Originally posted here at Anime Radius.

Since Tokyopop began publishing OEL (original English language) manga under its imprint, usually reserved for works from Japan and Korea and China, many of the titles released have been slammed by reviewers as pale shades of their superior Asian counterparts. For the most part, said criticisms were rightly deserved (why hello there, Princess Ai) and a lot of the OEL material Tokyopop releases truly follow the Sturgeon’s Law to the letter. M. Alice LeGrow’s Bizenghast series is . . . not one of them, not by a long shot. Since first premiering as a sneak peek sample in Tokyopop’s free magazine (the now defunct Takuhai – RIP), this spooky supernatural series has had the charm and quirkiness of an original work that deserves to be put above the rest. Now, as it reaches its seventh volume, this series has begun to reach the peak of its storytelling, combining the mystery of the town together with the action usually reserved for adventures in the mausoleum. And it is wonderful. If you haven’t picked this series up, you have no idea what you are missing.

As usual, M. Alice LeGrow’s artwork is fantastic, an enthralling Gothic style that truly makes the world of Bizenghast come to life, from the old school to the mausoleum and its statues. In this volume, the art climbs to even greater heights, especially with the introduction of Lady Hetka, a dazzling vision of beauty in a flowing white gown and surrounded by a floating hula hoop-esque halo of flowers . . . and she has arms for legs. Yes, Lady Hetka moves around with three arms when she’s not flying through the air with visible ease, and the visual effect of it is amazing. Also amazing are the multiple outfits Dinah wears in the course of the book; she always has the coolest clothes of the series, and book seven is no exception. Even in old school armor reminiscent of Joan of Arc, Dinah looks awesome and ready to rock it out. The action scenes are some of the coolest in the volume, especially the one-on-one fights like Edrear versus Eniri; LeGrow’s skills at more dynamic scenes truly shine through when it’s two people battling it out on the page and with nothing else in the scene to distract the readers from the main attraction.

Everything is in top form in the seventh volume of Bizenghast: Dinah and her crew are properly front and center of the story; there’s lots of action scenes and crazy fights going on; all the drama is well matched by the humor that flows naturally from the characters’ interactions; the mystery of the town and the mausoleum deepens even as vital questions start getting answered. The story is clearly gearing up for an epic plot arc finale, and when it does, it’s gonna be a must read – like the whole series. ( )