Hikkatsu! Strike a Blow to Vivify
Encyclopedia
is a Japan
ese shōnen
science fiction
comedy
manga
by , the author of Those Who Hunt Elves
. It was published in Japan by MediaWorks
in the monthly manga magazine Dengeki Comic Gao!
from May 27, 2005 to May 27, 2006 and collected in three bound volumes
. It is licensed in North America
by Go! Comi
, with all three volumes released.
have made everyday home appliances come alive, karate
student Shota seeks to save humanity by perfecting his "Repair Blow" - it was inspired by a man who hit a television to make it work, but with Shota's strength he just demolishes it. In the company of Momoko and Kanji, he travels Japan
through enclaves of interest groups, looking to help others.
, calling it "a satisfying light read." A common criticism of reviewers is that the characters are one-dimensional.
and collected in three bound volumes
. It is licensed in North America
by Go! Comi
, with two volumes published as of January 2008.
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
ese shōnen
Shonen
The term refers to manga marketed to a male audience aged roughly 10 and up. The Kanji characters literally mean "few" and "year", respectively, where the characters generally mean "comic"...
science fiction
Science fiction
Science fiction is a genre of fiction dealing with imaginary but more or less plausible content such as future settings, futuristic science and technology, space travel, aliens, and paranormal abilities...
comedy
Humour
Humour or humor is the tendency of particular cognitive experiences to provoke laughter and provide amusement...
manga
Manga
Manga is the Japanese word for "comics" and consists of comics and print cartoons . In the West, the term "manga" has been appropriated to refer specifically to comics created in Japan, or by Japanese authors, in the Japanese language and conforming to the style developed in Japan in the late 19th...
by , the author of Those Who Hunt Elves
Those Who Hunt Elves
is a manga series and an anime television series by Yu Yagami, released in North America on VHS and DVD by ADV Films. The plot revolves around three travellers, the eponymous "Elf Hunters", and the elven sorceress Mistress Celcia.-Plot:...
. It was published in Japan by MediaWorks
MediaWorks (publisher)
was a Japanese publishing company in the Kadokawa Group known for their brand magazines and book labels. These included such well-known magazines as Dengeki Daioh, and Dengeki G's Magazine, along with MediaWorks' main light novel publishing imprint Dengeki Bunko. The company was merged with ASCII...
in the monthly manga magazine Dengeki Comic Gao!
Dengeki Comic Gao!
, also known as Dengeki Gao! as was a Japanese shōnen manga magazine that primarily contained manga and information about series featuring bishōjo characters. It was published from December 1992 to February 2008 by MediaWorks. The Gao in the magazine's title is a childish form of the sound Grr...
from May 27, 2005 to May 27, 2006 and collected in three bound volumes
Tankobon
, with a literal meaning close to "independently appearing book", is the Japanese term for a book that is complete in itself and is not part of a series , though the manga industry uses it for volumes which may be in a series...
. It is licensed in North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
by Go! Comi
Go! Comi
Go! Comi was an imprint of the American manga publishing company, Go! Media Entertainment, LLC. They published such series as After School Nightmare, Cantarella, Her Majesty's Dog, Tenshi Ja Nai!! and Crossroad...
, with all three volumes released.
Story
In a future where geomagnetic abnormalitiesEarth's magnetic field
Earth's magnetic field is the magnetic field that extends from the Earth's inner core to where it meets the solar wind, a stream of energetic particles emanating from the Sun...
have made everyday home appliances come alive, karate
Karate
is a martial art developed in the Ryukyu Islands in what is now Okinawa, Japan. It was developed from indigenous fighting methods called and Chinese kenpō. Karate is a striking art using punching, kicking, knee and elbow strikes, and open-handed techniques such as knife-hands. Grappling, locks,...
student Shota seeks to save humanity by perfecting his "Repair Blow" - it was inspired by a man who hit a television to make it work, but with Shota's strength he just demolishes it. In the company of Momoko and Kanji, he travels Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
through enclaves of interest groups, looking to help others.
Main characters
- A teenage boy who has spent ten years studying karate alone, trying to perfect a Repair Blow that will fix broken machinery (though usually he just winds up utterly destroying said machinery.) His Repair Blow is also able to fix a dislocated shoulder.
- A girl raised by pigeonsRock PigeonThe Rock Dove or Rock Pigeon, is a member of the bird family Columbidae . In common usage, this bird is often simply referred to as the "pigeon"....
who falls in love with Shota at first sight when he tries to retrieve her last ¥200 lost in a ramenInstant noodlesInstant noodles are dried or precooked noodles and are often sold with packets of flavoring including seasoning oil. Dried noodles are usually eaten after being cooked or soaked in boiling water for 2 to 5 minutes, while precooked noodles can be reheated or eaten straight from the packet...
vending machine. She travels with a pigeon named Hatoko, who ordinarily sits on her head. She also thinks that she and Shota are married and constantly has delusional fantasies in which Shota shows romantic interests in her while in reality he does not. She claims to have learned pigeon martial arts, used to defend against predators, from her foster family.
- A grifter who sells defective toy robots at the start of the series. After his merchandise is destroyed by Shota practicing his Repair Blow, Kanji starts travelling with him, hoping to profit from him. He is also constantly attacked by Momoko.
Reception
The English translation of Hikkatsu! Strike a Blow to Vivify was favorably reviewed by Anime News NetworkAnime News Network
Anime News Network is an anime industry news website that reports on the status of anime, manga, Japanese popular music and other otaku-related culture within North America, Australia and Japan. Additionally, it sometimes features similar happenings throughout the Anglosphere and elsewhere in the...
, calling it "a satisfying light read." A common criticism of reviewers is that the characters are one-dimensional.
Manga
The series was first published in Dengeki Comic Gao!Dengeki Comic Gao!
, also known as Dengeki Gao! as was a Japanese shōnen manga magazine that primarily contained manga and information about series featuring bishōjo characters. It was published from December 1992 to February 2008 by MediaWorks. The Gao in the magazine's title is a childish form of the sound Grr...
and collected in three bound volumes
Tankobon
, with a literal meaning close to "independently appearing book", is the Japanese term for a book that is complete in itself and is not part of a series , though the manga industry uses it for volumes which may be in a series...
. It is licensed in North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
by Go! Comi
Go! Comi
Go! Comi was an imprint of the American manga publishing company, Go! Media Entertainment, LLC. They published such series as After School Nightmare, Cantarella, Her Majesty's Dog, Tenshi Ja Nai!! and Crossroad...
, with two volumes published as of January 2008.
| Volume | Japan release date | Japan ISBN | North America release date | North America ISBN |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2005-10-27 | ISBN 4-8402-3225-3 | 2007-10-03 | ISBN 978-1-933617-57-2 |
| 2 | 2006-01-27 | ISBN 4-8402-3321-7 | 2008-01-16 | ISBN 978-1-933617-58-9 |
| 3 | 2006-07-27 | ISBN 4-8402-3536-8 | 2008-04-06 | ISBN 978-1-933617-59-6 |