Shimizu, Aki: Qwan vols. 1-4

Qwan, by Aki Shimizu, is a fun and energetic manga that makes good use of Chinese history and mythology. Set in the later Han dynasty, it follows the mysterious child of the title, who has no memory and eats only demons. In the first volume, he falls in with a petty swindler; confronts a girl with control over insect demons and an unpleasant father; and is taken in by a prostitute who seems to know his forgotten nature and sends him after a sacred scroll, the Essential Arts of Peace—which also seems to be the focus of plots against the declining emperor . . .

As I said, I like the energy of the art. I also enjoy the way the story keeps unfolding Qwan’s backstory and the accompanying mythology, sometimes in some very weird (but fun) ways. Through four volumes, the pacing has been good, even with a fair number of fight scenes.

This is still ongoing in Japan, and will probably be the kind of series that I’ll catch up on several volumes at a time, as bookstore sales come around.

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