What do you think?
Rate this book
Master Keaton: Kanzenban #3
Master Keaton, Vol. 3
Taichi Hiraga Keaton, the son of an eminent Japanese zoologist and a wealthy English noblewoman, is an insurance investigator educated in archaeology and a former member of the SAS. He married his college sweetheart whilst at the University of Oxford, but they divorced after their daughter was born. Unaware of his abundant talents, he continues to struggle with life as he solves difficult cases...
315 pages, Paperback
First published July 1, 2013
5 people are currently reading
105 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews
July 27, 2019
The thing I love most about Master Keaton is that, while every story feels standalone, over the course of the series you start to build a picture of who he is. No excessive digging into his past but an offhand comment, a chance meeting, a revealed skill, how he approaches each of his various and oft bizarre cases and the different people involved...It’s rather marvellous.
December 17, 2015
Master Keaton's 3rd volume continues the high quality of storytelling and character development, as any reader would expect. Though this is the weakest of the first three volumes, it has plenty of low key moments and high octane chapters alike. Keaton's encounter with a master bomb maker and visit with his family have much in common — they focus on the lives people want to live under the shadow of legacy. The themes of familial relationships, affiliation, and what constitutes of a good use of one's life run stronger through this volume than any of the others.
February 20, 2020
Seguimos con el bueno de Keaton y todo sigue igual.
Historias cortas, sentido del humor y una visión digamos muy peculiar de las diferentes culturas (y de las mujeres, por cierto).
A mí me está gustando muchísimo y el dibujo de Urasawa me pirra.
Historias cortas, sentido del humor y una visión digamos muy peculiar de las diferentes culturas (y de las mujeres, por cierto).
A mí me está gustando muchísimo y el dibujo de Urasawa me pirra.
April 2, 2021
เป็นการ์ตูนที่มีรสชาติหลากหลาย ตลก เศร้า ยินดี มีความสุข ไม่ว่าแต่ละเรื่องจะเจอสถานการณ์โหดร้ายแค่ไหน สุดท้ายแล้วขอแค่ยังมีความหวัง ชีวิตจะหาทางไปต่อได้เอง
March 5, 2022
Not as good as I expected it to be, given this one being created by Naoki Urasawa. It turns out that Urasawa not involving in writing the manga (and instead focusing solely on its illustration) makes this one a pretty different read in comparison with other works by Urasawa. The episodic style of this book without a clear storyline throughout the series might already be perfected by Osamu Tezuka's "Black Jack", which is clearly superior to this series in terms of writing quality. One can appreciate Urasawa's soft and expressive illustration style or the exciting element of a detective mystery here and there, but as a whole, this book feels quite short of having such a profound impact on the readers the way "Monster" or "20th Century Boys" have.
June 18, 2015
One tiny nitpick in an otherwise fine English translation -- in a story that mentions Sir Henry Cavendish, his name is given as 'Sir Cavendish' rather than the correct 'Sir Henry'. (This may be an artifact of the original Japanese, which I don't have in front of me but which probably uses the surname-plus-honorific.) But that aside, more Master Keaton is always wonderful!
June 13, 2023
Master Keaton 3
The manga stays in line with previous books, a nice collection of stories of Keaton solving cases-problems for Lloyds. Its fun and interesting to read.
4 stars
The manga stays in line with previous books, a nice collection of stories of Keaton solving cases-problems for Lloyds. Its fun and interesting to read.
4 stars
July 11, 2018
Way better than the previous volume!
January 24, 2021
This is the best volume so far.
June 26, 2022
Urasawa is so good and making characters who feel human in a short span of time and I love the lightness of touch in the slow revealing of who Keaton is.
