Ranked #632

Double Arts (Manga)

Double Arts
Mangaka: Naoshi Komi
Genre: Action, Adventure, Comedy
Length: 23 Chapters, due to Cancellation
Rating: 7/10 [Would be higher if it was longer ...]

Plot: The world has been plagued with a deadly sickness, Troi, for 700 years. The Sisters are the only ones who can treat it – women who have a high immunity for the sickness, they absorb some of the poison from the patient, prolonging their lives. However, in return, eventually they will succumb to it too.

This fate is happening to Elraine, who after treating a patient, starts having the seizures that are unique to the disease. She is saved by Kili, a young boy who was able to stop the seizures by grabbing her hand. While the Sisters all have high resistance to the disease, Kili is the one they've been searching for – the one person in the world who is fully immune to it.

After realizing this fact, Kili and Ellie go to travel to the Church's headquarters, so that Kili can be studied for a cure. However, the assassin's organization, Gazelle, is hot on their trail ...

Analysis: If you ask me, this is a totally awesome manga. Unfortunately, it was canceled after 12 chapters, which made me pissed when I found out. This manga probably would have been about 150+ chapters, with the way that it was developing [Yes, I'm so totally awesome I can predict the lengths of mangas]. Because of the short length, there are a lot of open threads left at the end of it, which is rather annoying.

The idea for this manga is interesting. I've never seen one like it. A sickness that infects everyone it touches, with a certain group of people that can heal it temporarily? It sounds really cool [not that I'd want to have it ... but you get what I mean]. Its one of the most original things I've heard [Well ... Read ... but you get my point].

The name Double Arts [which i feel is why the manga was canceled .. would you honestly read something called like that? I read it through my random search ...] comes around in one of the last chapters. Because Kili and Ellie have to constantly remain in contact with each other, they require a new way of fighting. Martial arts is the way of fighting for one person – Double arts, therefor would be for two.

This manga also has pieces of comedy built into it. How can you not, when two people have to remain in contact ... for every waking [and sleeping] moment of the day?

The fights are also well done, although not on the epic proportion. It has the ability to do that however, and it would have undoubtedly done so as the manga increased in length [like I said ... I can predict the lengths of manga. This is one of the ways to do so – if the fights in the beginning are short, and serve to show part of a character's skills, there will be without a doubt a point later in the series where the fights are much much longer and more exiting].

Character Summary:

Elrain Figarte: One of the most widely known sisters, she has cured many patients over her short lifetime, only to succumb to Troi at age 18 [or so]. After discovering Kili, she is forced to stay with him for practically forever. She is a very kind person, and her entire life is dedicated to helping others, even at the cost of her own life [in more ways than succumbing to Troi]. However, she is a very bright and happy girl, if a bit innocent.

Kili Luchile: He is a man of many talents, only one of which is complete immunality [I don't think thats a word] to Troi. His other ability is that of Flare, in which by joining hands with another person, they share strength – in other words, if five people were all touching, then each of them would have the strength of five people. He was taught how to fight by Sui, and is by nature a very artistic [if immature] person. He can carve anything extremely fast and to extraordinary detail. He has a very strong moral code, and hates other people getting hurt. He also has a sunny disposition towards life.

Sui: A pure blooded Nagin, a warrior race, she loves to fight. She would fight anyone to show that she's stronger, and she never loses. She is also a playgirl, and dates many men at once, constantly fooling with their emotions. She's even dated Kili thrice, dumping him each time [which is very funny to watch]. Her weapon is, surprisingly, a metal hula-hoop. However, even with her strength and her playgirl mentality, she is a very immature person, who loves taking risks just to see other people's reactions.

Fallan Denzel: A genius fighter, he is the one to teach Kili and Ellie how to fight. He knows all of the martial art styles in the world, even though he is a teenager [about 19 years old I think]. He has taught many an apprentice, each of them learning a different style. He is feared by many, and there are a great many rumors about his feats. However, he only fights for himself, never to protect others [which, quite frankly, is unique. I have never read another manga character who does so – most of the time, they fight to protect SOMEONE].

