Jormungand, Vol. 1

ヨルムンガンド [Jormungand] #1

by Keitarō Takahashi

Koko Hekmatyar, the head of H&C Logistic Incorporated, introduces new recruit Jonah to her team of troubleshooters, and it isn't long before they have some trouble to shoot. An Eastern European government official is holding up a shipment of aircraft parts that would shift the balance of power in the region. The trouble is, that shipment belongs to Koko, and she's not about to miss an opportunity to make a profit, even if it means two nations go to war.

Genres: Manga, Action, Comics Manga, Seinen, Graphic Novels, Adventure, Thriller

192 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2006

About the author

高橋慶太郎

Attended prestigious Tama Art University (Graphic Design faculty), but eventually dropped out.
His favorite food is chicken.
His debut work, Ordinary±, was a quasi-winner of Afternoon's Four Seasons Award in 1999.
He also did illustrations for Tonari No Dopperu-san novel series and character design for Assassin in Fate/Grand Order.

Reviews

[Mello ❣ Illium ✮Harry✮ ☀Myrnin☀ Torin Ichimaru · Rating 3 out of 5]

Synopsis:

Jonah is a child soldier, born amidst the chaotic conflicts that rage across West Asia, his family lost to a war fueled by weapons supplied by the so-called Merchants of Death--international arms dealers. Despite Jonah's hatred of weapons and violence, he employs both extremely well in the service of high-flying arms dealer Koko Hekmatyar and her band of mercenaries. Their journey through the dark underbelly of the world's arms markets may lead only to damnation, but will Jonah one day make his way back to the light? Only one thing is certain: it's going to be a long, hard road out of hell...

My Thoughts:

This is an action-packed manga filled with crazy people. Lots of gun use. Fun stuff. I don't know the characters very well, yet, but I'm looking forward to it all. Jonah interests me, but so do Koko and Valmet.

[Jack Reynolds · Rating 4 out of 5]

Back in the day when new FUNimation dub announcements had my twin and I scrambling to know more, Jormungand stands out as being an anime I wouldn't have been inclined to watch. I'm more of a battle shonen kind of viewer (one of my D&D friends would call it pew pew shonen), and the arms trade business is an area I'm not personally interested in. Maybe that has to due with the rise of right leaning Second Amendment defenders? Regardless, Jormungand still stands out to me from my junior high and high school anime for a variety of reasons.

Takahashi's art contains a peppiness the content occasionally has. The dynamics of Koko's squad were enjoyable to experience again, even if I have more interest in a few of them rather than as a whole. Koko will always be number one in my books. Her zeal as a negotiator and tendency to troll makes her a fun leader that I'd want to back me up. Jonah as a protagonist raises good questions about children who turn to combat to survive despite having a deep scorn for the pain weapons can wreck. Lehm and Valmet are easy standouts from Koko's crew who get plenty of page and screen time at this point, even if the latter's devotion to her boss can read problematic lesbian if you analyze it from that angle.

I don't think I'll continue re-reading the full manga since why Jormungand wasn't as compelling to me as a whole did pop up while immersing myself back into the world. I don't care as much about the arms trade negotiations beyond how allegiance disintegrates like cornstarch in a slurry. The arcs that follow didn't really hold my attention, not to mention young closeted me finding the times Jonah was presented as quasi sex object to be strange. I'm not going to yuck anyone's yum, but the shotacon doujin is a thing. His relationship with Koko also takes on a romantic energy at times in a way I don't think was needed (IYKYK). If anything, I might explore the second cour's material since it started with a literal bang. But for now, I'm fine with just this.

[Luke Reynolds · Rating 5 out of 5]

Actual rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars

Raucous, fun, and despite the weapons, this is such an action-packed story that makes me smile. The art had some great facial expressions, and Koko's desire to pierce through to the people of her business is super fascinating.

[K · Rating 3 out of 5]

Yeah I’m not too sure what this is about or where it is going? And the art style is mid

[Kentaro · Rating 4 out of 5]

I watched this anime before read manga. You will be thrilled by the dynamic gunfight, however protagonists has the elite bodyguard, so you may feel relief

[LaPommequirougit · Rating 4 out of 5]

https://lapommequirougit.com/2020/11/...

