Destroy All Humans: They Can't Be Regenerated Vol.2 [Manga Review]
Destroy All Humans manga volume 2 cover | art by Takuma Yokota
Magic literature has a storied history of being hit-or-miss. Between the fantastic Agents of Artifice to the downright roughness of Scourge, it's often hard to have faith in Magic: The Gathering's trade paperbacks.
However, today's review is not for a fantasy novel. Today, we will review the second volume of Destroy All Humans: They Can't Be Regenerated. DAH is a slice-of-life manga series penned by Katsura Ise and illustrated by Takuma Yokota.
The English release is published by VIZ Media.
The manga follows Kano Hajime, a bona fide Magic nerd, as he goes through high school and life in the late 1990s.
We recently reviewed the first volume of this manga, so we came into this one with high expectations. How does this volume measure up? Read on, and find out!
(Author's Note: Expect a couple of minor plot spoilers from here on. We warned you!)
Destroy All Humans Resumes As Expected
The first chapter of Destroy All Humans begins with the high intensity of a trip to a Magic: The Gathering tournament. These kinds of chapters are what a lot of the manga's readers read this for.
In this chapter, Kano faces "Gob", the local meta's resident Goblin/Burn player. Alas, it is Kano's only successful matchup of the day.
However, Kano is also introduced to a new character, Yakumo Sawabara. Sawabara is immediately pegged as a rival to Kano and can hold his own against Kano in gameplay.
Kano is initially drawn to Sawabara because Sawabara has the same hat as he does. This is a means of relating to others that is also often relatable for even newer manga readers. In this way, it's clear that Katsura Ise has a masterful way of relaying his story to others.
Later chapters foster rapport between Kano and Sawabara, establishing the latter as a major character. However, we haven't yet discussed Emi Sawatari, Kano's seeming love interest.
Throughout this entire volume, characters repeatedly ogle and leer at Emi, which is a bit off putting and stereotypically problematic. Whether it's at a Magic tournament in Shibuya or at a water park, Emi is objectified in a way that feels unfortunate.
Illustrated Magic Is Pretty Great, Actually
While this volume of Destroy All Humans only featured Magic gameplay in its first chapter, this reinforced how fun it is to read about that gameplay. I especially enjoyed Kano's match against Gob in that chapter.
The match encapsulated the thrill of facing an opponent who you've had a track record of trouble facing, only to succeed in the end. This is probably how Yu-Gi-Oh! manga readers regularly feel about their literature, if I were to wager a guess.
It, without a doubt, scores high marks with me. I only wish there was just a little more of that to get us through the whole volume.
We Still Get Many Magic References
Destroy All Humans features a ton of references to real-world popular culture. With Kano's self-appointed nickname being Cloud, an homage to Final Fantasy VII, that's a playful nod to that video game for example.
Plenty of other non-Magic references abound as well. Can you spot them all? If not, there's a log of footnotes at the end of this volume, like with the previous one.
It's also really neat that the die-hard Magic fans get to see things like Shichifukujin Dragon, one of the coolest one-of-a-kind cards to exist.
It's even cooler that we see what amounts to similar reactions from characters living back in 1998. The times have changed a ton; our marvel at something this rare has not.
This unique card can still be found in Japan, albeit no longer at the DCI Tournament Center. It is currently kept at the Head Office of Hobby Japan in Shibuya, so it isn't too far from its original resting place.
Did Destroy All Humans Volume 2 Come With A Promo Card?
The answer is: yes! Destroy All Humans, Vol. 2, comes with a promotional copy of Shock in English. Currently, Scryfall does not have a render of the card in English.
With that said, we can confirm that it's the same card as in Japanese. It uses the same art as the copy from 7th Edition, albeit with the newest Magic frame. It looks great in foil, too!
In fact, the list of promos for the manga bodes well for those who like cards like Culling the Weak, Snuff Out, and Counterspell. In later volumes of Destroy All Humans, readers will acquire promo copies of those cards included with the manga. If the trajectory and promo list remain the same for these later volumes, we may see the same in English. This, put quite frankly, would rock.
Our Verdict On This Volume
While not quite as riveting as Volume 1, Volume 2 of Destroy All Humans: They Can't Be Regenerated still provides a good look at the lives of its characters.
The Magic play in this volume is still remarkable and detailed in a way that shows Katsura Ise's love of that era of the game. I have a feeling that the build-up to something even bigger is about to happen in future volumes, and so this volume is nothing to miss.
The English translation of Destroy All Humans: They Can't Be Regenerated, Volume 2 released on Tuesday, January 14th at all major manga retailers both online and elsewhere. It is MSRP $14.99 wherever it is sold.
