Kajika
| Kajika | |
 Cover of the French Kajika edition | |
| カジカ | |
|---|---|
| Genre | Action, Adventure, Fantasy |
| Manga | |
| Written by | Akira Toriyama |
| Published by | Shueisha |
| Demographic | Shōnen |
| Magazine | Weekly Shōnen Jump |
| Published | 1998 |
| Volumes | 1 |
Kajika (カジカ) is a shōnen manga series written and illustrated by Akira Toriyama, the author of Dragon Ball.
It was originally serialized in Japan by Shueisha in its Weekly Shōnen Jump from its 32nd to its 44th issue in 1998.[1] All 12 chapters were collected into a single tankōbon, released on January 8, 1999.[2] Although it has not licensed for an official English language release, it has been translated and published several European territories.[3][4]
Plot
Kajika is the story of title protagonist and his quest to return to being a normal boy. As a member of the Kawa tribe, Kajika is extremely strong and has special powers. As a child, Kajika was very evil. His greatest known evil was chasing after a defenseless fox and smashing it with a giant rock. Upon being killed, the spirit of the fox cursed Kajika and Kajika was turned into a fox-man.[5] Kajika was then kicked out of his village because of his monstrous appearance, and the only way to break the curse was to save the lives of 1,000 life forms. The spirit of the dead fox, named Gigi, decided to accompany Kajika on his journey. Upon saving 1,000 life forms, Kajika will go back to being a boy and Gigi will once again get its body back.
After five years of saving life forms, the team only has ten more lives to save.[5] One day, Kajika runs across a girl and saves her from a gang of bad guys. After defeating the gang, Kajika then uses a special power to remove all of their evil, turning them good.[5] Kajika learns that the girl he saved is named Haya, and is told that the guys were after her because of the Dragon Egg she possesses. The Dragon egg is extremely rare and was stolen by the gang leader Gibachi from Ronron Island. Haya then went to Sumakia and stole it from Gibachi. She then went on a quest to return the egg. Gibachi tries to kill Haya and recover the egg. Haya then asks Kajika to help her on her quest.[5]
As the three go to Ronron island we are told why Gibachi wants the egg so badly. There is an old saying that says if you drink the blood of a young Dragon, then you will gain incredible powers. No one is sure if this is true, but the baby dragon does have Dragomin in its blood which allows it to mature extremely fast. As the three set off, though, Haya makes up an excuse as to why she can not continue, but it is really because she fears Gibachi. So, now it is up to Kajika and Giri to return the egg, but it will not be so easy now that they are being hunted down by the world famous assassin known as Isaza, who is also a member of the powerful Kawa tribe. Kajika is an extremely strong boy, but it is also revealed that being turned into a fox-man is holding down his true powers.
Reception
Animerica Extra columnist Patricia Duffield stated that Kajika was regularly stocked in Japanese bookstores within the United States. She described Kajika as a highly entertaining adventure story due to Toyiyama's easy-to-follow writing and comic style and for possessing "the art of a master of action".[5]
References
- ↑ Takahashi, Rika (1998). "Weekly Jump 1998 Issues #42-#49". EX.org. Retrieved 2011-05-15.
- ↑ "カジカ｜鳥山 明｜ジャンプコミックス｜BOOKNAVI｜集英社" (in Japanese). Shueisha. Retrieved 2011-05-15.
- ↑ "Kajika ( TORIYAMA Akira TORIYAMA Akira ) Glénat" (in French). Manga News. Retrieved 2011-05-15.
- ↑ "Kajika von Akira Toriyama" (in German). Carlsen Verlag. Retrieved 2011-05-15.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 Duffield, Patricia (April 2000). "Kajika". Animerica Extra (Viz Media) 3 (5).
- Toriyama, Akira (1998). Kajika. Shūeisha. ISBN 4-08-872658-8.
External links
- Kajika (manga) at Anime News Network's Encyclopedia
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