Over the last 20 years, I’ve had the sincere privilege of reviewing many anime, manga, video games, and various other projects from Japan. Never in my career, however, have I had the chance to review a manga that contains no words. While Great Metal God isn’t a trailblazer in this genre, future authors who want to pursue this should certainly study it.
Story (At Least As Far As I Understood It)
As mentioned, Great Metal God contains zero dialogue or sound effects throughout its entire run. With only three chapters to tell the beginning of its story, the story is pushed forward purely through its art.
In the beginning, we open with an orbital view of the Earth from the perspective of a giant metal being. What is this being exactly? No idea. But it’s big, and it descends on Tokyo, causing panic amongst the people below. The giant metal creature utters no words to the population. Instead, it raises its hand and unleashes pure hell, destroying the city, buildings, and even a mountain.
Meanwhile, in the cave of a yet-to-be destroyed mountain, a young girl prays in front of an altar while jet planes are being swatted out of the air. Finally, the girl ends her prayer by slicing her hand open with a knife, letting her blood flow freely onto the altar before her.
The giant being outside approaches closer and fires at her mountain, but luckily she is protected by a giant creature of her own. Before she can pilot it, however, she must undergo a ritualistic process that includes a cleansing scene. Only then is she allowed to go into battle against the original gargantuan creature, and the manga comes to a close.
Artwork That Will Blow You Away
The artwork in Great Metal God made me feel as though I were there in Tokyo experiencing the attack. “Blown away” does nothing to describe how I felt as I scrolled through page after page. With no dialogue to slow me down, the first time I experienced this title, I got through all 68 pages within five to seven minutes. I enjoyed it immensely that first time, but I found I was confused by certain story elements.
The second time I sat down with it, I slowly savored the artwork. I studied each image for nuance and tried to figure out everything I found confusing the first time around. While I still had some issues with the story around chapter three, this second read was already much more enjoyable. Then I tried a third time and realized just how amazing this work is. That’s just the kind of book Great Metal God is.
Great Metal God is a book that will reward you for paying close, critical attention to the finer details. If you’re the type of person who needs text to help you parse the messages or narrative in artwork, this book probably isn’t for you. However, if you’re willing to sit down with this book and really take your time to piece together what is happening (because there will be some initial confusion), you’ll find a fantastic story to while away the hours with.
A Quick Thumb-Through
That being said, it is impossible to deny that it’s possible to finish the book in only a few minutes if you thumb through it. If you’re not the type to go back to things to really immerse yourself in the universe, you could find yourself very bored by this title. Great Metal God is the purest definition of “Your Mileage May Vary.”.
This also doesn’t account for the fact that the book ends with an open and ambiguous ending. Will we ever see author and artist Iwakuni Kogyo continue this? I have to imagine that getting these 68 pages so perfect was an excruciating process for him. It’s entirely possible we’ll see another collected volume of artwork, but there is no indication of that happening anytime soon. This marred the experience for me, as I went in hoping for an excellent sci-fi one-shot.
A Great Gift… for the Right Person
If you’re looking for the perfect gift for an aspiring comic artist, give them this book. Great Metal God is a wonderful study in how to move a story forward with artwork. With no exposition, Great Metal God relies entirely on the emotion its artwork evokes, and that makes for a fantastic experience for the right person.
Great Metal God should be looked at favorably and is a solid addition to the Manga Mavericks’ growing library. While it might appear light in content at first glance, those who dive further will find lots here to dissect, analyze, and get lost in.
You can purchase Great Metal God physically and digitally on Manga Mavericks Books’ store and Google Play.
Thank you to Manga Mavericks Books for providing a review copy. Receiving this copy did not affect the reviewer’s opinions as expressed here.
Article edited by: Stephanie Liu
The Good
- Beautiful artwork that easily tells its story without a single word
The Bad
- Very easy to thumb through in only a few minutes
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