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Master Keaton: Kanzenban #4
Master Keaton, Vol. 4
Taichi Hiraga Keaton’s dream is to devote his time to further studying archaeology. In reality, however, he is an ace investigator for the insurance organization Lloyd’s. A kindhearted man, Keaton has a life filled with danger and setbacks due to his job and calling.
317 pages, Paperback
First published September 15, 2015
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90 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews
December 17, 2015
Master Keaton's engagement with complex political issues of the 80s and 90s continues to impress. It's baffling how Urasawa, Katsushika, and Nagasaki could have collectively had the immense amount of knowledge required for producing Keaton's stories. They possessed not just knowledge, but an incisive ideological bent that comes through incredibly strong in this volume's chapters. "Master Keaton's Situation," a chapter that addresses South African apartheid, is especially strong. In large part, this volume consists of high stakes chapters and lengthy story arcs, with the more intimate low-key chapters coming at the end of the volume.
July 15, 2019
One of the things I love about this series is the range of stories that the writers and artist can tell. Some involve murder and theft, while deal with misunderstandings and grief.
I’ve really become fascinated by Taichi’s father who is actually the central character in several delightful stories.
As usual the art by Urasawa is solid, distinguishing the characters and capturing the cities and landscapes.
I’ve really become fascinated by Taichi’s father who is actually the central character in several delightful stories.
As usual the art by Urasawa is solid, distinguishing the characters and capturing the cities and landscapes.
April 2, 2021
เรื่องราวเกี่ยวข้องกับประวัติศาสตร์ยุโรปและโบราณคดีเยอะมาก ทั้งสงครามโลก สงครามชนกลุ่มน้อย สงครามชาติพันธุ์ และโบราณสถาน ตำนาน เรื่องเล่าของยุโรปในอดีต ถ้าเรียนเกี่ยวกับด้านนี้ น่าจะอ่านสนุกขึ้น
November 26, 2017
J'aime vraiment bien cette série. Y'a du drôle, y'a du touchant, à ma grande surprise, y'a un peu de politique aussi (ex : une des enquêtes de ce tome tourne autour de l'IRA).
Les enquêtes sont vraiment sympas à suivre. Il n'y a pas vraiment de fil rouge sur toute la série mais ça ne manque pas vraiment, je trouve. J'apprécie de temps en temps de lire quelques enquêtes de cet héros rêveur et un peu décalé.
Les enquêtes sont vraiment sympas à suivre. Il n'y a pas vraiment de fil rouge sur toute la série mais ça ne manque pas vraiment, je trouve. J'apprécie de temps en temps de lire quelques enquêtes de cet héros rêveur et un peu décalé.
February 12, 2018
Fun short stories that feel like they could do with a couple extra pages for a more satisfying denouement. I'd have liked to give it 3.5 stars, but Good Reads doesn't allow that. Urasawa's art has really hit its stride at this point, the character interactions are great, and the short mysteries are fun, but I just don't quite get enough resolution at the end of each story. The last story in this volume about tracking down the origin of a coat of arms is a standout.
October 6, 2018
This was not my favorite book in this wonderful manga series. Some of the stories were great: just as good as those in previous volumes. But some of them lacked energy. They were almost cursory, as though the writer wasn’t really all that interested in telling the stories. And they sometimes even lacked the trademark history and survival tactics tips that usually add interest.
April 1, 2018
Still really enjoying this series. Episodic chapters exploring history, archaeology, and intrigue. This volume started with some heavy topics, turning a little more light, but was mostly a dark installment. Great art, fascinating story unfolding.
February 4, 2019
Master Keaton is an episodic manga and this issue has quite a few stories relating to real history such as the Romani in WWII, the Troubles in Northern Ireland and apartheid in South Africa. Really enjoyable volume!
April 26, 2022
I'll admit - this volume feels like it's trying to bite off more than it can chew, having storylines involving both the genocide of the Romani during the Holocaust and The Troubles, but I appreciate the effort
March 5, 2022
Slightly better than vol. 3 (thanks to several ingenious detective plots) but still fell short of my expectation.
January 31, 2026
This one has at least one dud story, but the highs are so high that it doesn't matter. Genuinely some of the best storytelling you'll find in any medium. Interested in human psychology, history, and connections across and between cultures. So so good.
March 5, 2020
Este tomo tiene unas historias tan surrealistas que a menudo estaba entre el "pero qué" y la risa. Todo muy disfrutable eso sí.
March 14, 2023
Some very moving stories and some others you'll forget immediately. Typical for Master Keaton volumes for now.
December 7, 2024
4.5 ⭐
January 6, 2016
In Summary
Political conflicts fuel most of the tension in this installment of Master Keaton. From Nazi atrocities to unrest in Ireland to South African apartheid, these elements make for a vibrant backdrop, especially for modern history enthusiasts. As in previous volumes, if you’re more interested in action than character development, Master Keaton shouldn’t have any trouble holding your attention. However, the underlying premise for some of the intrigue is weak, and Keaton himself often seems a secondary character rather than the main driver of the action.
