In Watsuki's modern-day follow-up to his smash Ruroni Kenshin
, we meet high school student Kazuhiko Muto, who dreams of rescuing a pretty schoolgirl from a hideous, tentacled beast. Is this vision just a product of his slumbering imagination? To his horror, Kazuhiko discovers that his dream is actually a terrifying reality and the creature that he battled is a "homunculus," one of a legion of man-eating monsters who hide among the general population in human guise until they can prey upon their victims. Luckily for Kazuhiko, the girl he rescued in his "dream" is a sorceress who seeks to wipe the homunculi from the face of the earth and has altered Kazuhiko's body with the power of alchemy and a talisman called the Kakugane, rendering him virtually unkillable, highly skilled in the fighting arts and empowered with the Buso Renkin, a mystical lance that can defeat the homunculi. Watsuki offers up strong artwork, clear storytelling, hyper-kinetic action, monsters, arcane weaponry and characters crying out their special moves, such as "Valkyrie Skirt!" and the titular "Buso Renkin!" This first volume is mostly setup, but Watsuki's fans will want to stay around for the ride. (Aug.)