Je remercie les Éditions Meian pour l’envoi de cette lecture. On se retrouve pour parler d’un Seinen qui à mes yeux, sort vraiment du lot. Ici, on parle d’armes, de trafics en tous genres, un mélange plutôt explosif ! 😉

Jonah est un enfant soldat qui déteste par-dessus tous les armes. Étonnamment, ce dernier va s’allier à Koko, une jeune vendeuse d’armes. Plutôt silencieux, l’enfant va quand même rapidement s’intégrer au groupe.

On va se retrouver plongé dans un univers froid et glacial, qui a fait de Jonah, un adulte avant l’heure. Un enfant qui déteste les armes, mais Koko à bien l’intention de le réconcilier avec ces dernières.

L’univers est vraiment atypique. Au début, j’ai eu du mal à rentrer dans l’histoire et à comprendre tout ce qui se passait, car tout était trop rapide à mon goût. On n’a pas suffisamment d’explication sur l’univers, sur l’endroit où on débarque, etc.

Pourtant, rapidement, on se laisse porter par l’histoire. Les personnages sont plutôt atypiques et même si avec ce premier tome on n’a pas eu le temps de tous les entrevoir dans les moindres détails, je ne doute pas du fait qu’on en saura plus sur eux dans les prochains tomes.

En bref, un univers intrigant et déstabilisant au début, mais on se laisse rapidement emporté. Même si le début reste pour moi un peu rapide, le monde que nous propose Keitarô Takahashi est très intéressant.

[Zare · Rating 4 out of 5]

I came across the Jormungand as anime first and I truly liked it. Aside the rather crazy Koko :) topic is very mature and very well presented. It reminds me very much of Black Lagoon, although Golgo13 still remains THE action adventure that is very much grounded in reality.

Story wise we follow child soldier Jonah, from somewhere in Central Asia (I hope I got it right) who ends up as a soldier for [rather craaaazy] weapons merchant Koko Hekmatyar, daughter of an owner of renowned logistic company. She is not working anything [too overtly] illegal - she sells weapons to the highest bidder and by the looks of it she does it by the book, but arms sales being arms sales there will always be competitors willing to bury Koko and team and take over the market.

In volume 1 accent is on Eastern Europe, country where local commanders and politicians try to affect Koko's business but unfortunately they do not know who they are messing with.

Art is great, dynamics of firefights, car chases and smuggling up and down the steppe are beautifully presented. At moments art does need some more ..... lighting I guess but overall everything is very well drawn. Characters are of the pointy manga sort (definitely not lanky like some, but very pointy faces) but overall art is good.

Recommended to fans of action, adventure and thrillers.

[Spayde · Rating 4 out of 5]

Delivers a sharp and confident introduction to a morally complex world. Though the early chapters show some rough edges in the artwork, the visual storytelling quickly improves, offering dynamic panels and expressive action.

The story follows a unique perspective, focusing on a group of arms dealers led by the enigmatic Koko. Rather than heroes in the traditional sense, these characters are built around trust, survival, and personal motives. The narrative smartly avoids black and white morality, instead letting readers navigate the grey areas.

While the action is light in this volume, it sets the stage well and hints at deeper conflicts to come. For fans of mature, character driven manga with tactical and emotional depth, this is a promising start.

Rating: 4/5

[AN · Rating 3 out of 5]

(3.4/5) So I don't know what I was expecting going into this, but I can say that this kind of...denies...expectations. The story of a child soldier who hates violence as much as he is good at it, and an arms dealer who consistently knows too much and may be a little unhinged, make for an interesting pair. There's a fair bit of social commentary, though this first volume feels a bit like a taster of what's to come. Not terribly out of the box, but an enjoyable run all the same.

[Julie T.]

Follows anime pretty closely. I found that I'd be lost without seeing the anime first. The progression of the action is difficult to follow. Also, the characters just seem more interesting in the anime. Not a big fan of the manga so far. But I'll read one more volume or two, hopefully it might at least grow on me.

[Eris Tiner · Rating 5 out of 5]

I decided to give the written work a shot as l watched the anime a couple years ago and this is refreshing. Yes, the story does involve lots of death and a child soldier but the story is caring even though this is going on. Very much excited to see how everything turns out for the crew.

[Hope Reads · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think this is my first manga I've ever read and I enjoyed it so far. I will continue with the rest.

[Emilie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent premise that is unique to the manga market.

