“Arm of Kannon” (Vol. 1–9), written and illustrated by Masakazu Yamaguchi

200–224 pages, TokyoPop, ISBN-13: 978-1591828105 (Volume 1), ISBN-13: 978-1591828112 (Volume 2), ISBN-13: 978-1591828129 (Volume 3), ISBN-13: 978-1591828136 (Volume 4), ISBN-13: 978-1591829348 (Volume 5), ISBN-13: 978-1591829355 (Volume 6), ISBN-13: 978-1591829362 (Volume 7), ISBN-13: 978-1591829379 (Volume 8), ISBN-13: 978-1598168747 (Volume 9)

Alright, so just sit back and pay attention…and no questions, please, as this is some deep shit right here: Arm of Kannon by Masakazu Yamaguchi refers to the “Arm of Senju Kannon”, or “Senjū Kannon no Shokushu”, or “Tentacle of Thousand-Beasts Kannon” and is a holy (unholy?) relic of the Buddhist goddess Kannon – or Kanzeon bosatsu…OR, Guanyin, Guan Yin the Goddess of Mercy in English…OR EVEN, Guanshiyin, The One Who Perceives the Sounds of the World. Okay, then; so this Arm of Kannon must be a good thing, right? After all, it is associated with a Goddess of Mercy, after all…but au contraire mon frère, for it turns out that the Arm of Kannon is in fact a cursed Buddhist artifact which could bring about the end of humanity. Oh. And that’s just for starters, yo: Arm of Kannon is a multi-layered tale with elements of a military conspiracy (the government wants to use the artifact to make genetically mutated super-soldiers) as well as the classic battle of good vs. evil (in this case, literally, light vs. shadows). Full of bloody battles and humans transforming into monsters, the only thing this series lacks are gratuitous sex scenes…damnit. There are several electric battle scenes, and Yamaguchi’s art really grabs your attention throughout, while some surprising full-page frames make for shocking page turns which really add to the horror element of the story. That’s the good news, now listen to the rest: Arm of Kannon is an unholy amalgamation of gore, military conspiracy theories and mystical bullshit as our “hero” Maso, after the Arm attaches itself to him as its host, rapes and dismembers people, gets captured by an army contractor, then kills some more. A third-act detour into the distant past adds unnecessary complications to the plot; it’s as if Yamaguchi got bored with his characters but realized he hadn’t quite resolved things enough to simply end the story. The art is incredibly detailed, which is a mixed blessing; if you like your entrails rendered with anatomical specificity, Arm of Kannon might be your cup of tea. Anyone in search of a coherent plot or sympathetic characters, however, is advised to look elsewhere.