The premise of this manga is as subtle as the title suggests and yet I was honestly surprised to see theres much more to it beyond just its Berserk but good or Black Dynamite: the cowboy reboot jokes. Victor Freeman is an escaped slave who goes around beating people to death. Or is he? Well as it turns out he doesnt just go around randomly smacking people to death rather he only targets racists. And it just so happens that the racists are either maneating demons or their naive subordinates. Turns out humans are eager to discriminate and few things amuse beings of pure evil as much as the idea of pitting lesser beings against each other. Regardless of who wins theyre given an endless food supply and they could certainly use some entertainment as an appetizer so what better way to turn humans against one another than fuelling racial strife and aiding hate groups like the KKK? 400https://files.catbox.moe/n0rxyf.png It sounds like a kitschy 70s horror flick and yet Im surprised to say this is actually a really wellwritten series that not only commits to its ridiculous premise but even goes out of its way to question the protagonists methods and the idea of revenge. For example in one arc a group of Black villagers end up lynching their tormentors from one side theyre fully justified in doing so considering the sort of pain they and their close ones endured yet at the same time they cant help but feel weird about it. When their anger is gone theyre left feeling bad about their actions as any human with a good heart will be. We might desire harm upon our tormentors but ultimately itll be us the ones with a heart of justice feeling bad about our actions and not the people we strip the right to live from. Hard to feel bad about all the evil you caused when youre dead. Later on in the story were introduced to our other protag Alex a white cowboy who travels the country in pursuit of Victor. Does he want to lynch him? Is he a KKK member or something? I was certainly afraid he would be instead without spoiling too much all I can say is that hes both an interesting rival to the MC the best store brand Hol Horse equivalent Ive seen in a while and an interesting way for the author to highlight that no race is exclusively good or bad and people with noble goals in common can pull off great things together. 500https://files.catbox.moe/tyar99.png Overall Blaster Knuckle really surprised me Its ridiculous premise is really fun but it doesnt shy away from some serious questions and story beats and it doesnt overstay its welcome ending pretty much exactly where it needed to end. If theres one problem Ive had with this series is that its very last stretch felt a bit weird. I do think it makes sense and makes for a satisfying ending but at the same time the subplot about a mysterious organization that taught both of our MCs felt weirdly out of place and made Victors mission feel less personal for him. I still think the ending nails driving that point home but I wouldve preferred if they kept it attached to Alexs backstory alone perhaps to stress the difference between working on an organizations orders due to your views aligning VS a mans selfrighteous mission to rid the world of everybody who hurts his kind. I also wouldve liked to see at least one female character who matches the MCs in badassery as far as Im aware US history and literature are full of women especially women of color who did plenty of stuff that sounds like action movie material so I was surprised to see a lack thereof. Granted it was the 90s when Blaster Knuckle was created and its already interesting that an author in Japan got interested in handling the topic of Black history but still as a foreigner Im fascinated by this aspect of American culture and in awe of Black peoples perseverance and spirit despite how relevant the topic of their discrimination remains in the 2020s even in countries with little to no Black history and I think its great underused material thatd make for many stylish and philosophical reinterpretations. Honestly I really wouldnt mind seeing this manga get an anime videogame or liveaction adaptation I think itd work exceedingly well as a 12episode anime or a short series for streaming services and itd greatly benefit from a soundtrack mixing stereotypical cowboy movie tunes with something akin to MADWORLDs OST. Considering we live in an era where theres a clear demand for more diverse casts in media especially among young people I think a Blaster Knuckle adaptation is not just appropriate but necessary considering what a central plotpoint of it Black culture and history is or at the very least I think series like BK should be getting more publicity and attention in our current climate. https://files.catbox.moe/9gu9gv.png Summarizing: Blaster Knuckle is the tale of how maybe just maybe people who tell you we need to discriminate others purely based on their skintone are actually maneating demons that derive some sort of sick pleasure from humans strife and the only solution to their wicked plots is a thorough serving of knuckle sandwiches. Its as subtle as the main character beating the devil out of them himself. Take it as literally as you will. And for that I cant help but enjoy it.