World Trigger started serializing the English-language Weekly Shonen Jump nearly two years ago, and it has been a popular with the readers from the start. It was exactly what the lineup needed—a good dose of intrigue and science fiction. At the time we had a pirates, ninja, sports, romance and fighting manga, but nothing with science fiction. And reading a weekly serialized manga magazine is like eating a great meal, you want a variety of tastes to compliment each other for the full dining experience. 

The story opens with a bit of exposition explaining the basic setup—horrific aliens from another dimension have started randomly appearing through "Gates" in Mikado City. These salamander-like behemoths trample everything underfoot and are called "Neighbors." Then a mysterious group of technologically-advanced soldiers working for an organization called "Border" shows up and starts defeating the monsters. Flash forward four years and the world has gotten used to random Neighbor appearances and Border. That's where the story begins. 

And it begins like many manga tales have begun—a strange new student is introduced to the class! His name is Yuma, and not only is he strange, he seem to be totally clueless. Naturally, the class hooligans waste no time picking on him. Well, trying to pick on him. It's hard to make fun of someone who doesn't even understand you're making fun of them. And immediately coming to Yuma's defense is Osamu. This is one manga where you immediately like the two main characters. Yuma is actually a Neighbor and not from earth, so there are a lot of funny "fish out of water" gags. Couple that with his penchant for duck lips and "=" eyes and he's quite endearing. Osamu looks like the class wimp, but is surprisingly bold and has a strong sense of justice, standing up to bullies even at his own personal risk. 

After some bully comeuppance and various antics, the action kicks in with a surprise Neighbor attack outside their usual emergance area. And it's time for a major battle scene. The action in the series is a huge part of its appeal. It's all based on Trion and Triggers. Trion is a kind of energy that can be harnessed in a variety of offensive and defensive abilities and Triggers make the Trion activate. The sheer amount of weaponry in this series is boggling. Especially as the story unfolds and we start getting into progressively more powerful Neighbors. But even in the beginning the battles are neat. The fights have a cool technological edge and are filled with energy blades and shields, beam weapons, complex seals straight out of a futuristic JRPG and stuff that's kind of hard to describe. It's clear there is a lot of imagination at work here. 

In the hands of a lesser mangaka, all this might get confusing or messy, but Ashihara Sensei is a slick artist who uses lots of cool visual techniques that make it crystal clear what's happening, even with some of the more complicated or unusual weapons and attacks. The expert use of various tones and textures make the energy weapons and shields look totally convincing. And although the fighting is fast and explosive, it's never confusing due to Ashihara Sensei's artistic skill. The bizarre alien designs of the Neighbors make them feel like they're truly from a different dimension. And every part of the world, especially the Border and Neighbor related parts, has a consistant sense of style and design making it feel more concrete. And his character designs, while a little simplistic, are stylish. Overal, the art in the manga is sophisticated and highly polished.

Volumes one and two both came out at the same time and are a good mix of story and action. There's plenty of 'splaining about the world that needs to get done, but don't worry there's enough fighting in there to keep it moving along. And the world is filled with memorable characters who offer more than the usual manga tropes. 

Both volumes come packed with great extras. Lots of background on characters both major and minor. Stuff with little details that may make you look at the characters in the manga differently. For instance, the R&D Director of Border's Headquarters is a rather disagreeable chap to put it midly. But when you read his little character bio in the extras, you find out "He acts arrogant, but he's earned it." And he's divorced! So yeah, he's a big jerk, but he's paid his dues. And he probably pays his wife every month. Might be why he's grumpy. Anyway, that's just an example of a little nugget of info in the book. And at the the end, there are more character bios that are hilarious. Obviously Ashihara Sensei is having a bit of fun with his creations. For instance, he says Yuma was designed after a chicken, and if you collect 50 Osamus without a sweat drop, you can exchange them for a chance to win one Golden Osamu. Just a bit of fun. 

This is a great manga for sci-fi fans who are looking for a big meaty world to sink their teeth into. I would recommend it especially for fans who aren't into the typical tough-guy fighting manga, which is fine if you are, because I totally am. But I also appreciate a little brainy manga to balance things out. 

World Trigger volumes 1 & 2 are available in digital and print from VIZ.com!

by Urian Brown