Heat

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The success of the Ryoichi Ikegami-Buronson duo is clear to anyone who has read their manga. When I started reading their respective bibliographies, I was blown away by Sanctuary, which had a scenario far superior to anything I'd seen at the time. Curious, I explored the rest and really liked it. I had to wait a long time to discover Heat, as there were no translations or official physical publications. Fortunately, this problem was solved recently and there is now a translation, as well as 12 of the 17 volumes available in French. And in my opinion: it was worth the wait!

The story revolves ... around the world of the Japanese mafia, the Yakuza. It delves into the life of a young man who finds himself mixed up in the violent and dangerous world of organized crime.

There are several things I really liked about this story.
First, Ryoichi Ikegami's drawing style. Ikegami's art is renowned for its realism. In "Heat", characters, settings and even action sequences are depicted with an impressive level of detail. I felt a marked improvement on Sanctuary, especially on his characters' faces, which have a little more nuance.

Secondly, the manga presents readers with a very interesting range of characters for a Yakuza manga. Each of them has his or her own motivations, strengths and weaknesses. The result is a complex tale of shifting allegiances, where no one is purely good or evil.

The themes are also very interesting. "Heat" isn't just about gang wars and violence. It touches on themes of loyalty, honor, betrayal and the gray areas of morality. The world of the Yakuza serves as a backdrop to explore these deeper questions.

Finally, and this is what really got me hooked, is that the manga has a truly captivating plot. It's full of twists and turns and keeps the reader on the edge of his seat. The stakes are high and the tension is palpable throughout. That's what I like so much about this kind of manga. I had the same feeling with a manga of the same genre --> Yamikin Ushijima-kun.

Unfortunately, the end of the manga is not yet available. I don't know if it ever will be. But in any case I thoroughly enjoyed this ride through Ryoichi Ikegami's bibliography. It's one of my favorite mangas by the author and I understand why it was awarded the Shōgakukan prize in 2002.

I just can't believe there is literally no discussion about this manga on the english internet whatsoever considering it was written by such a big name which is Buronson. Heat is one of the few adult mangas that were published in the antique days of manga distribution in Poland (~2005), so we can assume it happens nowhere to be found outside our borders.

Sure I haven't finished reading that yet, but I feel obligated to write the first ever review or maybe just a recommendation for those who still don't know this one. People should really get invested in Heat!

Japan, Shinjuku - Kabuki-cho, late ... 90's, story is about Tatsumi Karasawa - a new wave gangster that 2 years ago emerged from nothing and basically in a few moments took over the entire chinese club due to his huge inellect and strength. We met him at his prime age working in girl's club as a cover for his team - young, handsome and incredibely loyal to him partners. Soon he became the most known man in the city alerting Sanno-kai clan - a powerful mafia family that most probably rules half of Japan. There are no match for him tho at this time. Karasawa is unpredictable guy who is living by the simple rules of beating everyone that stands in his way to the top. Actions he tooks are much likely very risky and quick but they are enough to get him out of the trouble for the time being, because he clearly knows about gangsters and quickly convinces people to stand by his back. Karasawa is obviously the main reason to pick up this manga, he's just so cool to watch.

If you like gangster media such as Goodfellas or Sopranos you should definitely give it a chance taking to consideration it should not cost much and it's really fast to read. Take the first volume and don't be confused just now if you don't understand what's going on and get the rest if you enjoyed, 'cause it's worth it.

That's it! My first ever review (or whaterver this is) at MAL, hope you enjoyed reading!

Buronson is a horrible writer; let's get that out of the way. Being a frequent collaborator with Ikegami, who is my favorite artist ever, has caused me to read many of his stories. For the most part, it’s the same rinsed-and-repeated story over and over again, with varying levels of quality, but they are mostly fun to read.

Like many of Buronson's stories, Heat centres around the Yakuza, Japanese mafia, police corruption, etc. Except this time, the characters are just so damn boring. The MC is your typical Buronson protagonist, but he lacks any originality; his motives are... just motives. I honestly don't know how to ... talk about this guy—he is so dull, boring, and has no sense of urgency, even when people he loves are about to be killed, raped, or arrested. By far, he is the worst MC Buronson has written, with actions that are baffling and stupid even by Buronson standards.

And yeah, as far as actions go in this manga, they are painfully stupid. I get it: this is the trademark Buronson x Ikegami experience (with Sanctuary being the exception). Have a cool-looking badass man, make him strong as hell, and let him run loose in an extremely unrealistic, over-the-top action filled way that, while it can be dumb, is a whole lot of fun. For the most part, I’m down for that—except in Heat (and possibly Lord, but that's a review for another time).

I dropped the manga at chapter 93. A slight SPOILER: this girl gets kidnapped; she's close to the MC, and the dude who kidnapped her is insufferable. Knowing how Buronson writes, I know where that character is eventually going. Anyways, he doesn't (fully) rape her or hurt her physically (not that much, anyway), and then a few chapters later, after the MC does nothing, he finally beats the dude up and lets him.. go?. Oh, but guess what? He doesn't free the girl, even though he could have easily done so. No, instead she goes back to the dude who kidnapped her ON HER OWN! Make it make sense. I feel like I am just growing too mature for idiotic stories like this, hence why I am not enjoying it. I don't know anymore.

Okay, so if I hate the story that much, why is my score a 5? Well, Ikegami continues to prove to me that he's the best to ever do it. The art is PHENOMENAL. I love the city landscapes he used to create in his older work, and while that was very much improved upon later in things like Begin, Heat still looks fantastic—except for a small pet peeve I have with facial expressions and the face orientation in a good number of the panels.

Some Ikegami fanboys like me might know that he struggles to draw faces when they are facing left. He does it just fine facing right, but when it's done facing left, it needs to be drawn and mirrored. Over the years, I have read enough of his work to start picking up on when that is the case, and for some reason, it is very prevalent in Heat. Since I know about it, I simply cannot ignore it—or my brain decides not to ignore it. Either way, I am not deducting points for that; it’s just worth noting that it's there and it's annoying.

Should you skip Heat? I don't care.
Should you start with Heat? Don't care either.
You should do whatever you want, but I will say that Buronson x Ikegami, they did much better manga together. There is the goddamn masterpiece that is Sanctuary with better yakuza and mafia elements, insane over the top political intrigue and a beautiful heartbreaking ending to make the entire thing perfect. Strain is also a very solid choice.

Anyways, my negative feelings about this manga may entirely stem from the fact that I have read a lot of the duo's works and you might love Heat if this is your first time reading one of their works, but for me, that is not the case. Rant over.