The Review
Volume 4 begins with the three-part “Hamelin” tale, unusually long for this series. It brings together several of the elements that drive Master Keaton’s appeal: mystery, action, and justice with history and legend interwoven throughout. While it is thrilling to watch Keaton outmaneuver his Eastern European adversaries and unravel the riddles from a gypsy concentration camp, the actual basis for all the codes and hidden messages is rather weak. Given the situation the gypsies were in, it seems more plausible for their leader to spread the name of their betrayer rather than keep it under wraps.
That weakness also shows up in the two-part “Fake Tricolor Flag.” This arc has the Northern Ireland conflict as a backdrop, and Keaton faces off against another former SAS. The creators do an excellent job depicting the IRA/SAS tension and showing the humanity of both sides. Yet when Keaton finally unravels the secret of the murdered IRA bomb specialist’s “detonator,” it feels contrived and a bit of a letdown.
For the most part, Keaton is insurance investigator in this volume. Only in “The Thistle Coat” is he fully an archeologist and historian. That arc is delightful in how Keaton retraces a cross-cultural journey starting with only a couple of clues. But despite his desire for a university position, he’s ever on the outside of academia looking in. As such, his character development remains stagnant. The stories themselves are engaging, but in half of these chapters, Keaton’s more of a supporting character than the main player. In “The Missing Blue Bird” (which has definite similarities to Urasawa’s subsequent Monster), Keaton barely has a part at all. The lack of character development also extends to daughter Yuriko and dad Taihei. They get their usual cameo chapters, but much like Keaton, those stories are less about them and more about the people they encounter.
Extras include the first pages of Chapter 5 in color and a sound effects glossary.
For more manga and book reviews, drop by my blog Keeping It In Canon!
Political conflicts fuel most of the tension in this installment of Master Keaton. From Nazi atrocities to unrest in Ireland to South African apartheid, these elements make for a vibrant backdrop, especially for modern history enthusiasts. As in previous volumes, if you’re more interested in action than character development, Master Keaton shouldn’t have any trouble holding your attention. However, the underlying premise for some of the intrigue is weak, and Keaton himself often seems a secondary character rather than the main driver of the action.
The Review
Volume 4 begins with the three-part “Hamelin” tale, unusually long for this series. It brings together several of the elements that drive Master Keaton’s appeal: mystery, action, and justice with history and legend interwoven throughout. While it is thrilling to watch Keaton outmaneuver his Eastern European adversaries and unravel the riddles from a gypsy concentration camp, the actual basis for all the codes and hidden messages is rather weak. Given the situation the gypsies were in, it seems more plausible for their leader to spread the name of their betrayer rather than keep it under wraps.
That weakness also shows up in the two-part “Fake Tricolor Flag.” This arc has the Northern Ireland conflict as a backdrop, and Keaton faces off against another former SAS. The creators do an excellent job depicting the IRA/SAS tension and showing the humanity of both sides. Yet when Keaton finally unravels the secret of the murdered IRA bomb specialist’s “detonator,” it feels contrived and a bit of a letdown.
For the most part, Keaton is insurance investigator in this volume. Only in “The Thistle Coat” is he fully an archeologist and historian. That arc is delightful in how Keaton retraces a cross-cultural journey starting with only a couple of clues. But despite his desire for a university position, he’s ever on the outside of academia looking in. As such, his character development remains stagnant. The stories themselves are engaging, but in half of these chapters, Keaton’s more of a supporting character than the main player. In “The Missing Blue Bird” (which has definite similarities to Urasawa’s subsequent Monster), Keaton barely has a part at all. The lack of character development also extends to daughter Yuriko and dad Taihei. They get their usual cameo chapters, but much like Keaton, those stories are less about them and more about the people they encounter.
Extras include the first pages of Chapter 5 in color and a sound effects glossary.
For more manga and book reviews, drop by my blog Keeping It In Canon!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 22, 2016
In every volume of this series there's at least one chapter that stands out as still being very relevant today, even though Master Keaton was published in the 1980s. This time there are two - both stories of prejudice and racial bias. The I.R.A. chapters and the one about prejudice against people of color are far too relatable for contemporary readers as they show nearly the exact same issues we still face today. While there's something to be said for stories standing the test of time, I wish it wasn't in this way.
November 2, 2015
Public library copy.
This volume had a great mix of different stories, some better than others, but all pretty terrific. The over arching characterization between the main character, his father, and daughter continue at a snails pace, but I'm certain the payoff will be great as this work like most Manga will easily surpass 20 volumes.
This volume had a great mix of different stories, some better than others, but all pretty terrific. The over arching characterization between the main character, his father, and daughter continue at a snails pace, but I'm certain the payoff will be great as this work like most Manga will easily surpass 20 volumes.
October 7, 2015
Not one of the better volumes. A few stories turned up the plot complexity so much they turned opaque.
September 25, 2016
3.5 stars
Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews