Hideo Kojima’s new favorite manga is a must-read for Metal Gear fans

Hideo Kojima loves a superb sniper, particularly in the event that they’re feminine. His Metallic Gear Strong franchise options 2, Sniper Wolf and Quiet, plus The Finish if you wish to pad the rely. So when the gaming auteur really helpful a manga with a younger feminine sniper protagonist, it wasn’t an enormous shock—however that didn’t imply I wasn’t intrigued.

Miharu’s Seat of Battle, written by Hamada Gouten (Shimazaki within the Peaceable Land), is quite a bit like the favored manga-turned-anime Gunslinger Lady. However as an alternative of a league of younger feminine assassins, it blends typical shonen tropes of a younger rogue coming to belief her companions, set in opposition to a extra mature, seinen backdrop. Past its deal with women carrying huge weapons, the manga additionally examines basic Kojima themes, what it means to be a soldier, conflict, and the geopolitical state of Japan. However regardless of its heavy subject material, the story isn’t afraid to be goofy and heartwarming, both.

Miharu’s Seat at Battle is presently out there to learn at no cost in Japanese on Manga One, with English translations floating round on-line and findable by Google. The trouble is price it, particularly when you’re a Kojima head like me.

The manga is ready throughout a fictional WWIII outbreak, during which Japan has been devastated and partially occupied by overseas powers. Miharu is a younger lady with extraordinary sniper expertise whose private mission of revenge turns into intertwined with the bigger battle to save lots of her homeland. She crosses paths with Shou, a former knowledgeable marksman who’s misplaced the desire to battle, and collectively they’re drawn into key battles that would decide the destiny of their nation, forming a tense “sniper buddy” dynamic as they confront each exterior enemies and their very own psychological burdens in a war-torn Japan.

Their partnership feels harking back to varied variations of Batman and Robin; a lighthearted grownup holding a miraculous pre-teen at bay. Or Hit-Lady and Huge Daddy from Kick-Ass, a younger lady usual for violence with an grownup father determine enabling her, coaching her, however figuring out when to deal with her like a baby. Most of all, nonetheless, Miharu and Shou resemble Strong Snake and Otacon. Miharu is stoic and calm, there to be taught new data; Shou supplies that data and acts as her spotter. He’s a bit extra concerned within the area than Otacon, however their designs and personalities are practically equivalent. Shou is comedic and goofy, regardless of his data and expertise as a soldier. He additionally wears glasses and has a ridiculous afro that will little doubt be seen on the battlefield and trigger a hindrance. Their odd-couple partnership is hilarious, with their odd-couple methods, but in addition heartfelt, as Shou is likely one of the few folks Miharu can heat to. Miharu even has a little bit stuffed pig plushy named Buu-chan that she treats like her help animal, which Shou additionally treats as an equal associate on the sphere, a lot to Miharu’s delight.

With out spoiling an excessive amount of, Miharu is the product of conflict, and he or she was left alone to see these horrors, hardening her as a survivalist out for revenge in opposition to a person who sacked her residence and killed the folks most necessary to her. Now that she’s been recruited into the navy, she views it as residence, however doesn’t know find out how to be a member of this discovered household, as a result of she’s been out on her personal for thus lengthy. She believes would possibly is true, and it is as much as Shou and their squad chief, Louise, to show Miharu that conflict isn’t about violence; it’s about tact and negotiation. Miharu is tasked with studying teamwork, not relying solely on her personal energy, and that troopers usually are not assassins; they’re deterrents. To be a superb soldier, she should step exterior herself and her path of revenge, which makes Miharu’s eventual confrontation with the thriller man (who appears like Vulcan and Skullface put collectively) all of the extra attention-grabbing. The camaraderie at play evokes the dynamics of Assault on Titan, and you’ll count on simply as many mates to get knocked off on this story.

Fujimoto Kenshi’sart work is superb, too, and the paneling is phenomenal. They’re huge and broad, showcasing characters in full scale or highlighting their design, together with the huge sniper rifle Miharu makes use of. It additionally makes studying a breeze and fewer complicated to digest, not like extra up to date manga. The motion can be ruthless, with navy arms blowing entire torsos clear from beneath folks’s ft. Headshots look as wonderful as they do grotesque, and I couldn’t assist however cheer at a incredible trick shot Miharu pulls off, adopted by a grimace in any respect the blood splatter within the subsequent panel.

Should you’re knee-deep into Dying Stranding 2, however miss a few of the core features that made you’re keen on Kojima’s work within the first place, give Miharu’s Seat of Battle a learn — after which pray it will get standard sufficient for an anime adaptation quickly.