The rest of the characters, as important as they might become, I cannot tell you ... because its CANCELED!!! [And I'm still very sad about that ...]


review taken from animeruwelz, check out my profile for more details read more

I would have rated this series higher, but due to it's abrupt ending due to cancellation I have to knock it down a notch. It's still very worth the read though.

Story: Nicely balanced with aspects of shounen and shoujo mixed nicely throughout. There's some romance, some comedy, some mystery, some drama, action, adventure... A little bit of many different things. It was a very interesting concept that the two had to hold hands or else Elraine would die, and it was developing really nicely! The author handled the abrupt ending really well--he gave Kiri x Elraine fans hope, and he left it in a way that if given the chance, the series could continue for a really long time.

Art: The arts starts off kind of iffy, but it gets much better as time goes on. The way the more comedic scenes are drawn is really funny! No annoyingly proportioned characters can really be found here. Everyone's feet are a bit big, but oh well.

Character: A nice cast of characters: Farran, the series, brooding, quirky guy. Kiri, the laid-back, talented teen. Elraine, the polite, gracious, kind girl. and Sui, the tough, fiery, independent, playful playgirl. There are more of course, but those are the main ones.

Enjoyment: 10/10. One of the most enjoyable and refreshing series I've seen in a long time. Such a shame the Japanese fans are losing their taste for these kind of story...

Overall: 8.9/10 read more

double arts is basically a typical shounen manga that starts with a chance encounter that ends up with a mix of romance and adventure.

it starts with a plot of an incurable disease with one boy holding the possible cure. the boy doesn't want others to be harmed because of him and thus, aspires to be much stronger. despite this common initial plot in every shounen manga, double arts has its own unique style that differentiates it from the others.

the art style of double arts gives off a hip look which makes, somewhat reminiscient with naruto's art, but gives of an entirely different feel. comedic plots are nicely developed, and the story moves at a slow pace yet is staged properly by the characters introduced throughout the series. i also believe that even the minor characters in double arts would have an impact since the story is told from a flashback point of view by el, the story's heroine.

one thing that interests me in double arts is how it began as a flashback, with el as the narrator, and how it would eventually reach el's timeline where either something good/bad turned out from heir journey. with a lot of people involved and a lot of events that happened, el was able to narrate it vividly stating the mystery on what circumstances made her treasure such memories.

character-wise, aside from el and her partner, kiri, newer characters are being introduced throughout the story, with each of them having impact on the main ones involved. though it is stated on almost every shounen manga, kiri and el learn a lot from their encounters. from their first battle up to their first fried, their defeats and their victories and i believe that the fact that el tells her experiences in a flashback style of narration implies how important these experiences are and how it affects their future. that in itself is a mystery that perks up a reader's interest and would make them want to read more of the manga.

the combat techniques shown throughout are very much stylish, very much comparable with soul eater. kiri and el fight with such synchronized movements that it really amazes me how they perform uppercuts, spin kicks and heel drops while maintaining hand contact. even the simple taking turns in the bath is very much organized and well thought of. sui's fight style uses, but is not limited to i suppose, an iron hula hoop which she carries and assembles when needed. she can use her weapon perfectly that it covers her offense and defense as well as able to "ride" with it when delivering devastating blows. overall, i believe that double arts wouldnt fail to deliver, if not, satisfying level of action that would make itself competitive with other shounen manga.


so far, this manga holds much promise and have gained much of my respect. i do hope this would go on a long way, continuously proving itself to the readers of its potential of a good manga to boot. read more

The story, because it is still in it's beginning stages, seems pretty basic, but it holds much promise, and it seems like there are many secrets to be revealed, like the story behind Troy, and the individual histories of all of the characters.

Speaking of characters! Kiri, our protagonist is extremely likable, and though he seems like our typical shounen hero, there is still much to be found out about him. Elraine is also a very enjoyable character, and Sui, Fallen, Kiri's parents, and others come together to make a great cast.

Overall, it seems like Double Arts will be a fun ride.

The main story of Double Arts starts off as somewhat interesting, and quite funny, and continues along this way for quite a while. I was so enthralled by it, i waited for each new chapter. Overall very good, but what brings me down is how the series ends pretty much halfway through the series, so you never really see how it ends, which kind of defeats the whole purpose of even writing it. In short, good story, funny at times, ending ruins it all.