Black Torch, Vol. 2

Black Torch #2

by Tsuyoshi Takaki

There’s a new squad at the Bureau of Espionage—code name: Black Torch. The squad, run by Shiba, consists of Jiro, Ichika, Hana and one more rookie named Reiji. However, Reiji refuses to work with a guy who has fused with a demon and almost immediately comes to blows with Jiro! Will this squad ever be able to work together?

Genres: Manga, Fantasy, Young Adult, Demons, Shonen, Action, Graphic Novels

208 pages, Kindle Edition

First published August 4, 2017

Reviews

[Dani ❤️ Perspective of a Writer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Check out more manga and graphic novel reviews @ Perspective of a Writer...


Although he may appear rough-and-tumble, Jiro Azuma’s compassionate side emerges when it comes to the furry critters he can communicate with. But Jiro's soft spot for animals gets him in major trouble when a suspicious stray cat, named Rago, fuses with him, granting him exceptional power but also dragging him into humanity's hidden battle against powerful Japanese spirits, mononoke. Descended from of a long line of shinobi Jiro can't back down now!

Black Torch go on their first mission... I think Shiba applied that moniker to what is a research run because he knew there would be enough action to call it an actual mission. This isn't the most exciting way to introduce us to the world further but it was still quite fun and informative. I like the combination of battling to background. I enjoyed the tidbits we learned from meeting Koga, but it was Fuyo that was more fun! Overall a nice balance, even though this is still obviously setup as we meet another member of the team, Reiji.

I really like Reiji. He's a bit of a jerk, but so is Jiro in a way. The good thing is that we learn why Reiji is such a stick in the mud. And actually Jiro has no heat in his dislike of Reiji. It was purely in reaction to Reiji's dislike. I anticipate a total bromance here and actually I have to say that shonen are a good place to find that sort of relationship! Ichika takes a bit of a back seat in this volume but I liked how it played into how she felt after the first mission... seeing her back story as well fit with that reaction. Even Shiba came a bit more to life seeing him with his rival, team leader of special division 1. I love when a mangaka takes the time to get us to care about the people we're following.

The stakes were clearly set up for us in Black Torch vol 2 for this team. Rago will be chased by other mononoke wanting his power. Jiro will learn about his mysterious absent parents. Reiji will grow stronger to defeat the sword demon. Ichika will search out a way to break the stone spell. I wasn't on the edge of my seat but I am certainly gathering up all the little details and clues that are dropping about each character and what this is all about. I enjoy the setup volumes for just this purpose, it makes for the things that engages me in the story and with the characters!

I really love the art. It takes getting used to as the backgrounds are so sparse. As we get further into the story I hope more assistants are supplied so we get a stronger sense of the world. Still the battle scenes are AMAZE and I can actually follow what is happening (YAY!) which is not always the case with a battle manga. In particular I love the distant shots of battles, like I'm an observer. It gives me a better sense of what is happening that the more emotional close up moments.

Black Torch is a fun shonen battle manga showcasing a yokai type that I normally don't hear about, mononoke! Jiro is a fun, rush in and think never sort of character and is a great contrast to his partner Reiji who is calm, trained and bright. We're just getting started with the forward momentum and I can't wait to get to know Rago more as we head into Black Torch vol 3...

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Authenticity
⋆ ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Tension
⋆ ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Plot
⋆ ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Art


This is a multi-volume series and there may be references to the plot of those volumes... SO READ WITH CARE! Here is my review of 1 | 2 | 3 |


Thanks to Edelweiss and VIZ Media for providing me with a copy in exchange for an honest review. It has not influenced my opinions.

______________________
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[BumfuzzledNerd · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reread 2022:
Sicher etwas stereotypisch, aber ein echt guter Band. Bisschen zu wenig Rago Action, hoffe das kommt wieder im 3. Band.

22.09.2019
Liebe es <3

[Liam · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5*

[Kulwinder Singh · Rating 4 out of 5]

"𝔻𝕠𝕟'𝕥 𝕤𝕥𝕚𝕔𝕜 𝕝𝕒𝕓𝕖𝕝𝕤 𝕠𝕟 𝕦𝕤 𝕥𝕠 𝕤𝕦𝕚𝕥 𝕪𝕠𝕦𝕣 𝕟𝕖𝕖𝕕𝕤! 𝕎𝕖 𝕒𝕣𝕖 𝕨𝕙𝕒𝕥 𝕨𝕖 𝕔𝕙𝕠𝕠𝕤𝕖 𝕥𝕠 𝕓𝕖!"

The banter between Jiro and Reiji is funny and entertaining. It makes this manga more fun in every way imaginable.

[Katherine · Rating 4 out of 5]

3,5

[Zachary landman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved the first one, and I love this one definitely gonna read the others

[Luke Reynolds · Rating 4 out of 5]

Actual rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars

All right, I have decided: I'm going to finish this series. Although the characterization within the genre this manga falls under is nothing new, Black Torch has some excellent art and is really enjoyable to read, even though Jiro keeps on getting bashed by everyone (PLS SUPPORT HIM PEOPLE IN THE MANGA). I'll be curious to see where the series goes from here after this. Hopefully the team can somewhat work together and go on actual missions instead of ones set up by their leader LOL.

[MajesticalLion · Rating 5 out of 5]

Yo, how on EARTH did this get cancelled. This is amazing. This is like everything I wanted Tougen Anki to be and more. There's no "I might buy this" I'm going to buy this. The cast is great, the art is incredible, and the writing makes you really get invested in the characters and story. I can't believe I only have 3 volumes left. 😭

[Ruthsic · Rating 3 out of 5]

This volume goes a little bit more into the organizational structure of Bureau of Espionage, as well as the introduction of another member into Black Torch, and also giving a glimpse into the past for two of its members. Consisting of three main chapters, the first devotes itself to introducing Reiji Kirihara and having a showdown between him and Jiro, the second about the first mission of the squad and the third their first training session with another mononoke.

The most interesting part was the third chapter, which had us looking into the pasts of Reiji and Ichika, both of whom are from illustrious shinobi lines, and their motivations for joining the Black Torch. On the other hand, while we don't get a glimpse into it, the story suggests there's more to their chief, Shiba, than what he appears on the outside. For now, the squad is focusing on investigating Rago's awakening and what are the motives of the mononoke who did it. The part I didn't like was the first chapter, which had this flashy duel between Jiro and Reiji on some silly manly principles. And I am tiring fast of Jiro's fists-forward approach to solving problems, instead of talking it over.

Overall, it is getting interesting but I am not liking our protagonist. Heck, I am on the side of that mononoke - why is Rago being wasted on him!

Received an advance reader copy in exchange for a fair review from Viz Media, via Edelweiss.

[Leeann · Rating 5 out of 5]

This volume is better then the first one. We meet some new people and Jiro and Rango have a few fights, and those fights were really fun to watch/read.

This manga is similar to Blue Exorcist and Bleach but this is one amazing series that I wish was longer. Cant wait to read volume 3.

[Sulhan Habibi · Rating 3 out of 5]

Bagus. Namun, karena cuma 5 volume, jadi agak penasaran cerita akan dibawa ke mana. Potensi berkembang jauh banyak sih soalnya.

[Lindsay · Rating 3 out of 5]

I like the type of story, but the main protagonist is a bit too immature to enjoy reading about.

[Maurine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Things are getting interesting 👀

[Sarah ⸜(｡˃ ᵕ ˂ )⸝♡ · Rating 4 out of 5]

What did I like
-Meeting Mononoke's
-Some characters showing new developments 
-The action 
-The Pacing

What didn’t I like
-Besides 3 characters, the rest were dull and stereotypical 

FULL REVIEW COMING TO MY BLOG ON MONDAY!

[Sunread26 · Rating 3 out of 5]

Chronique complète :
https://sunread26.wordpress.com/2023/...

Extrait :
J’ai tellement de séries en cours que je ne sais pas toujours où donner de la tête ! Mais bon, j’arrive quand même à réduire ma PAL manga petit à petit, ce qui n’est pas si mal. Pour ce qui est de la série, je trouve que l’intrigue avance assez doucement, ce qui me fait un peu peur puisqu’elle n’a que cinq tomes… ça serait bête de changer de rythme d’un coup et que ce changement soit assez brusque. Cela reste donc encore à voir, puisque je n’ai pas encore terminé !

Comme l’aventure continue, l’apparition de nouveaux personnages continue également. Même si certains ont déjà été présentés rapidement dans le premier tome, ce n’est pas le cas de tous. Je l’ai indiqué dans l’introduction, mais tout avance doucement pour le moment, et j’ai déjà un peu peur que le rythme change d’un coup pour au final, être trop rapide. A cela s’ajoute donc maintenant les personnages, dont la plupart ne seront sûrement pas développés. Si au moins le trio l’est, je pense que ça sera déjà pas mal pour cette courte série. Déjà que la pauvre n’a pas grand-chose pour se démarquer des autres séries similaires déjà bien nombreuses.

Jiro est un personnage assez typique des shonen, comme Naruto, Son goku et Luffy, il est complètement idiot… reste à savoir s’il est aussi cheaté comme les trois autres. Il fonce dans le tas sans réfléchir, à un caractère de cochon et assez associable quand il s’agit d’humains. Pour le moment, il n’y a pas eu de scène de nourriture, même s’il ne se laisse pas mourir de faim, ce n’est pas encore un glouton. Comme il combat au corps à corps avec ses poings, il n’est pas vraiment utile ou fort, même s’il peut utiliser les pouvoirs de Rago, je suppose qu’il ne peut utiliser que ce que peut supporter son propre corps. Mais bon, mis à part ça, il ne semble pas vraiment avoir d’évolution, là où les deux autres en ont déjà eu un peu.

[...]

[Aelvana · Rating 3 out of 5]

Jiro is starting at his new workplace, but his team is not very inspiring. There's the annoying girl who fought him earlier, and a new guy who hates him. But when Jiro and Reiji end up trapped with an enemy, they'd better learn fast . . .

This volume is rockier than the first, and I will point to lack-of-Rago as the main culprit, as the cat moves into the background so the human side can come to the fore. Jiro has gotten himself into the world his grandfather was trying to protect him from, and now he's got to learn what that entails.

I think the main problem here is that there's not much to like offhand about either of his teammates. Ichika has been rude and bitchy, and Reiji introduces himself to Ichika but refuses to even acknowledge Jiro as human. This is starting to turn around by the end, as some flashbacks work to flesh them both out, but most of this volume is Jiro and Reiji not getting along.

That said, Rago continues to be quintessential cat. This volume also starts to dig into who he really is, why the mononoke want him so badly, and what actually happened when he was released (which ended up with him in Jiro's care).

Overall this is clearly setting up for the future, but I mostly only like the Rago-focused bits. I really wish Jiro's talking-to-animals ability came up more, as Rago is able to make himself understood by everyone, which makes his surprise at Jiro in the first volume feel off (unless fusing with Jiro gave him that ability, but that's never actually mentioned). All the same, the cat-based powers are fun, and I like the way the mystery around Rago is unfolding. I rate this book Recommended.

[Mika (Hiatus) · Rating 3 out of 5]

🇩🇪 German version
Scroll down for the English version 🇬🇧

🇩🇪
Die Illusionen von Fuyo geben dem Leser die Möglichkeit ein tieferen Einblick in die Vergangenheit der Charakter zu erblicken. Zwar haben wir bislang nur Ichikas und Reijis Vergangenheit gesehen, aber ich denke auch die von Jiro und eventuell auch Rago werden interessant sein, (wenn nicht sogar noch interessanter). Die Vergangenheit der Charaktere lässt mich jetzt auch besser verstehen warum sie so sind wie sie sind. Ichikas Verhalten wirkte anfangs etwas übertrieben, aber jetzt verstehe ich besser woher das kommt und was sie eigentlich damit meint. Reijis Vergangenheit war komplett verborgen gewesen bislang, aber auch diese zeigt seine eigenen Ängste sowie Herausforderungen.

Mal gucken was die Vergangenheit von Jiro und Rago ist!

StoryGraph Rezension

🇬🇧
The illusions of Fuyo give the reader the opportunity to get a deeper insight into the past of the characters. Although we have only seen Ichika and Reiji's past so far, I think those of Jiro and possibly also Rago will be interesting (if not even more interesting). The past of the characters now also makes me understand better why they are the way they are. Ichika's behaviour seemed a bit exaggerated at first, but now I understand better where this comes from and what she actually means by it. Reiji's past had been completely hidden so far, but this also shows his own fears and challenges.

Let's see what the past of Jiro and Rago is!

StoryGraph Review

[78sunny · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bei diesem Manga hat mir Band 1 richtig gut gefallen und ich wundere mich, dass ich so lange mit dem weiterlesen gewartet habe. Wahrscheinlich mag ich die Reihe so sehr, weil mir der Hauptcharaktere unglaublich sympathisch ist und ich mich mit ihm gut identifizieren kann. Das passiert mir bei Mangas sehr selten. Inhaltlich mag ich hier nicht mehr viel sagen, da ich nicht spoilern möchte. Es geht um Jiro einen jungen Kämpfer und seinen Mononoke Rago, die im ersten Band miteinander verschmelzen. In diesem zweiten Band geht es nun um die Organisation, die Jiro im ersten Band kennenlernt und der er beitreten soll. Hier muss er mit zwei anderen Charakteren in seinem Alter zusammenarbeiten, allerdings ist jeder so verschieden und so richtig Bock haben alle nicht darauf. Ich mag diese ganze rebellische Stimmung und dieses grummelig. Rago, die 'Katze', finde ich mega witzig und auch total knuffig, obwohl er das sicher nicht gern hören würde. Die Handlung nimmt gerade im letzten Drittel richtig an Fahrt zu und man erfährt einiges aus der Vergangenheit der Charaktere, bekommt eine mysteriöse Andeutung zu hören und alles endet mit einem Cliffhanger. Ich muss unbedingt weiterlesen, weil ich das echt spannend fand und wissen möchte was nun dahinter steckt und wie alles weitergeht.
Der Zeichenstil ist voll und ganz mein Fall. Unglaublich kräftige Linien, Kontraste und sehr ausdrucksstarke Gesichter.

Story 4,6/5
Charaktere 4,6/5
Zeichenstil 5,0/5
Gesamt 4,6/5

[Amarinske · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 stars with an average of 7.075/10
My rating system:
1 star: 1.0-2.9/10
2 stars: 3.0-5.4/10
3 stars: 5.5-7.0/10
4 stars: 7.1-9.0/10
5 stars: 9.1-10/10
Rating based on plot, characters, and 'writing'/execution(2x)

Characters: 7.8/10
Plot: 7.5/10
'Writing'/Execution: 6.5/10
General enjoyment: 7/10

Review
I don't have a lot more to say about this volume than I had to say about volume 1. The execution of the story is slightly better and near the end, we finally get to the overarching plot of this 5 part series. At 40% into the story!! I think this is way too late, especially since there is an element in this volume that's not yet finished and will take up a substantial enough part of the next volume to finish off correctly. As off yet, it seems a bit too character-driven for the length of this story, but who knows what the other volumes will bring?
All in all, I think this is a fun story, which has been done before in probably both manga and written fiction. And I suspect it might have been executed better at least once as well.
Does this make it bad? No. Does this make it the best thing you'll ever read? No.
It's just something you read for the fun of it instead of the quality and where you don't have too high of expectations for it.

[Bradley · Rating 3 out of 5]

Before I forget how I feel about it lets record my thoughts on the art. If you’ve read Tokyo Ghoul, then that’s the best comparison to make, except with Black Torch it’s easier to follow motion. Initially I said the art was generic and while it’s still hard to shake that feeling I find it’s growing on me.

The mix features a good bit of action and build-up, the character designs are neat and there’s world building. These are ninja, right? Other than cool mirror-image like abilities shouldn’t they be stealthy?

As for the plot? Tap me out. My goal was to stick my nose in. I did. If I hear some other amazing reviews I might change my mind. As for now, tata!

[Liz Weasleyhead · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dieser Band konnte mich überzeugen die Reihe weiter zu verfolgen.
In dem Teil gibt es genauere Informationen über die Behörde für Spionage, einige der Mitglieder und deren Arbeitsweisen. Interessant wären all die Hintergrundinfos über Rago und dem Auslöschungsstein. Außerdem bin ich gespannt was es genau mit Kago auf sich hat und wann er das nächste Mal vorkommt. Ganz besonders toll fand ich das Training am Ende und die Backstories von Ichika und Reiji. Alle beide haben somit endlich mehr Charakter und Substanz bekommen. Die Zeichnungen fand ich zudem wieder unglaublich gut.

[Yona · Rating 2 out of 5]

This volume really didn’t have any of the charm the first volume did for me. Much like in DBZ or Naruto, all conflicts and all character development are expressed through battles. Which is to say … there’s not much character development except for vows to “ge stronger.” Yawn. I also continue to be amazed how much telling (voiceover as exposition)is happening in a visual medium! There are so many other storytelling tools available here. I’m not sure I’ll keep reading. It’s a very short series, but I really don’t care about any of the characters right now.

[Aleece · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jiro is finally given his first mission as a member of black torch. They try to uncover how Rago was released from the sealing stone. Jiro, Rago and Reiji investigate more but are confronted by a mononoke name Koga who wants Rago’s power for himself. This was another great volume that is starting to piece the team together and also poses a lot of questions about each team members and their pasts. The next volume will hopefully shed more light on the team and their backgrounds.

[Josh · Rating 4 out of 5]

After the setup of vol. 1, the continuation of Black Torch steps up the excitement as the untested and dysfunctional squad of demon-hunters begins to investigate what the enemy is planning. The characterization goes deeper, the story gets more complex, and Takaki delivers the humor, excitement, and strong art that made the first volume such fun to read.

[Paula Greenfield · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this series about a teenage boy and the mononoke who shares his body. In the first manga the boy saves the mononoke, but is killed doing so. The mononoke saves the boy by sharing his power with the boy. The mononoke lives in the boy's body. Now they must learn to coexist and to use the powers that they now share.

[TreeSpright · Rating 4 out of 5]

The art of this series is still very unique and beautiful, but I think I figured out why I struggle with some of the writing. It's not like the characters have absolutely zero depth. In fact they might be the highlight of the story. It's the fact that there's not enough build up for me. Things happen, but there's no lasting impact so far.

[Donna · Rating 3 out of 5]

Jiro and his squad go on their first mission.

Jiro gets a new team member who is a master of the sword along with Ichika who - has big boobs? She hasn't been given a chance to show why she's on the team yet. I'm still liking Jiro and the black cat/supernatural being Rago so I'll read another of these.

[Mehedi · Rating 1 out of 5]

This story is for them who have no time to watch any shonen anime or read any shonen manga and want to experience it super fast pace with no dept or character building that go for it. For me its just a bullsh*t. I already watched a bunch of shonen stories, it was just a waste of time for me, i would recommend dont read this crab.

[Zoey (◕ᴗ◕✿) · Rating 4 out of 5]

3,5⭐
pretty basic shonen format and characters, but it's still enjoyable. the fact that the series is only 5 volumes long makes up for the lack of originality: I don't think I'd have the patience to keep up with it if it were 20+ volumes 😅

[Dylan · Rating 4 out of 5]

CW: Death of a Parent, Blood/Violence, Funeral

This manga is getting better and better. In this volume we focus on two new characters and their backstories. I really like how this is progressing, and I recommend it if you're looking for a good battle series about ninja and monsters.