January 21, 2018
一年前ぐらい僕の同僚箱の漫画を僕に借りたんだ。最初の3冊を借りたけど、僕にとってこの漫画の日本語は難しいからゆっくり、ゆっくり読んでた。でも明日からその同僚は仕事を止めるから、今週末早く全部を読まないといけないと思った。返したいから。でも漫画はどうだった？
僕は昔から浦沢先生の漫画とか好きだった。一番好きのは「MONSTER」けど、他の漫画も少し読んで見た。だから「MASTERキートン」も興味がありました。この漫画で浦沢先生は絵だけけど、面白かった。主人公は天才考古学者けど、インディジョンズみたいに戦うにも上手です。キートンは格好いいけど、自分の生活は混乱している。妻と別れた、仕事も不安、研究が好きけどチャンスはあまりない、保険の仕事で危ない事件の囲まれている男。この漫画の話は短編小説の集めるみたいな感じしている。ほとんどの話は三重ペイジ以内で終わる。時々前の話の人物が現れるけど、一つずつの話はすぐに終える。もしこの漫画の章は単行本の以外で読んだら、ほとんどわかる。だから話は少しシンプル気がしているけど、正直は短いの小説での人物はよく複雑の動機を持っている。作家の勝鹿先生の話はほとんど面白かったけど正直は僕の日本語は下手くそからよくわからなかった！全部の話は短いけど、話の内容で人物はよく長くて複雑な会話している。例えば国の歴史について、薬物のギャングの内戦とか、色々な謎が出てくる。ふりがなもないから、僕はすぐに疲れちゃう！そして話の背景はヨロッパのところだから、長いカタカナで書いた街の名前は僕すぐに忘れちゃった。頭が良くないからな！
多分僕にとってこの単行本の中で一番好きな話はキートン先生の父の担当したの話だった。キートン先生の父は犬と一緒謎を解いたから面白かった。
今回僕は浦沢先生の絵に面白い点を見つけた。もちろん浦沢先生の絵が好きだけど、彼の人の顔の書き方は良く似ている。例えばキートン先生の娘は浦沢先生のちょう人気「やわら！」漫画の主人公とピッタリ同じ顔！でも浦沢先生の絵はとてもいいだと思う。
僕は昔から浦沢先生の漫画とか好きだった。一番好きのは「MONSTER」けど、他の漫画も少し読んで見た。だから「MASTERキートン」も興味がありました。この漫画で浦沢先生は絵だけけど、面白かった。主人公は天才考古学者けど、インディジョンズみたいに戦うにも上手です。キートンは格好いいけど、自分の生活は混乱している。妻と別れた、仕事も不安、研究が好きけどチャンスはあまりない、保険の仕事で危ない事件の囲まれている男。この漫画の話は短編小説の集めるみたいな感じしている。ほとんどの話は三重ペイジ以内で終わる。時々前の話の人物が現れるけど、一つずつの話はすぐに終える。もしこの漫画の章は単行本の以外で読んだら、ほとんどわかる。だから話は少しシンプル気がしているけど、正直は短いの小説での人物はよく複雑の動機を持っている。作家の勝鹿先生の話はほとんど面白かったけど正直は僕の日本語は下手くそからよくわからなかった！全部の話は短いけど、話の内容で人物はよく長くて複雑な会話している。例えば国の歴史について、薬物のギャングの内戦とか、色々な謎が出てくる。ふりがなもないから、僕はすぐに疲れちゃう！そして話の背景はヨロッパのところだから、長いカタカナで書いた街の名前は僕すぐに忘れちゃった。頭が良くないからな！
多分僕にとってこの単行本の中で一番好きな話はキートン先生の父の担当したの話だった。キートン先生の父は犬と一緒謎を解いたから面白かった。
今回僕は浦沢先生の絵に面白い点を見つけた。もちろん浦沢先生の絵が好きだけど、彼の人の顔の書き方は良く似ている。例えばキートン先生の娘は浦沢先生のちょう人気「やわら！」漫画の主人公とピッタリ同じ顔！でも浦沢先生の絵はとてもいいだと思う。
March 7, 2023
There is something about Urasawa's art that is soothing, so even when the story is not a complex multi volume epic there is still pleasure to be add.
This is exactly what Master Keaton provides. Most story only last a chapter and to be honest they are not all on the same level, but art remains the constant.
This is exactly what Master Keaton provides. Most story only last a chapter and to be honest they are not all on the same level, but art remains the constant.
March 11, 2023
This volume starts off in a great way but gradually you get to see that not all the short stories are good.
March 28, 2023
I like these stories, but as in other volumes, some of them end abruptly.
December 8, 2025
The art is great and understated but some of the stories are more interesting than others
February 25, 2017
I don't think I want to be and Insurance investor. Once again these stories are quick, engaging, thought provoking and enjoyable. I do recommend this series.
December 1, 2015
In Summary
Master Keaton provides another set of episodic adventures. The stories cover everything from Latin American military culture to animal behavior to chemistry, which definitely keeps the content fresh and varied. In contrast, Keaton’s personal life remains stagnant, and I’m thinking his ex-wife will never actually step into the story. However, if you’re mostly interested in watching Keaton’s eclectic set of skills at work, you won’t be disappointed.
The Review
Although Keaton wishes to devote himself to academia, he remains unable to find a university position. As such, the content of Volume 3 is for the most part related to his insurance investigative work. Except for Chapter 8, all the stories take place in Europe, but he still manages to run into a number of Japanese citizens during his adventures.
Of this installment, “Wall of Joy” and “A Family Moment” are the weakest. The narrative offers no explanation of what happens at the end of “Wall of Joy,” and it’s difficult to guess from the black-and-white illustrations what is going on. As for “A Family Moment,” the story seems a mishmash of unrelated events that just provide an excuse for daughter Yuriko and dad Taihei to make an appearance.
However, the rest of the 12-chapter volume makes up for these weaknesses. Lloyd’s apparently deals with kidnapping insurance, and “Rules of Negotiation” and “Rules of Ransom” (the volume’s only two-part story) maintain a high level of tension and intrigue throughout. In other chapters, Keaton’s SAS background takes prominence with him disarming a bomb, turning the tables on a military trained dog, and investigating a former Pinochet officer, which should please those who enjoy the series’ thriller aspect. Archaeology only really factors in Keaton’s insurance work in “White Goddess,” and “Wall of Joy,” but an encounter with one of Keaton’s military acquaintances provides the basis for a chapter about science history.
Extras include the first pages of Chapter 1, Chapter 9, and Chapter 10 in color and a sound effects glossary.
Master Keaton provides another set of episodic adventures. The stories cover everything from Latin American military culture to animal behavior to chemistry, which definitely keeps the content fresh and varied. In contrast, Keaton’s personal life remains stagnant, and I’m thinking his ex-wife will never actually step into the story. However, if you’re mostly interested in watching Keaton’s eclectic set of skills at work, you won’t be disappointed.
The Review
Although Keaton wishes to devote himself to academia, he remains unable to find a university position. As such, the content of Volume 3 is for the most part related to his insurance investigative work. Except for Chapter 8, all the stories take place in Europe, but he still manages to run into a number of Japanese citizens during his adventures.
Of this installment, “Wall of Joy” and “A Family Moment” are the weakest. The narrative offers no explanation of what happens at the end of “Wall of Joy,” and it’s difficult to guess from the black-and-white illustrations what is going on. As for “A Family Moment,” the story seems a mishmash of unrelated events that just provide an excuse for daughter Yuriko and dad Taihei to make an appearance.
However, the rest of the 12-chapter volume makes up for these weaknesses. Lloyd’s apparently deals with kidnapping insurance, and “Rules of Negotiation” and “Rules of Ransom” (the volume’s only two-part story) maintain a high level of tension and intrigue throughout. In other chapters, Keaton’s SAS background takes prominence with him disarming a bomb, turning the tables on a military trained dog, and investigating a former Pinochet officer, which should please those who enjoy the series’ thriller aspect. Archaeology only really factors in Keaton’s insurance work in “White Goddess,” and “Wall of Joy,” but an encounter with one of Keaton’s military acquaintances provides the basis for a chapter about science history.
Extras include the first pages of Chapter 1, Chapter 9, and Chapter 10 in color and a sound effects glossary.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 3, 2016
~3/5
I did not read the second volume, but since this series is very episodic, I don’t think I missed too much. Perhaps something happened with his family and he lost his job in the second volume? Either way, almost all of this volume featured single-chapter cases.
Since I prefer the chapters where Keaton is with his family, and there was only one chapter like that, I did miss it. There was another chapter at the end where he fools around with some friends, and that was a nice reprieve.
Otherwise, Keaton travels around for insurance cases the rest of the book. There’s a lot of history, he sees some old friends, and he does a lot of good in helping save historic ruins. It’s a pretty slow series, very chapter-by-chapter based, with little real family or character progression. But it’s a good series, if you like this kind of thing. If you like history, if you like some mystery, and watching an older guy as he lives his life. I just don’t think that’s my kind of thing.
A review copy was provided by the publisher, VIZ Media, and Erik Jansen from MediaLab PR. Thank you so, so much!
[Read more at my blog, Geeky Reading!]
I did not read the second volume, but since this series is very episodic, I don’t think I missed too much. Perhaps something happened with his family and he lost his job in the second volume? Either way, almost all of this volume featured single-chapter cases.
Since I prefer the chapters where Keaton is with his family, and there was only one chapter like that, I did miss it. There was another chapter at the end where he fools around with some friends, and that was a nice reprieve.
Otherwise, Keaton travels around for insurance cases the rest of the book. There’s a lot of history, he sees some old friends, and he does a lot of good in helping save historic ruins. It’s a pretty slow series, very chapter-by-chapter based, with little real family or character progression. But it’s a good series, if you like this kind of thing. If you like history, if you like some mystery, and watching an older guy as he lives his life. I just don’t think that’s my kind of thing.
A review copy was provided by the publisher, VIZ Media, and Erik Jansen from MediaLab PR. Thank you so, so much!
[Read more at my blog, Geeky Reading!]
July 8, 2015
One of the great things about the set up of the Master Keaton character (insurance investigator/archaeologist/divorced father/survival combat expert) is how many different story types you can tell. In this volume, you have a hostage negotiation story, a sad and funny Christmas tale involving three salesmen, a narrative on Spanish duelers, and an elegy to young man who dies with no one to help him. And that's about half of the stories... I still miss the overarching narrative from other Urasawa stories, but this is a good read.
January 6, 2017
Master Keaton is a product of the late '80s, and it reminds me of '80s TV shows like The Equalizer, MacGyver and The A-Team. Our hero, a former member of the SAS, wanders the world as an insurance investigator/archaeologist helping people solve problems with his special skills and keen insights. All the chapters in this volume are stand-alone episodes, with the best one featuring a dog on a mission. None of this is brilliant, but there are some nice little short stories.
Read
December 8, 2015Liked this one better than volume 2. Lots of variety and lots of different locations. I like some of the in-between moments with his dad and daughter that help to flesh out Keaton's character. The childhood flashback was also enlightening.
February 7, 2016
Pros: White Goddess and the one with Charlie were quite good. Also, the one with the army dog and the one with the sulfur. More color pages!
Cons: ?
Cons: ?
January 18, 2016
More insight into Keaton's character.
Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews