Article date: August, 2001

ARMS Author: Ryouji Minagawa Manga: Volumes 1 - 19 (still running) Anime:Broadcast on TV Tokyo late on Saturday nights (still running) Film Manga: Volume 1(still running)

F rom the artist of Spriggan comes this amazing series ARMS.

Since the anime started showing on TV Tokyo the popularity of this work has skyrocketed in Japan!

The anime is dark and quite sinister - I get the impression that the creator Ryouji Minagawa would list "Seven" and "Bladerunner" as two of his all-time favorite films.

It's also a very complex story and you find things out at about the same time as Ryo - the main character - himself does. The manga version story also differs slightly from the anime/film manga, where the story is sped up a bit.

If you like complex stories that are quite dark - and great illustrations - then this series is for you!

(Brief summary of the anime plot)

The story focuses on second year High school student Ryo Takatsuki. One day at school while doing the usual after school clean up he notices that his right hand is bleeding. His close school friend Katsumi, who is often teased for always looking out for him, helps him - but Ryo explains that there is no reason why his hand should be bleeding - the last time he injured his hand was in Kindergarten...

Later a new student comes to the school - Hayato Shinguu. For some reason he takes an instant dislike to Ryo - and when he is near Ryo's right arm mysteriously starts shaking...after school one of his classmates races up to Ryo and tells him that the usual school-bully group is ganging up on Hayato on top of the school building. Ryo goes up to help him but finds Hayato (who has a plaster cast on his left arm) standing amongst the prostate bodies of the bullies. Hayato then attacks Ryo! Katsumi races off to find a teacher and Hayato says a lot of weird things to Ryo about being the same "type" - and suddenly 5 blades burst out from the cast! Ryo fights him off and Hayato runs away.

Later that evening Ryo's mum asks him to go and find Katsumi as her mum has called and said that she hasn't returned home yet. He goes but while looking for her he is attacked by a group of men - but Ryo doesn't know why. Escaping from these dudes he runs into Hayato who his holding Katsumi's ribbon... Hayato takes Ryo to a warehouse where Katsumi has been tied up. Hayato sets her free and to her credit, she gives him a considerable slap across the face. He continues to say strange things to Ryo - when suddenly a huge guy comes in - now he has a hold of Katsumi and threatens to slice up her face. Hayato tries to fight this guy known as the claw - and his normal left hand changes into a huge threatening blade...but he's not strong enough though and then suddenly Ryo's right arm also changes and he manages to defeat Claw...

Claw tells them that there are four of the same type of ARMS. Ryo and Hayato - now paired together - soon get to meet the third Takeshi Tomoe. He also turns up at school and the same bully group attacks him - but he's a crybaby and doesn't fight back. He has no control over his ARMS - which are actually his legs (ARMS refers to weapons - not the body part). Ryo and Takeshi help him out and later at the hospital they try to work out what is going on and how they are involved.

Who are the Egregori group and what do they want with the boys?

Who is the fourth ARMS of their group and what powers will s/he have?

Who are the mysterious "Keith series" of cyborgs(?) who seem to want to destroy the ARMS? (Amusing side note the Keith series are mainly - Keith Red, Keith Green, Keith Silver, Keith Violet and Keith Black. Plus Keith Violet is also a woman!?!)

And how does the story of Alice in Wonderland fit into all of this? (Lots of references to this story - Ryo's ARMS is actually named Jabberwocky, Hayato's Knight and Takeshi's White Rabbit).

29) NARUTO

27) Gouhou Drug