NoaIzumiManga Review: Cannon God Exaxxion
April 7th 2009 18:17
The Riofaldians came to Earth ten years ago, apparently wanting only friendship with humanity. But that all ended one day when the now-entrenched aliens launched a sneak attack. Now all that stands between humanity and annihilation is a teenage boy with a chip on his shoulder, an old man who’s been preparing for the invasion for years, and the mysterious super robot known as Exaxxion.
Kenichi Sonoda of Gunsmith Cats fame goes back to sci-fi in the manga Cannon God Exaxxion, which shares with the earlier manga his very crisp drawing style and almost obsessive attention to detail. At first glance, CGE seems very retro. The high school student piloting a mecha in defense of Earth while under the tutelage of a wise old man has been a stable of anime and manga for decades. The mecha and alien designs also contribute to the old school feel.
But the plot and characters have a refreshing level of complexity. The aliens are generally suitably menacing, but one subplot focuses on Miss Kinba, a Riofaldian teacher at the hero’s high school, who is horrified at the occupation, but is still blamed for it by the students. The head of the occupation forces, General Sheska, sees the Exaxxion, which is superior to any Riofaldian technology, as the key to his own ambitions to seize power on the homeworld, making for a nice mix of mecha action and intersteller politics. Hoichi "Gun" Kano, the main character who pilots the robot, frequently clashes with his mentor on how best to prosecute the war, and shows some cracks from the pressure of the fate of humanity resting on his shoulders.
The most interesting character is Hosuke Kano, Hoichi’s grandfather who built the Exaxxion and now heads the resistance. He’s tough enough to resist and smart enough to resist effectively, and he and his little band of young lovely assistants, along with Hochi, are probably humanity’s last hope. But his plans go beyond simply expelling the alien invaders. Over the course of the series, it becomes apparent that he has every intention of ruling the planet himself once the war is over, backed up by the power of Exaxxion, and establishing a new order, a “Pax-Kano”. His methods are also sometimes questionable. At one point, he allows a resisting army unit to be slaughtered rather than assist them because dead heroes are better for propaganda purposes. In another scene, he casually mentions brain-washing, suggesting that his crew of brilliant beauties may not be with the cause 100% of their own free will.
Mainly through the character and actions of Kano, Cannon God Exaxxion poses an interesting question throughout the series. In war, how good do the good guys have to be? Every time Hoichi fires on a Riofaldian target, especially when he uses the Exa-Cannon (speaking of retro), the shock waves from the gun and from the impact kill dozens, if not hundreds, of humans. As huge as the robot is, even the simple act of walking around causes major collateral damage. And there are the inevitable Riofalian retaliations against civilians whenever a Riofaldian target is hit. This causes a rift among the human populace, with some seeing the casualties as acceptable losses, while others think Hoichi should stop what he’s doing and accept the occupation. The Riofaldians make the choice easier for Hoichi by systematically slaughtering people (their goal is to bring the human population down to a tenth or so of its pre-war level, necessitating the killing of billions), but Hoichi still hates having to kill hundreds, even if it’s to save millions. As for Kano, the man is sometimes a righteously cold-blooded bastard, but if you’re going to fight a war, isn’t that sometimes what you need?
The only sour note of Cannon God Exaxxion is that, so far, English speakers have no idea how it ends. The series spans seven volumes in total, but Dark House Comics has released only five of them. Although the original run of the series was completed in 2004, to date the last two books exist only in the Japanese and French languages. But Dark Horse is finally getting around to finishing the Gunsmith Cats Burst series, so there’s hope yet for Cannon God Exaxxion.
Volume 5 cover, with Akane and Hoichi
Geeking out: Hoichi’s mother escapes from Riofaldian custody with the help of a nanotech-based power suit. When deployed, the suit looks just like the powersuits of the anime Bubblegum Crisis, which Kenichi Sonoda worked on before Gunsmith Cats.
Great moments: Akane’s embarrassment when the girls, including Hoichi’s mother, are discussing her and Hoichi’s tryst (the first time for the both of them) of a few hours before.
Summary: Great mecha action with complex plot and well-developed characters. Grade: A minus.
Age rating: 16 and up. Sexual innuendo, nudity, sexual situations, bloody violence (sometimes involving children).
| 45 |
| Vote |
Add To: 
Comment by Cibbuano
Hunt Famous
Orble Post of the Day
Fat Cult
Techbreak
Comment by NoaIzumi
Fine Politics
Anime Bottle