Destroy All Humans: They Can't Be Regenerated, Vol. 3 [REVIEW]

There are good pieces of literature surrounding Magic: The Gathering, and there are also bad pieces. From The Gathering Dark by Jeff Grubb to Forsaken, the sequel to War of the Spark by Greg Weisman, Magic literature runs the gamut. However, when we look at Magic visual literature, it's frankly hard to dispute which is on top. Destroy All Humans: They Can't Be Regenerated, written by Katsura Ise and illustrated by Takuma Yokota, is simply fantastic. Surprisingly, it's a slice-of-life manga that uses Magic as a minor plot device in the lives of its main characters.

We have covered Volume 1 and Volume 2 in previous review articles. With Volume 3 of Destroy All Humans out on Tuesday, April 8th, it's finally time for us to cover it! Here's what we thought of this third entry into the manga series, published by VIZ Media and distributed by Simon & Schuster.

Destroy All Humans Destroys (Most) Expectations

I last covered Volume 2 in January. Picking this third volume up felt like picking up a full waterskin in a desert after just as long of a dry spell. Poring over its pages, the story it continues is rich with character development and romantic drama befitting of the genre. But perhaps I'm getting a bit ahead of myself here.

Warning: Spoilers for Volume 3 immediately ahead. Skip this section from here if you want to remain unspoiled!

To summarize, our story resumes with the iconic Magic: The Gathering set, Urza's Saga, releasing. Standard rotation has just been applied, and players are a bit demoralized by it. However, our protagonist, Kano Hajime, is only growing to be a stronger and more cutthroat player. Meanwhile, Hajime's rival Emi Sawatari has aced her mock exams and is back to playing Magic at the store, albeit on the down-low from her strict mother. There is some romantic tension soon thereafter between the two, but Hajime ultimately spurns Emi, perhaps due to his own inner conflicts.

Soon thereafter, Hajime and Sawatari go on a school field trip to an amusement park. Hajime meets a girl named Mayu Kubusawara, while Sawatari goes off with a classmate named Kurushima. "Kubomayu" seems oddly familiar to Hajime. This is because this character is Yakumo Sawabara, introduced (in disguise) in Volume 2. The two hit things off well with full chemistry. Although Hajime still doesn't realize the alter ego of "Kubomayu," he finds out soon thereafter.

All the while, much to Hajime's dismay, Sawatari and Kurushima's bond appears to deepen. Things come to a head by the end of the volume when Kurushima, who has been learning Magic with Hajime and other school friends, discusses this with Hajime one day after school. Hajime, whose feelings had not been fully open previously, declares that he doesn't want Kurushima to date Sawatari. Kurushima challenges Hajime to a best-of-3 Standard match. The volume ends with Hajime behind by one game.

More Magic References, But Fewer Than Before

This particular volume of Destroy All Humans, They Can't Be Regenerated was a bit lighter on Magic: The Gathering references. It's not necessarily bad, though. It's important to consider that Magic is secondary to the slice-of-life plotlines of this manga. The romance and high-school angst come first and foremost; perhaps that's more what players ought to expect from it.

However, that isn't at all to say that Magic takes a full back-seat from the volume. Urza's Saga references abound in the first half and in the last game of the volume. There is a lot of discussion about the "Turbo" mono-blue mill strategy that came out of the set. This surrounds a player creating a ton of mana and then casting Stroke of Genius

Still, it at least feels like Magic isn't as prevalent in this volume as in the previous two. Will this trend continue into Volume 4? It'll be out in English in July, so for now we can't say for sure. But if you want to read the whole manga at this time, it appears that the entire series will wrap up in June for Japanese readers.

Destroy All Humans Is A Great Read

So far, I'm really enjoying this manga. It has a lot going for it already and I'm certain it'll only get better from here. The promotional cards included are also a nice bonus. This volume comes with a copy of Duress

My only woe right now is that July 8th is three months away and so, having read Volume 3, I have a three-month dry spell before I can read Volume 4. Oh, what a curse to be as bad at learning other languages as I am!

And now, let's open the floor to you, dear readers. Are you reading Destroy All Humans: They Can't Be Regenerated? Have you picked up a copy of Volume 3 yet? How are you enjoying the manga series so far? Sound off below!