Heat

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The success of the Ryoichi Ikegami-Buronson duo is clear to anyone who has read their manga. When I started reading their respective bibliographies, I was blown away by Sanctuary, which had a scenario far superior to anything I'd seen at the time. Curious, I explored the rest and really liked it. I had to wait a long time to discover Heat, as there were no translations or official physical publications. Fortunately, this problem was solved recently and there is now a translation, as well as 12 of the 17 volumes available in French. And in my opinion: it was worth the wait!

The story revolves ... around the world of the Japanese mafia, the Yakuza. It delves into the life of a young man who finds himself mixed up in the violent and dangerous world of organized crime.

There are several things I really liked about this story.
First, Ryoichi Ikegami's drawing style. Ikegami's art is renowned for its realism. In "Heat", characters, settings and even action sequences are depicted with an impressive level of detail. I felt a marked improvement on Sanctuary, especially on his characters' faces, which have a little more nuance.

Secondly, the manga presents readers with a very interesting range of characters for a Yakuza manga. Each of them has his or her own motivations, strengths and weaknesses. The result is a complex tale of shifting allegiances, where no one is purely good or evil.

The themes are also very interesting. "Heat" isn't just about gang wars and violence. It touches on themes of loyalty, honor, betrayal and the gray areas of morality. The world of the Yakuza serves as a backdrop to explore these deeper questions.

Finally, and this is what really got me hooked, is that the manga has a truly captivating plot. It's full of twists and turns and keeps the reader on the edge of his seat. The stakes are high and the tension is palpable throughout. That's what I like so much about this kind of manga. I had the same feeling with a manga of the same genre --> Yamikin Ushijima-kun.

Unfortunately, the end of the manga is not yet available. I don't know if it ever will be. But in any case I thoroughly enjoyed this ride through Ryoichi Ikegami's bibliography. It's one of my favorite mangas by the author and I understand why it was awarded the Shōgakukan prize in 2002.

I just can't believe there is literally no discussion about this manga on the english internet whatsoever considering it was written by such a big name which is Buronson. Heat is one of the few adult mangas that were published in the antique days of manga distribution in Poland (~2005), so we can assume it happens nowhere to be found outside our borders.

Sure I haven't finished reading that yet, but I feel obligated to write the first ever review or maybe just a recommendation for those who still don't know this one. People should really get invested in Heat!

Japan, Shinjuku - Kabuki-cho, late ... 90's, story is about Tatsumi Karasawa - a new wave gangster that 2 years ago emerged from nothing and basically in a few moments took over the entire chinese club due to his huge inellect and strength. We met him at his prime age working in girl's club as a cover for his team - young, handsome and incredibely loyal to him partners. Soon he became the most known man in the city alerting Sanno-kai clan - a powerful mafia family that most probably rules half of Japan. There are no match for him tho at this time. Karasawa is unpredictable guy who is living by the simple rules of beating everyone that stands in his way to the top. Actions he tooks are much likely very risky and quick but they are enough to get him out of the trouble for the time being, because he clearly knows about gangsters and quickly convinces people to stand by his back. Karasawa is obviously the main reason to pick up this manga, he's just so cool to watch.

If you like gangster media such as Goodfellas or Sopranos you should definitely give it a chance taking to consideration it should not cost much and it's really fast to read. Take the first volume and don't be confused just now if you don't understand what's going on and get the rest if you enjoyed, 'cause it's worth it.

That's it! My first ever review (or whaterver this is) at MAL, hope you enjoyed reading!