by Natalie Kipper Monday 25th April 2016

Geekscape Reviews: ‘Monster Hunter: Flash Hunter’ Volume 1

[This review is based on a sample provided by the publisher.]

As a fan of Capcom’s Monster Hunter series, I had high hopes for VIZ Media’s first volume of Monster Hunter: Flash Hunter, featuring art drawn by Shin Yamamoto and a story penned by Keiichi Hikami. Unfortunately, only some of those expectations were met. As one would anticipate, the manga caters to those that have played the games but it goes so much in that direction that the book’s story is lacking in depth (at least in volume 1).

MonsterHunterFlashHunter review page 1

I don’t generally like to start a review off on a negative note but I feel like the story or lack thereof should be addressed sooner rather than later. I think if I wasn’t as excited for this title as I was, I wouldn’t have been so disappointed. But that is the problem. The majority of people who will pick up this manga are going to be fans. And from my experience, those readers are also going to have experience with manga on some level.

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The story centers around a hot-headed hunter named Raiga from the village of Dundorma. Volume 1 mainly outlines how he meets his teammates, the skilled gunner Keres and the bookish Torche. After Keres and Raiga meet, they are constantly butting heads, leading most of their exchanges to basically boil down to arguments (see the page above for a good example). The remaining dialogue is either flavorless or, in the case of hunting scenes, reads like a strategy guide. The characters get hung up on details of hunting strategies, equipment, and items. I can definitely see this being a turn-off for unfamiliar readers.

MonsterHunterFlashHunter v1 page 2

The manga’s art is a double-edged sword. Fans can clearly identify the sets of armor each of the characters are wearing as ones from the video games. Even in action sequences, you can pick them out. Same goes for the monsters. When a monster appears for the first time, a bare-bones bio is listed for it but, once again, fans will have no trouble naming them. The art for Qurupeco and Rathian impressed me the most.

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So what’s the negative side of the art? With the exception of a few intro pages, The backgrounds are sparse at best. The Monster Hunter series has some fun environments and it’s a shame that they weren’t included as backdrops.

I would give volume 1 of Monster Hunter: Flash Hunter a 2 out of 5. Yes, the series has potential (and it still could improve in volume 2) but as it stands, that potential is wasted. I would have been happier with an art book drawn in this style.