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Giving a new story a chance is a very risky move to make. After falling in love with other ongoing series such as Attack on Titan and My Hero Academia, I was a little hesitant to give Radiant a try. Having finished the latest volume, I’m elated that I gave it a read. I was uncertain at the beginning due to the fight between Konrad, the mayor of Rumble Town and our hero, Seth. It felt like an episode of Dragon Ball Z where a fight can take up to twelve episodes to complete, but there was a lot of backstory which made up for that.
The main reasons I loved this series previously were the action, the illustrations and the fresh world that was being crafted. Now, I’m a bigger fan of the story itself! Tony Valente makes me love Seth and all the characters more volume after volume. There are new holes in the story that need to be filled, yet the anticipation to what happens next is so exciting.
The characters themselves have become somewhat precious to me. It’s very hard to make characters familiar to readers but Valente accomplishes that with ease. I appreciate how he incorporates comedy after– and even during– a very serious moment. It relieves the stress the characters are in and shows us another side of them as well.
We see our hero trying to save the citizens of Rumble Town, a small village in the sky balanced by anchors and balloons, from Konrad (who resembles Nappa from DBZ but with a better mustache) and a Nemesis Tamer named Hameline. There is a huge plot twist in this volume that left me baffled, but it has to be one of the most crazily illustrated scenes. Another one of the cool things that Tony Valente incorporates is a Q&A between sections called TOUMSAK. It’s something that I haven’t seen in a manga before and he actually answers fans questions!
Although we’re still stuck in the same environment from the previous volume, Valente gives us different scenes within the town that we haven’t seen before. Characters’ expressions throughout battle and emotional moments connect us with them more as well. I’m not usually someone that immediately ships the hero with “the girl” character, but the chemistry that Seth and Melie have is great. I hope to continue to see how their friendship evolves and grows. It’s funny how I have also become attached to Konrad regardless of his villainous aura. I’m going to say it’s that glorious mustache that makes him a somewhat lovable character.
We’re left off with a shocking surprise at the end, but I can’t wait for what the next volume comes packed with. I hope that many of my questions get answered, and I have a lot! First off, where do all these Nemeses come from? Who is Seth? Why are all Witches and Wizards hated upon? Radiant has easily become one of my favorite new series with its funny yet compelling storyline and lovable characters (villains included). I hope everyone gives this manga the shot it deserves.
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