Old Boy Volume One

Locked away in a small room with only a small television for company would be maddening. Not knowing the reason for being in the room or who orchestrated the stay would push one to the edge of sanity. Being there for ten years and realizing all the others are only there for short internments would inspire primal instincts and the desire for revenge.

Drugged and dumped in a city park with nothing but a thousand Yen, the clothes on his back, and a decade of unanswered questions, alias Yamashita now has to create a new life while blazing a trail directly to the person responsible for his imprisonment.

Idiosyncrasies? That means, oddities, quirks, or the old robotic standby 'Does Not Compute!' There were a few things that stood out as being weird, but needed for flow. *Spoiler Alert* (text hidden highlight to view) For the elaborate setup of the mob run prison to work it needs to be as discrete as possible, having an outside restaurant deliver food requires too much outsider knowledge, they need their own private chef. Even though 'Yamashita' was drugged for the insertion of the tracking device, he should still have been able to feel it, especially during his daily workouts. *End Spoiler*

But adapting to and fitting in to the new culture may not be the easiest thing for alias Yamashita. Starting life off where he left off won't work, who'd believe his story, telling it could equal a quick trip to a mental hospital, and life as an undocumented citizen in a big city will be just as hard. Constant surveillance by those who put him in this position will lead to crippling paranoia. Luckily for him, what he's watched on television will be his greatest weapon.

Writer Garon Tsuciya and artist Nobuaki Minegishi crafted a superb film noir flavored thriller that Bogey could easily have played the lead. Interestingly enough, even though it was originally created in 1997, Old Boy still seems fresh and doesn't show its age like some comics. With the glut of stories involving current manga trends like magical powers, child ninjas, and big-eyed characters, which leave a 'been there done that' feel, Old Boy is a brisk refreshing change for the better. The plot is easy to follow with only a few idiosyncrasies, which are attributed to story advancement. Another nice thing about Old Boy is that it isn't overloaded with dialogue and narration; instead it uses facial expressions, movements, scenery, and backgrounds to convey meaning and depth. Kudos to Dark Horse for leaving in the original Japanese FX and titles.

If you get the chance, I recommend picking up volume one of Old Boy for an entertaining read. Old Boy is 210 pages and was released July 2006 by Dark Horse.