Getbackers, Volume 18

by Yuya Aoki

The battle for the cards finally reaches its climax as Ban faces Lucifer in the toughest fight he's yet seen in his life. Could a kiss result in a happy ending for all? Meanwhile, with Divine Design behind them, Ban and Ginji begin a brand new mission to retrieve a dozen ancient bottles of wine that may be hiding a terrifying secret. Older teens.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1591829801
• ISBN13: 9781591829805
• Release Date: May 2007
• Publisher: TokyoPop
• Length: 192 Pages
• Weight: 0.45 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 5.0" x 7.5"

Customer Reviews

GET BACKERS VS. TRANSPORTERS

The first part of this book is taken up with continuing battle between the Getbackers and the Transporters as they contend for the possession of a mysterious box said to contain invaulable items, 10% of which will belong to Ginji and Ban upon delivery. But that is not going to be worth much if they die in the process, especially when one of the Transporters, "Lady Poison", blames Ban for the death of her brother. The second story arc in Volume 3 concerns a Stradivarius violin that has been stolen from a blind musician named Madoka. It was taken by Shunsuke Akutsu, a famous violinst and instrument dealer with mob ties. It's time for Ginji's past to rear its head as one of Akutsu's flunkies is from his old gang and he has the power to control animals. Get Backers is pretty much the closest to an American superhero comic that I've seen manga approach. But I'm not complaining. It has gotten a bit away from its original feel, when Ban and Ginji were homeless and penniless waifs on the street, begging for a job. It's pretty much become an action comic now. Get Backers is done well though. I would like some of the print to be a little bigger. Some of the asides are written so tiny that they're hard to read. That's minor complaint though. Overall, it's an entertaining read.

WE GOT POWERS TOO!

After returning a good luck statue to their client Kinue, the Get Backers learn that the cat was not the item that she actually wanted. There was a computer disk inside it that is the property of the evil Dr. Kabutogawa, a doctor who specializes in black market organs. He intends to make Ban and Ginji his next donors!Their second mission, given to them by the very strange looking Dr. Ohtaki, an important politician in the city, is to retrieve a stolen box which contains some very valuable objects. If they can get it back, he promises to give them a year's free rent in an apartment complex he owns. That's a pretty sweet deal because our heroes are currently homeless! The problem is that the box has been stolen by a group of super-powered villains named "The Transporters". They might even be more powerful than Ginji and Ban. And what is Ban's connection to the female member, "Lady Poison"? The jokes and some of the "hip" slang in this book is pretty bad. It tries too hard to be current with the end result that a month after it comes out, some of the dialogue feels dated. But that aside, the action sequences are pretty well-done and the fact that the Get Backers are taking jobs to survive, to eat and have a roof over their heads, makes them very down-to-earth. You hardly ever see American super-heroes that have to struggle with such problems as homelessness, poverty, and starvation. Good read!

One Of The Best New Mangas This Year

My favorite manga these days is and will always be Yu Yu Hakusho. However, GetBackers comes in a very close second. I think that the two series have something in common and that's how I find the appeal. Anyway the basic storyline for the series goes like this. Two financially challeged youths who grew up in the Tokyo undeground get together and start a recovery agency (GetBackers). Their motto: "We get back what shouldn't be gone!" The two kids are Ban Mido who can create halucinations with his Evil Eye and Ginji Amano, who can generate electricity through his body. They use their strange and some what freakish powers to stael back items of value for their clients. While quite good at their job they are not gifted with money managing skills and the running gag is that they have no money for food. The series sports a large cast of supporting characters like HEVN, Pore (Paul in later books), Natsumi, Dr. Jackal, Shido, Hishki and Lady Poison. Please note that some of these characters won't appear until later volumes. They all have some strange talent or power and often are on the opposite side of the GetBacker's job. The fights are very entertaining to say the least. Check out the three on three fight in volume four (It is out!). Now to this volume. Its a continuation of the story from volume one. Ban, Ginji, and HEVN have been captured by a crooked doctor, who sells his patient's organs on the black market. Ginji and Ban are saved by a nurse who works for the doctor, and hires them to get back something for her. A huge battle breaks out between the GetBackers and the hired muscle, Hishiki, who seems invincible. After this story line is cleared up the duo is hired to recover a mysterious box from a gang of Transporters. Unfortunatly this gang includes the most dangerous group of Transporters around, "Mr. Unstoppable", "Dr. Jackal", and "Lady Poison". Ban's past history with one of these criminals complicates the matter and the book ends with a cliffhanger, and is continued in volume 3. fyi: The fight in volume three between Jackal and Lady Poison vs. the GetBackers is very impressive and creative. To sum up GetBackers is a terrific manga. While some storylines may not be completely original, some new spins are put on them. Another great aspect is the mystery. Through each new adventure we learn a little more about the main characters' pasts, which is surrounded in speculation from their reputation on the streets. Never too much is revealed at once to keep you in suspense and make you be for more in the next volume. Like the title of the review says this is one of the very best new English translations of the year. Pick it up if you like good action and traditional manga humor.