Right now Viz Media is in hot water with their fans. Ever since Viz started editing several manga series, fans have been a bit uptight about what they buy from Viz now. Viz has heard fans’ cries that they feel they are being cheated when they are not warned about editing in a series, and so recently Viz, while not committing to end their editing ways, have at least decided to warn their fans about the editing inside the books themselves. When I opened up "Zatch Bell!" and looked at the copyrights page, I was saddened when I saw the phrase, "Some scenes of nudity and violence have been modified from the original Japanese version." While I'm sure the edits in this series are minor, it's frustrating to know that they are happening nonetheless. I think it hurts the fans more than it hurts the company, as the fans end up missing out on great series because of this pointless editing, and I really wish Viz would make a commitment to stop such senseless editing.

Now that I have acknowledged that this series is indeed edited, I guess I must actually review the series itself. I didn't know much about "Zatch Bell!" prior to actually reading the book. I know that the series is wildly popular with people of all ages in Japan, running in two separate magazines, both of which are geared towards different audiences (while the names of the magazines escape me at the moment, I know one magazine birthed "Pokémon" and the other birthed "Ranma ½," and they are complete opposites). Otherwise, though, the cover looked totally uninteresting, and I think the one time I caught the anime on Cartoon Network I fell asleep seven minutes into the show. Needless to say, when I got back to the hotel (from the San Diego Comic Con), I had no idea what the heck I was doing with these two books. But now that I had them, I might as well read them. So without further ado, my opinion on this strange, strange series.

The story of "Zatch Bell!" is easier to tell than it is to explain. It revolves around a teenage boy named Kiyo Takamine, a genius with a heart of gold. While no one can explain it, Kiyo may be one of the smartest people in the world. Since he was very young, he has always been ahead of the game in terms of knowledge, yet he resents his intellect because it makes him an outsider with kids who are jealous of his intelligence. Kiyo has a so-so relationship with his mom (who wishes he would make friends but doesn't realize what his life is actually like) and his dad is never around. Then one morning, just when Kiyo is wondering whether he should skip another day at school, a chibi boy flies through his window, says that his name is Zatch Bell, and tells him his father sent him here to help Kiyo make some friends. Kiyo tries to get rid of this kid, feeling like he'll be nothing more than an annoying brat, but Zatch Bell's charm soon melts Kiyo's heart, and they practically become brothers.

This would actually be enough of a setup for a good series, but then the author throws in a (somewhat) unexpected monkey wrench into the mix: Zatch Bell has supernatural powers. What's strange, though, is that Zatch Bell can't use his powers unless Kiyo reads this book that is in a language only Kiyo can read. What's even more puzzling is that when Kiyo reads from the book (and activates Zatch Bell's powers), Zatch Bell doesn't remember what happened when Kiyo was reading the book. In a somewhat puzzling twist, there is some sort of "Shaman King"-like tournament that is taking place, and it turns out there are more kids like Zatch Bell running around, each with their own powers and owner, and all of them are fighting it out to the death. When one of these kids beats the other kid though, the kid dies, which makes the stakes extremely high in battle.

Of course, who needs another "Shaman King," right? "Shaman King" got it right the first time through, and I had no interest in reading a "Shaman King" rip-off. Luckily, "Zatch Bell!" isn't even close to being a rip-off of "Shaman King." In fact, despite what the story description above sounds like, "Zatch Bell!" is actually in a league all its own. What makes this series work is not how many different things are happening, but how all these different elements work together to create something special. Kiyo's personality and history are all that of a serious drama, one that is filled with nothing but sadness. Then this bug-eyed kid named Zatch Bell comes into the story, and basically brings along tons of laughs. At first you look at this kid’s appearance with skepticism, as it looks like this character is trying to turn this series into a children's series.

But this doesn't turn into a children's series... in fact, it doesn't even turn this into an adult series. The relationship between Kiyo and Zatch Bell is far more complicated and interesting than most relationships in other series, in that it goes beyond the simple "kids stuff/adult stuff" label that is normally stamped on series of this nature. Even the tournament is used in an interesting way... an interesting way in that, far as I can see, you don't actually learn much about the tournament. Oh don't get me wrong, some things are explained, but for the most part Kiyo and Zatch Bell want nothing to do with the tournament. Most of the time the only reason they get involved in these battles is because the enemies come to them. And since the loser dies, it makes the stakes that much higher. Of course, it eliminates some of the tension since Zatch Bell can't die, otherwise the series is over, but otherwise it makes these otherwise simple battles much more intense than other "one-on-one battle" series that clutter the manga market these days. Even the battles themselves seem to exist for no other purpose other than to build up character relationships. There is one fighter who claims his kid is nothing more than a tool for fighting. While this speech certainly isn't original to "Zatch Bell," it does hold more weight here since the chibi kids don't even realize they have these powers to begin with.

At one point in the series, Kiyo has to use Zatch Bell to fight someone who is attacking them. Kiyo defeats this person, of course, and since the enemy has been defeated, the chibi kid must now die. But before he dies, he snaps out of his trance and becomes scared, asking in a panicking voice what is happening to him. It's a very depressing scene, one that actually makes the violent (but cool) fight sequence that led up to this resolution seem, as most fights should, utterly pointless. Kiyo even uses these battles to question why he himself is participating, seeing as how he could easily hide Zatch Bell's book and not fight. It's all very serious, and yet there are several scenes of comedy sprinkled throughout the whole book that balances the drama to keep this book from being too serious. It's a balance that is pulled off perfectly, and in no way does the clashing of tones come off as forced. This clashing of tone is also apparent in the artwork. There are many scenes, characters, and backgrounds that are dramatic and epic, but Zatch Bell looks like a character from "Pokémon" or some other kids’ show, and much of his antics look like they were ripped straight out of a Looney Tunes cartoon.

Personally, I can understand why this series appeals to all different age groups in Japan, as this series is made for neither kids nor adults, but for everyone in general. It has the right mix of comedy, drama, action, and some of the best storytelling I've read this year. Where the controversy will come in is the fact that this series has been (unfortunately) mildly edited. Apparently, the series has been edited to remove some nudity and violence. While I could spot a couple of places where Viz would have the chance to remove some nudity, I question whether or not any violence was really edited out of the series. The battle sequences in this book still come off as extremely intense, and some of them even spill quite a bit of blood, which makes me wonder what it is that Viz could have possibly altered in this series. It's a shame that the artwork has been altered with, though, as this is a sure sign that there are many people who won't be reading "Zatch Bell." I'll say it again, but that's a darn shame. Because of the tampering with the artwork, regardless of how small or large it is, I'm knocking the grade down by one letter to continue to show my disapproval of these tactics.

Still, at the end of the day, "Zatch Bell!" is a great series that came out of nowhere for me. This series has some of the smartest writing I've read this year, and the characters are truly stellar. Not only that, but the series is funny to boot, and contains several nifty action sequences. Heck, there's even a romance developed a bit early on in this series. Quite frankly, I'm trying to think of something "Zatch Bell!" doesn't have. I'm not sure whether or not "Zatch Bell!" will be a hit or not. There are so many big-profile manga series out there that it might take awhile before people sit up and notice something as weird as "Zatch Bell!" But once they do, they are in for a treat. Whether you are young or old, male or female, and if you have even the SLIGHTEST love for comics and great storytelling, you owe it to yourself to read "Zatch Bell!"

- -Review By Kevin T. Rodriguez- -