Caravan Kidd is a
manga by the notorious
Johji Manabe, author of
Outlanders,
Capricorn, and
Drakkuun. It consists of 31 comics (2 volumes of 10, 1 volume of 9, and 2 holiday issues). It is resembles the other two in the standard Manabe Formula of a beautiful female heroine with some animalistic feature,
power armor that barely covers her body as well as having some bad-ass sword that can slice through anything. The comic hints, however, that this is not just some comic-book formula, but rather that all these stories exist in the same galaxy, and are all a part of the same schema of
breakers.
The Plot
Wataru (a rather wimpy,
geeky character with a heart of gold) and
Babo (a money-grubbing midget blob) have set out to find their fortune. Through some misfortune they end up the slaves of
Mian Toris, the "
heroine" of the story. She takes them with her on a journey across the lands, fighting a war that we know very little of. Along the way Wataru comes to fall in love with her, despite the fact she is revealed to be an
android and a
breaker (an android designed to blow up a planet that has displeased the mysterious overlord type shadow people that you never actually find out who they are). She goes to fight her arch-nemesis and sister,
Shion, who is a renegade breaker that has decided to become
World Dictator. The final battle ensues and...and...
...and you'll have to read the rest to find out. Do not be fooled, however. This is not just some silly manga with
big-breasted women and big swords and nothing else. There is quite a serious story going on through the slapstick. Many philosophical questions are posed that I still contemplate to this day. The ending is both sad and sweet at the same time, leaving the reader most likely wishing that for more, but alas,
manga doesn't work that way. About the only character that exhibits zero growth or depth whatsoever is Babo the
Akogi, and thats because he is little more than the comic relief.
To any who would like to try manga for the first time, this is an excellent comic to begin on. For those who have been reading manga for a while, it is an enjoyable read.