is a psychological action thriller manga by Jiro Matsumoto

Jiro Matsumoto

Jiro Matsumoto is a Japanese manga artist known for his work on Freesia, Uncivilized Planet, Keep on Vibrating, Wendy, Avant-Pop Mars, Little Feet, A Revolutionist in the Afternoon and Tropical Citron...

, later adapted into a film.

Plot

In alternate history Japan is engaged in protracted war and massive economic recession. Due to massive military spending, many prisons are shut and a Vengeance Act is created instead to allow those who have been hurt by convicted criminals to get revenge. Various Vengeance Proxy Enforcer firms are created to supply the massive demand for these.

Main characters

Hiroshi Kanō

Kanō is a mentally unstable ex-military assassin currently working as a Vengeance Proxy at a Proxy firm in alternate history Japan. He lives with his catatonic mother and girlfriend in a small apartment. Due to his training in the military, he possesses some kind of active camouflage that not only enables him to fade away at a moment's notice, leaving his coworkers confused, but allows bullets to pass through without injuring him. It is later revealed that he is able to alter people's senses to a certain extent, making him appear to be where is isn't. At the beginning of the story he only seems to be slightly bizarre, but as the story goes on, it becomes more evident that he's well on his way to having a mental breakdown, such as beginning to copy what people say on television in his conversations. Other such events involve Kanō constantly hearing a telephone ringing, or a clock ticking and seeing and talking to people who are dead.

Mizoguchi

Is a proxy working at the same firm as Kanō, although he has been there much longer than his coworkers. He is constantly trying to hunt his coworkers, most notably Kanō, who weirds him out due to his bizarre abilities. Mizogushi ideology is that there are two kinds of people, lions and zebras. To him it's important that he hunts the zebras that represent everybody who isn't him, and he joins the Proxy firm for this reason. He is married and abuses his wife regularly, leading to her losing touch with reality.

Ichirō Yamada

One of the proxies hired by the proxy firm along with Kanō. It took him three tries to pass the exam required to become an enforcer, done by memorizing the entire book, whereas everybody else got a list with answers on it from various scouts. Initially optimistic, he grows jaded when he realizes the truth behind the enforcements.

Mariko Higuchi

A Proxy scout for the firm. She knows much more about Kanō than he does, and they are linked through an event that happened years before the beginning of the manga. She is also in charge of securing contracts and gathers the paperwork needed to satisfy the association. Higuchi claims to be able to predict Kanō's every decision.

External links

• Freesia Movie website
• Jiro Matsumoto's website