main character found a place to hide out in for a while, and even wound up making a friend while people were still trying to kill him.  Then we go back to the present day to see that traveling through a black hole is no big deal for Zaha and Akivan as they cash in their bones, upgrade their ship, and head off to parts unknown.

If there’s one issue I have with this volume, it’s that it doesn’t offer a very strong sense of direction for the series.  While we’re told about Zaha’s general plan and motivation, I get the feeling that we’re going to be taking a long and meandering direction in the course of seeing him following up on these things.  If you’re not into the idea of seeing Q Hayshida’s demented imagination at work as this goes on, then “Dai Dark” may not be for you.

I do feel that this series is definitely up my alley, however.  Zaha may not be the brightest bulb in the group, but he’s got an indefatigable positivity that’s hard not to appreciate.  Being the most wanted person in the galaxy hasn’t gotten  him down as he’s still able to enjoy the little things in life like ramen from who-knows-where, flying through a black hole, and learning to make his favorite meatballs-and-spaghetti sandwich.  He’s also not the kind to take it personally when the bad guys start shooting at him, but having a nigh-invulnerable, possibly magic cloak covering his body likely helps in that respect.  In short, Zaha presents as an all-around good kid and you want to root for his success against the odds.

It does help that he’s got some cool companions to hang out with while the rest of the universe tries to kill him.  Akivan is chief among these and while he may be more of a guardian than a friend, he’s always got Zaha’s best interests at heart.  Even when it involves lighting a bunch of corpses on fire.  There’s also Shimada Death, one of the very few people in the galaxy who doesn’t want to kill our protagonist.  They’ve got their reasons for that, and they’re pretty amusing and reasonable.  Then there’s Misetani Box, a shopkeeper who’s only willing to joke about killing Zaha for his bones as she sells him stuff.  She’s only in this volume for a few pages, but she makes enough of an impression that I wouldn’t mind seeing more of her in future volumes.

Which I will certainly be reading as this was a great science fantasy adventure with a great, dark sense of humor.  While I still need to finish reading “Dorohedoro” at some point, I’m glad I got in on the ground floor with “Dai Dark” as my impression is that this is going to be a series worth following.  Assuming that it doesn’t run out of imagination before Zaha catches up with whoever he’s looking for.