SDK is one of those series that get better the further along you get - in this first volume, you'll only meet two of the main-characters, but by the sixth or seventh volume, you'll have met a lot more and most of them will pop up again sooner or later.

As a shounen manga, there's a fair bit of fighting/dueling going on, but what I really like about the series are the characters and the banter in between (and sometimes during) the fights. There's mysteries and secrets to be unveiled, a dash of romance, some kick-ass female characters, one Big Plot to connect all plotlines ... all in thirty-eight volumes, thirty-three of which have been translated thus far.

So, don't let the pervy medicine peddler in this first volume scare you off; Kamijyo knows how to create a great plot /and/ great characters, without making their noses bleed. ( )