If you liked Marmalade Boy, you probably won't like Zombie Powder...wait, that was a bad comparison, let me start over

When a manga begins, both readers and often times, the mangaka, don’t know exactly where the story will go. Some mangas travel on to become exceedingly long money-reapers, while others enjoy modest success and end after perhaps 10-20 volumes. However, there are some mangas that die early on in their literary life, leaving a wide gaping void where an ending should be. Kubo Taito’s Zombie Powder is one such manga. It ran in the weekly publication of Shonen Jump from the middle of 1999 until early 2000, when it’s untimely and unexpected end, and was compiled into a meager four volumes.

As Taito’s first major work (which he began in a state of mental instability, to boot) Zombie Powder has its share of problems, even beyond its incomplete ending, but if one looks beyond these flaws, one will find a yarn filled with amusing characters, even more amusing chapter titles, and a manga that shows the promise and potential of the young Taito.

Long hair, "magical" powder, people dressed like cowboys: it's the 80s all over again, but with more fighting!

Much like many other animes and mangas of that late 90s, Zombie Powder is a quasi-western, which is to say it’s a western with many non-western elements (i.e. modern technology, magic, evil circuses). And of course, our chainsaw-sword-wielding antihero, Akutabi Gamma, wanders the world and searches for the twelve legendary Rings of the Dead, each of which contain the Zombie Powder (It had to be worked into the story somehow. It wasn’t just snazzy title). Now, Gamma isn’t a jewelry enthusiast: if one collects the twelve Rings, then one can choose either immortality or the revival of someone who has died.

Understandably so, Gamma’s not the only outlaw after the Rings of the Dead: plenty of people, both good and bad seek them for their own selfish reasons. The good ones, such as the young thief Elwood, Gamma’s partner the smooth gun-toting C.T. Smith, and the well-endowed journalist on a mission Wolfina, join with Gamma. And the bad ones get trounced thoroughly by Gamma’s Karin Zanjutsu, which is some sort of flame-oriented fighting style, and much fun is had. To give any more details would be to ruin the whole experience of the manga, but let if suffice to say that the main plot could easily be described in a few sentences, so don’t expect twists and turns abound.

“Guns in a western manga is soooo 1998, Raquel! Swords are, like, totally in right now.”

If one were to categorize Zombie Powder, it would probably be under shonen action. And as far as action goes, this manga is solid. The fight scenes kept me thoroughly entertained the whole way through (Gamma’s chainsaw-sword is most definitely my favorite weapon ever used in a manga). There’s also plenty of it, considering volume three is nearly all fighting. So for action fans, there’s a lot to love, and unfortunately, conversely, readers looking for elegant conversations and poignant peace will likely have a hard time making their way through Zombie Powder. Also, the combat, and the manga in general, is rather bloody and disemboweling, so this is one to keep away from the kiddies.

Taito also created characters that usually work right. While the drama is sadly kept to a bare minimum outside of a few key and nicely done scenes, the comedy between characters keeps the mood light outside of the fight scenes, particularly interactions between Gamma and Smith.

Although most of the characters may appear to be taken from the basic archetypes (a slightly grumpy protagonist with a huge sword should seem familiar) a closer look reveals their distinctiveness. For instance, Smith has a nearly unshakably light-hearted disposition, even in the heat of battle, and Gamma has a hard time accepting thanks from people. It’s these details that end up making the characters into so much more than just the cliché “a slightly grumpy protagonist with a huge sword” or “busty tomboy beating up the bad guys”.

D.I.B.A. means Death In a Black Arm? Well that certainly makes more sense than Dancing Inspector Bongo Argentina...

Lending to the ambiance of peculiarity found throughout Zombie Powder, Taito uses seemingly random English phrases on character’s clothes and for the chapter titles (“Can’t Howl My Innerjesus” still befounds me when I see it). Regarding the clothes, each character has an attire that is perfect for matching their personality (Gamma’s dual-colored shirt indicates his dark and light sides), and some characters, like Elwood, even -gasp- change clothes throughout the story, which never seems to happen in shonen manga. Elwood even has a favorite brand, as indicated by the amusing “Naked Monkeys” omake section.

Taito’s art style adds another element of utter uniqueness to the manga. Characters have highly geometric faces that are instantly identifiable as Taito’s. As his first work, the art has a degree of roughness to it, making it seem more like a sketch than an illustration. However, the shading in some areas of the manga is superb, particularly when Gamma gets serious. To this day, I still get goosebumps every time I read the climax chapter of volume three. The shading is THAT good.

If I were to sum up Zombie Powder in one mangled English phrase, it'd be Pierce Me Standing (In The Firegarden)

But Zombie Powder doesn’t have the time to fully round out these characters or create even more magnificent action scenes. Although Taito left many openings for further developments, the manga was canceled by Shonen Jump after a mere 27 chapters. As to why Shonen Jump canceled it is up for speculation, but chances are that it seemed too much like another shonen quest for an all-powerful treasure led by a badass with a heart and a troubled past, and really couldn’t maintain a large enough group of readers. So in the end, the manga died with the full scope of its story untold.

That shouldn’t stop people from enjoying it, though. Zombie Powder may be unfinished, and it may not have the most original concept, but it is still most definitely a good read. Also, Taito’s gone on to create Bleach, which isn’t as epic as Zombie Powder, but has many of the same elements, such as the random English and the excellently designed characters. So go on and read Zombie Powder, but just make sure that you know in advance that the manga ends prematurely or the MangaScreener Magazine will not be held responsible for anything you may do in an insane rage.

Zombie Powder
Mangaka: Kubo Taito
Length: Four volumes in all (ran in Shonen Jump, 1999-2000)