[aamna · Rating 5 out of 5]

criminally underrated

[Nick H · Rating 1 out of 5]

いつもアクションから、話とキャラクターは優先してないらしい。アートが特によかったけど物語は空っぽ

[Julie Hayes · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jonah's parents were victims of war, murdered by weapons supplied by a group of international arms dealers who call themselves the Merchants of Death. Now Jonah, though a mere child, has had to set his childhood behind him in order to fend for himself. The irony is that he finds himself a child soldier, working for an arms dealer, even though he hates all weapons. But he does what he has to do.


Koko Hekmatyar is the young female arms dealer who takes Jonah into her group. They seem to be skeptical of him, being as he's so young and all. But she has faith in him. Normally she would give him time to settle in, but it seems that they have a situation, so he's going into the field for the first time. Something of hers is being held up at customs, officials demanding more than was previously discussed. Rather than grease the wheels of justice any further, Koko decides to go after what is hers. The Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs threatens her, but she isn't impressed or worried, as they head out to retrieve her property. She takes Jonah with her, splitting up the rest of the team. Jonah is very quiet, but he knows his stuff. When he spots a tail, he takes care of it, startling his team. There are people trying to keep them from their destination. The question is, who sent them, and to what lengths will they go to stop Koko and her team?

Jonah's real initiation comes over breakfast - new guy has to cook - and he sees how much like a family the team is. Even if they think he is trying to poison them.

Jonah wakens instantly, gun in hand, when a team member rouses him for his turn at guard duty with Lehm. The older man is curious about the boy, and asks him questions. A sleepwalking Koko wanders into Valmet's room and falls across her - again. Lehm and Jonah get an eyeful when she wanders out into the hall. But when she wakes, it's business as usual, and they have a situation . . . Some other mercs have come across the border with enough parts to assemble fifteen MI-24 Hind D attack helicopters, with enough left over for spare parts, cutting into Koko's territory, and she doesn't like it! Never mess with Koko's money, it makes her kranky! Valmet and Tojo think they've figured out who it is - a freelancer by the name of C.K. Kloshkin. Rumor has it he is ex-intelligence. Koko and Jonah go to confront him, Jonah posing as her little brother, while Valmet and Tojo are sent to deal with the military. Kloshkin thinks he has the upper hand with the pair, until he realizes that Koko is negotiating with the military right in front of him, and he begins to see red. He's not worried, though, he has snipers who are trained on her even now - she won't get anything over on him, and she won't come out of this one alive, not if he has anything to do with it.

Afterwards, as Koko and the gang go to pick up Valmet and Tojo, they run into a bit of a situation, in the form of a battle being fought over a pipeline. Unperturbed, Koko makes her delivery to a major who is in charge, but he isn't the one she had expected, and she realizes that he is going to ask her for more. Just then she sees two familiar figures walk by - Mildo and Liu - which means that Mr. Curry can't be far behind. What are these rivals of hers during here, and what does this portend? The Major demands a replacement mobile radar unit, for the one that was destroyed. Both Curry and Koko say they cannot do it, but the military man calls Koko's bluff, by bringing up her patrimony - her father being shipping magnate Floyd Hekmatyar. Under threat, Koko has no choice to agree, but she intends to run off first chance she gets, rather than adhere to her agreement. She can't even reach Valmet and Tojo, cause her phone won't work in this zone, and it's driving her crazy.

After they pick up Valmet and Tojo, Mildo shows how overjoyed she is to see Valmet again. It appears that she has quite the thing for her, although it is far from mutual. Now Koko's team and Curry's team are pinned down. Together. Quite the situation. How will they get out of this pickle?


You can read my complete review at Anime Radius!

[Cornerofmadness · Rating 2 out of 5]

I bought this at Halfprice Books because well, it was on sale and I have a thing for tormented boys. Jonah’s a little young for my usual tastes but I was curious how a boy orphaned by war turned into a child soldier and ended up working for the arms dealer Koko Hekmatyar, a young lady. But to be honest, this manga did nothing for me. Chapter one has the most back story and character development and that’s not promising. Jonah hires on with Koko even though he hates her and her men and he hates weapons. That said, the child is very good with them, probably a little too good to be believed. The rest of the manga is your typical ultraviolent shoot 'em up inter cut with scenes of Koko and her men. Bouncing around the world, selling weapons and escaping from those buying/using weapons makes up the bulk of the storyline. If you like war stories, you’d probably like this. For me, there was a little too much action and not enough story. I doubt I’ll be returning to see how this ends. The art is pretty good though so that’s a plus.

