Triage X

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Boobs, violence, guns, motorcycles, and detailed artwork. If this combination is enough to make a series worth reading for you, then you'll probably want to check this out. Otherwise, it's hard to say whether you'll enjoy this somewhat mindless pulp series by Shouji Sato.

Don't get me wrong. Personally, I love Triage X. It knows exactly what it's trying to accomplish, and doesn't hold back at all. Now, before I go into detail, let me do my best to explain the story. The head doctor of a certain hospital believes the only way to bring justice to certain crime lords ... is by "excising" them from the city (in other words, killing them). To achieve this, he has a crack team of assassins, all of whom he apparently saved from the brink of death. This team includes employees of the hospital, the daughter of a yakuza family, a pop star, and the doctor's late son's best friend.

As of now, there's no explanation for why this ragtag team is so powerful and skilled with weapons and vehicles. But I get the feeling that if you're the kind of person to question "why", this is not the series for you. "Why are they so skilled?" Because it's cool! If you want to read the series, you shouldn't need any more reason.

Rating the story in this case is very difficult for me. On one hand, no, it's not cerebral at all and won't make you think after you finish reading, nor is it the most creative idea in the world. But on the other hand, again, it does exactly what it sets out to do, which is to provide a stage to display boobs and guns and motorcycles, and it does actually have some interesting turns that keep me wondering what's going to happen next. The story is not so far along as of this writing, so I guess it could end up in any number of directions, but for now, I'll rate it a 7. It accomplishes what it wants, but don't think too hard about it.

The art is the same distinctive style found in Shouji Sato's other recent series, Highschool of the Dead and Fire Fire Fire, so if you've read either of those, you should know what to expect here. It might not be as detailed as some other artists and maybe the boobs are unnaturally big, but I'll be damned if those guns and vehicles aren't incredible-looking... The female characters are all attractive as well, but if you're the type who's turned off by fanservice, then you won't like this. The art is great, but maybe not up everyone's alley. 9/10

As for the characters, well, they're a bit silly and exaggerated to take seriously most of the time, but they're all very distinct from each other and I don't find myself disliking any of the main cast. I feel like one of Shouji Sato's strong points is creating a likable cast, and he's done a great job here. There are a lot of characters and they all get a lot of screentime, so if you have a favorite character, you'll probably be seeing a lot of them. 9/10

As for my enjoyment, it gets a definite 10/10. There are a lot of series that try to place emphasis on action or girls but fail to keep interest. What sets Triage X apart from many other mindless series is that it seems very well aware of what it is. It's very tongue-in-cheek (you may catch some homages and references to other manga) and I'd go so far as to call it "shameless" in everything from the female character designs to certain plot threads. Once you see the pop star sing to the victims she's about to blow up with explosives or see the doctor cut a car in half with a katana then deliver a goofy one-liner, a definite flag should be raised in your mind. The series is silly and is probably comparable to a lot of B-movies in that respect.

So, what more can I say? If you want something absurd and mindless with lots of well-drawn action and fanservice, then this is your series! If you're the type who considers yourself to be an intellectual, then you should probably avoid this like the plague (and everything else by the author, for that matter). I hope this review will help you make an informed decision.

Triage X is an AMAZING MANGA, honestly this is one of the best i ever read, AND I WANT MORE! Who doesn't big boobs and action? even though it is alot fan service is definitely worth reading, and of course my favorite character is either Sayo Hitsugi or Mikoto Kiba. other then that all of them are likable. This manga should definitley turned into an Anime. i honestly think it would be better of HOTD

Story is a 9, the first chapter got my attention, and even thogh the girls have huge tits, it doesnt really focus on that.... sometimes lol

Art is 10! what else do ... you expect from the creators HOTD, is very stylized.

Character is 10! i love Sayo Hitsugi and Mikito Kiba, there so badass and tough, but everyone else i also like.

Enjoyment is 10! i love everything and everything fits right.

Overall 10!

God, what a miserable trainwreck of a manga.

Of course, starting a series like Triage X, I knew what I was getting into - gratuitous fan service, bloody hyperviolence, and trash trash trash. But not even my trashy tastes could redeem this stinker.

The "story" (or what I gathered from the amount of the series I could tolerate) is that of a group of vigilantes tasked with eliminating the "cancers" of society: general ne'er-do-wells such as mob bosses and thugs. The latest addition to the team is Arashi Mikami, a high school student whose various organs were replaced with those of an old childhood friend after the ... two were bystanders of a deadly terrorist attack. And that's basically where the story stops.

All of the characters are relatively bland - Arashi is the typical edgelord who doesn't feel any remorse when killing undesirables and broods over how he doesn't know who he is anymore (somehow his friend's organs make him have an identity crisis?). Kiba and Oriha are the only other two I remember the names of - one is Arashi's partner and schoolmate, while the other is a quirky pop idol. The others I'll call "sword girl with magical changing hair" and "sexy nurse with a gun penchant (I think there was another though?)." I'm writing this shortly after reading the first two volumes and the fact that I already can't remember character names proves how forgettable they can be. Maybe I was overwhelmed with the boobage.

Outside of the ugly art and horrendous writing (the latter of which I somewhat expected), the series does have a few pluses. The outfit designs of the characters are definitely cool to look at - lots of dark leather, armor and masks gives a sense of style to otherwise drab characters. The fan service is there in abundance for those looking for it, but also can get in the way of story points (haw haw insert "plot" joke here). And I have to say - I love the cover/book design.

Other than that, I feel there are manga out there that can balance ecchi and action a lot better than Triage X, making this a fairly forgettable reading experience.