Yugo The Negotiator Volume 1: Pakistan 1: Departure - Denkyu.Com
- Denkyu.Com
- Elizabeth Bryans
- 08/15/05
- click here
When a fierce group of rebels is bound and determined to overthrow a Middle-Eastern government, they resort to kidnapping to fund their side of the war. These types of rebels are usually referred to as terrorists. After Mayuko's father is kidnapped and the negotiator sent in by his company and the government is killed, she seeks the help of the world's finest private negotiator, Beppu Yugo. And it's said that he has never lost a case.
Yugo has vowed to finish every mission he undertakes, no matter what. He has an iron will, knows and has mastered many languages, and has a mastery of psychology. This is what sets him apart from other negotiators, which he as proven time and time again with his track record of successful negotiations. Not just any negotiations mind you, but those that are so tense to which cause most others to fail. Now he is headed to Pakistan to face the leader of this rebel group, a terrorist who strikes fear in some or held in honor by others.
With help from his many contacts, Yugo heads to Pakistan, not sure where to start. With some information from a journalist friend he finds out just who he's dealing with and starts to get an idea of what this man is really like. Having talked with a professor and a once honored religious leader in Pakistan, he knows just what sort of man he will be negotiating with. Yugo's journey will be a hard one but it won't be one he'll have to travel alone. Along the way he rescues a young woman from a life of prostitution and she becomes somewhat his traveling companion.
This story is set in the real world, in this time that we live in, a time where terrorists and their activities are well known because of the media and the events since September 11th in New York City. So it's a situation that we are familiar with. The artwork reflects this. It's not bright and cheery and the female characters aren't big eyed with bosoms that look as if they're going to pop the next time they're poked. That's not to say that the artwork isn't great, because it is even if it isn't full of the CG that we've been seeing lately.
The characters are just what you'd expect them to be. Yugo is the laid back, confident man who has seen quite a bit and is all business. Mayuko is the distraught daughter and she's drawn this way, with sad eyes to accompany a sad expression. Her father is all she has. There's the young woman with no name that looks at Yugo with love for rescuing her and will follow him into the desert without shoes, protection from the sun, or water. Yugo is most likely the first person ever to show her any kindness. And of course, the leader of the rebel group, a religious man who instills fear because of his brutality. Looking upon him will make a man quiver and beg for his life.
Having watched it dubbed, I can say that the voices chosen were great and the accents for the natives of Pakistan were also great. Timing was perfect. I like that the signs are translated, but when you see the same sign repeatedly in five minutes, it's a bit aggravating when it's translated each time. Once is enough in a five minute span. The one thing though that I have to nit pick is when the Pakistani government picks up on a radio transmission from Yugo to Mayuko one of the government men talks about how they first thought it was some rebel code but then analysts discover it's Japanese. The recording you hear though is in English. Personally, I would have preferred to have heard it in Japanese. It would have made better sense when paired with what the man said about it.
I'm not going to say that it's the best thing I've seen and add it to my favorites list, but I will tell you that it's caught my attention. After having watched the first three episodes I am curious as to what will happen next so I will be looking to try and rent it before buying it. It's like a mini-series on tv and can almost be put in the same category as that new tv series
Over There which is about the war going on right now.
Posted on Monday, August 15, 2005 (Archive on Thursday, September 15, 2005)