Jan 26, 2009
Upon first glance Allumage might not seem like anything special, but like so many manga and anime, first impressions can be deceiving.
Allumage is a one-shot manga by Okamoto Lynn, who is more well known as the creator of Elfien Lied, and whilst the latter may be a popular manga/anime, Allumage is also deserving of credit. The title (allumage being the French word for ignition), for this one-shot is actually rather significant, as it is relevant not only to a major event in the manga, but is also an inference to the future of the main character.
The story begins with with a young Japanese woman named
...
Kumiko, who is currently living in Los Angeles as she attempts to begin a career as a Hollywood actress. Unfortunately, her big break has yet to arrive so she currently works behind the scenes as a stuntwoman.
Since this manga is only 55 pages long, I'll stop there so I don't spoil the story.
The artwork in Allumage is very well done. The characters are generally well designed, and attempt has been made to distinguish between Japanese and American features in some areas. The faces are very simply designed, and fairly expressive on the whole, whilst the backgrounds are nicely detailed. Also, there are a few action sequences in this manga that are actually quite well done, if a little simplistic.
As this is a one-shot, there is little scope for character development. However Kumiko is actually quite well realised on the whole, and the manga attempts to explain why she takes action the way she does. Unfortunately, there isn't enough room to develop Kumiko fully, especially given the length of the manga. Also, none of the side characters actually get any development at all, mainly because the story is very firmly about Kumiko and no one else.
That said, Allumage is actually quite enjoyable on the whole. Reading it was like reading a mini version of Die Hard.
This will probably appeal to any fan of action based manga, or to anyone who wants to read a good one-shot that isn't shoujo (believe me, there's a lot of shoujo one-shots).
Allumage is well worth a read if you have the time, as it plays out more like a Hollywood action movie, and may actually work better as an anime (and it's rare that I say that about a manga).
Reviewer’s Rating: 8
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