Diamond in the Rough

Aragane no Ko is a Diamond in the Rough in the true sense of the phrase. The series has the building blocks of a strong adventure. The world has an old school Final Fantasy feel to it and the gimmick - in which stones provide energy and special powers - is unique and further drives the reader's interest in following the characters as they journey thrpugh this universe. The main characters, Kai and Akeboshi, share a wonderfully crafted master/student relationship that even bigger name series would envy. The supporting cast, especially Kai's fellow apprentices, are colorful personalities that add to the cozy adventuring feel of theinitial arcs. For the technical aspects, the art is spectacular, and Nao Sasaki is very generous with the double spreads. The writing, at least in the beginning is tight, and the character interactions are exemplary. There is certainly a lot to praise in Aragane no Ko, but there is a point where the series fumbles. The premise of following Kai, Akeboshi, and friends as they travel the world and promises a lasting journey. The first 50 or so chapters follow through on this, with great pacing that mixes big adventures with smaller events, allowing the characters to grow, for the plot to thicken and for the world to be explored. Sadly, after a couple big story arcs this great pacing is ruined by a race to the end, where plot points are resolved too quickly, the supporting characters are pushed aside, and Kai's motivations and personality change on a chapter basis. Now, not every series needs to be as long as One Piece, and we have seen time and again that dragging out a story can be harmful, ruining the pacing and interest in a story. But the same is true for rushing, as is evident in Aragane no Ko's case. By the end, there was so much more of that world left to explore, so many characters that were not met, so many moments between the cast that were missed. It really does feel incomplete, like a true diamond in the rough, everything that the series needed to be perfect was there, but they fumbled it by rushing it (I do not know who was responsible for the 'decision' to wrap it up ASAP, but the point fo this review is not to blame anyone, hence the 'they'). Aragane no Ko was special in the beginning, and it could have kept that way or become even better. As one of Nao Sasaki's first published series, it is impressive, even with the shortcomings at the end. Thus, I look forward to seeing more from them as their style, both in art and writing has resonated with me and could certainly captivate many others.