Arm of Kannon

Infobox animanga/Header
name = Arm of Kannon


caption =
ja_name = バース
ja_name_trans = Birth
genre = Horror, Sci-FiInfobox animanga/Manga
title =
author = Masakazu Yamaguchi
publisher = flagicon|Japan Gentosha Comics
flagicon|USA TOKYOPOP
demographic = Seinen
magazine = flagicon|Japan Comic Birz
first = 1998
last = 2003
volumes = 9

"Arm of Kannon", originally titled nihongo|"Birth"|バース|Bāsu in Japan, is a manga by nihongo|Masakazu Yamaguchi|山口 譲司|Yamaguchi Masakazu.

Story

The "Arm of Kannon" is a holy relic of the buddhist goddess Kannon (Kanzeon bosatsu); after the archeologist Tozo Mikami discovered it, he disappeared for three years. When he returns, his son, Mao, starts noticing something strange about him, and soon discovers that a secret military organization, Garama, is trying to unveil the secrets of the artifact to use it as a weapon.

The first four volumes of the series see Mao infected by the Arm and his rapid growth in relation to the Arm's effects. He is captured by Garama and subsequently escapes to the surrounding forest which has also been affected by Garama. Several parties try to achieve different things in the forest. The first is Mao's sister Mayo, the swordsman from Isurugi, and a monk called Kakujo. These three try to find Mao to help him overcome the Arm's infection and release him. The second group following Mao is a group called the "SDF" who are employed by the government to capture Mao alive. This group consists of four people; a male cyborg, a female soldier, a male with cybernetic eyes and sonic abilities, and a psychic man. The third group is the Manma, these are four mutants who are to kill Mao. These four are a male illusionist, a mysterious female, a man wrapped in bandages, and a gremlin-like man. These three groups face off in the forest in a race to reach Mao first.

Themes

The main themes and mythology of the series focus on and around the mentality of humans, as well as the effects and manipulation of DNA. The military using genetic engineering is also featured heavily. Also, there is a theme of more mainstream and traditional manga with "magic powers" and swordplay involved.

Presentation

The manga uses explicit imagery of violence and sexuality, in a somewhat similar vein to Koushun Takami's manga "Battle Royale". However, the images are more monstrous and grotesque, even horriffic. These themes are used to convey what seems to be human bloodlust amplified within the plot.

External links

* [http://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/BIRTH "Birth" (バース) at Wikipedia Japan] jp icon
* [http://www.tokyopop.com/S-1257/ "Arm of Kannon" on TOKYOPOP's web site]
* [http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/encyclopedia/manga.php?id=3404 "Arm of Kannon" at Anime News Network]
** [http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/encyclopedia/people.php?id=58593 Masakazu Yamaguchi at Anime News Network]
* [http://www.madman.com.au/actions/periodicals.do?method=home&periodicalId=72 Madman's official "Arm of Kannon" sales site]