The Law of Ueki

A competition between warring gods takes place behind the scenes of suburban high school life in Fukuchi's surreal and overwrought tale. Celestial beings take part in an elaborate duel system in which students are their proxies, each one imbued with talents from their spectral sponsor; at stake is the title of "King of the Celestial World." For instance, Kosuke Ueki, a morose boy, has the ability to transform debris into a tree growing from the palm of his hand. But if a contestant uses his powers to hurt another person outside of the competition, he loses one of them; if a player loses all of his talents, he vanishes. As volume one ends, all 100 candidates for the king position have submitted their students, and the battling begins. Fukuchi's story takes the tradition of the "versus battle" to new, strained heights—think Dragon Ball Z on Mt. Olympus, as acted out by a teenage drama club. Even so, those plot limitations are exactly what will make it so appealing to fans of endless volumes of one matchup after another. Facial features are stylized in unusual ways—black eyes, aquiline noses—giving character design an inviting and intriguing look. (Aug.)