[Joseph Young · Rating 2 out of 5]

So a child soldier who hates war is incredible at it, and is employed by the incredibly intelligent, and colossally lucky arms dealer Koko. The art is not the greatest, and often leaves you wondering what actually happened. There are a lot of additionally stupid stereotypes: the insane merc who loves combat and killing, another elite female agent who is totally gay for Koko. The cardboard villains who are easily defeated are somewhat expected for the first volume. Might read the second volume.

[Emily B · Rating 3 out of 5]

I thought the story was interesting, but I didn't really like the drawings. When action got intense, it was hard to make out some scenes; it looked more like scribbles on a page. Otherwise, the characters were pretty neat, and I like some of the characters, but I'm not sure if I'll finish reading the series.

[Indah Threez Lestari · Rating 2 out of 5]

...

Belum jelas mau dibawa kemana ceritanya sampai jilid 1 ini selesai. Action mulu bukan berarti bagus. Latar belakang yang baru terungkap sedikit cuma si Jonah saja.

Yang jelas aku merasa belum konek sama para karakternya, terutama si Koko Hekmatyar. Jadinya mau tokoh utama terancam bahaya atau apa juga nggak ngaruh...

[Russell · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was lent this book by a student with high recommendation. I really wasn't incredibly impressed by it. The Jonah character may become interesting in future volumes, but I am not invested enough in him, or Koko, to want to continue. The lesbian undertones didn't impress me either.

[Kuro · Rating 4 out of 5]

Don't give a shit to the story, it is not the main focus of the author. Indeed, just take a time recognizing the characters inside. They are really loveable. One time could be ludicrous, but in the right moment could be fucking badass, and they have style! Not just bang-bang, or kick and rush.

[Drew · Rating 3 out of 5]

Solid introduction to an action series about a child soldier working with a unpredicatble and unorthodox arms dealer. Art and story work well together, though there are parts of the action I had to re-read a few times to figure out what was going on.

[Snott · Rating 4 out of 5]

Strangely interesting manga about an arms dealer. I really can't see how that this series can end well.. small amount of yuri content, one of the characters is in love with the main character.

[Kittyki · Rating 5 out of 5]

Megtetszett a fülszövege alapján, és nem is rossz.

[Shinya]

Read History:\n- 2009/11/07\n- 2019/10/10\n

[Online Eccentric Librarian · Rating 2 out of 5]

More reviews (and no fluff) on the blog http://surrealtalvi.wordpress.com/

Jormungand feels oddly dated though it isn't that old; the style is reminiscent of military shounen fare at the turn of the century, especially titles like Full Metal Panic (but without the pathos and wonderful humor of that series). It's a juggle to mix kinetic action with gung ho morbid humor and I'm not quite sure that mangaka Takahashi accomplishes the delicate balance needed here. The characters felt flat and unrealistic, the action scenes were messy and inscrutable, and this felt like one of the few times that an anime was going to be so much better than the manga.

Story: Koko is an arms dealer - high strung and a risk taker, she's assembled a crack team to back her up on all her dangerous dealings. Enter Jonah, a boy whose grown up in war and hates guns, despite mastering them himself. Koko is going to make good use of her new protege as she navigates a very tricky underworld selling arms and armaments to various militia.

Since this is a Viz Signature, we have a larger size book than standard manga. There are no color drawings within, however. Most of the book is about Koko outmaneuvering dangerous elements while always finishing the deal. She typically encounters double crosses and other dubious situations and hence needs her team of snipers, assault specialists, and gunsmith Jonah.

Perhaps because Full Metal Panic was so darn good, I didn't appreciate the hyper violence of Jormungand (named incongruously after a Norse mythology monster). For one, the humor never really hit and Koko was too unbelievable a merc. Her crew was fairly interesting but we really didn't have enough on them to get to know them; this first book was all about the violence and double dealings. Jonah is cardboard as a character; but where we had a similar war scarred child in Full Metal Panic's Sousuke Sagara and his character growth, Jonah just stays flat. Meanwhile, Koko never does more than simper or look smug, yell out random commands, or act like she has the key to the universe. It was hard to like her or Jonah since they were so loosely drawn.

The illustrations, meanwhile, were honestly a hot mess. I just started to skip because the author was trying too hard to figure out a way to get movement and action - he clearly didn't find a good solution. Good luck trying to figure out what is happening or why. At the point you are skipping whole sections of messy paneling, you're already losing the most important part of the story.

I have two volumes so I'll see if the second improves. For now, I can't say that I enjoyed reading Jormungand.