I must admit that I’ve passed by this series more than once while browsing the shelves at local comic book and chain books stores. The cover art is very basic and seems overly flashy, and the title of the series, Tough, doesn’t necessarily inspire an older generation of fans to crack the spine. However a quick perusal of the insides reveals a unique art style with smooth lines and features, a baby-faced hero and a bizarre cast of assorted friends, villains and ne’er-do-wells.
Following the life of Kiichi Miyazawa (nicknamed Kiibo), a wannabe action hero whose love of fighting has bestowed upon him a rash and brazen personality along with an odd sense of justice, Tough is Kiibo’s quest for greatness and the ultimate fight. Early on, Kiibo befriends fellow action movie enthusiast Ishige, a cowardly magnet for bullies, and the two seemingly main characters are set.
The basic story for the first volume of Tough sets up Kiibo as your not-so-typical callous youth out to find himself in the big world. From taking on a gang of thugs lead by an ogre of a man, to a one on one death match with a man strong enough to take a truck apart with his bare hands, Kiibo never lets down his naturally upbeat and casual demeanor…unless of course when faced by a pretty girl.
Saurwatari’s art is reminiscent of an older generation of action manga, but he manages to add a style and flavor all his own. Nothing is overly flashy, and the action sequences are simple and easy to follow, even when complex.
The story was paced well, and Kiibo’s character seems to be developed and thought out, though the supporting cast is pretty two-dimensional and iffy; they seem to be more of a cheerleading squad than important plot progression. If the story continues to progress as a story, instead of a series of episodic adventures for Kiibo to test his might, there’s great potential to be sure. The fight between Kiibo and Kuroda was exciting and kept me flipping the pages, though it runs the dangerous grounds of turning Kiibo into an infallible hero.
Clever and exciting, I’m looking forward to the release of the 2nd volume. An underground success to say the least, look for Tough to make some waves in the pool of cult favorites in the years to come.
