Rooster Fighter, Volume 1

September 2, 2022
Grades 10-12 All over the city, people in despair fall prey to demonic energy and become giant kaiju who terrorize citizens and animals alike. One heroic rooster decides he's had enough of their violence, and he uses his superspeed and cunning fighting style to take down one kaiju after another. He may not like people (kids especially), but he fights time and again to protect them all. So, he is more than a little annoyed when one of the chicks he saves decides to tag along. This little odd couple promises to deliver laughs in future volumes. There are a few scenes of chicken copulation to complete the overwhelming masculine energy of our brave rooster. The illustrations make use of heavy outlines and lots of details to fill the entire page. Action sequences are heavily exaggerated but easy to follow. In this first volume, there are plenty of hilarious moments and over-the-top shonen action sequences that will appeal to fans of One-Punch Man or Fist of the North Star.

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October 28, 2022

Gr 9 Up-Defeating giant demons is all in a day's work for the vagabond rooster Keiji. Using a form of "resonance," which occurs when the frequency of one's voice (or crow) matches the wavelength of an object, Keiji regularly slays demons that are as tall as skyscrapers. When he's done, he simply moves on. And he doesn't intend to stop until he vanquishes one particular demon-the one that killed his sister. So, did Sakuratani seriously bring readers Demon Slayer, but with roosters? He certainly did, and it is glorious. While the concept of a nomadic rooster exterminating baddies that are a thousand times his size may stretch plausibility for some readers, the entertainment value is so high that most will be happy to put those questions aside (at least through the first volume). The art is excellent, with character designs that are wonderfully over-the-top and action scenes (some of the full spread variety) that look fabulous. There's also a lot of comedy in this one; it often comes off as a parody of other shonen titles. There are a handful of images depicting sex between a rooster and a hen, but they're not explicit, contributing to the parodic quality more than anything else. In the end, what more needs to be said: it's a demon-extinguishing rooster. VERDICT With a demon-busting birdie, beautiful art, and humor throughout, this title for older teens has the perfect ingredients to create a memorable series. -Joe Pascullo

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