Dai Dark vol 1 by Q hayashida

Zaha Sanko is cursed - one bone from his body will grant the bearer any wish they desire, so you can imagine how many people are after him. When some junkers catch Zaha floating in space, they realize who he is by his injuries and his special dark paggy (special space backpack). Sanko and his skeleton friend, Avakian, overpower the crew with their special “Dark Flesh” armor and weapons. We then saunter down memory lane as Sanko recounts his time on an elementary school station where he made friends with a creature of death named Shimada, who feeds off of souls and finds Sanko amusing. Shimada, fortunately, is a perfectly content being, and thus has no reason to try and take one of Sanko's bones.

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Hayashida has some of the shakiest storylines, and Dai Dark is definitely up there. Does this need to be set in space? Not really! Perhaps the sci-fi setting will make a little more sense as the series progresses. In the first volume, there’s a lack of a major plot, and, rather, Sanko and Avakian are sort of moving around and trying to stay alive. Don’t expect any sort of explanation about Dark Flesh - what it is or how it works - as well as how Avakian is alive and how demons like Shimada exist. This is the type of free-for-all adventure that would appeal to fans of Naruto and One Piece - an adventure for the sake of drawing some cool stuff and having characters do cool things. 

Hayashida prefers illustrating with a lot of busy, dark lines. The environments characters are in are not supremely detailed, but still I imagine took Hayashida plenty of time to make with the different textures of shading she employs. It's definitely unique and sets her apart from other mangaka, but at times, the lack of detail can be a little confusing to follow.

Sara's Rating: 7/10
Suitability Level: Grades 9-12

Publisher: Seven Seas
Publication Date: April 27, 2021
ISBN: 9781648271168​ (Paperback)

​Tags: Rating: 7/10, Suitability: High School, Manga, Science Fiction, Supernatural, Seven Seas