Posted in: Comics, Review | Tagged: boom studios, greg pak, HRL, mech cadet yu, mechs, sci-fi, Takeshi Miyazawa, Triona Farrell

Mech Cadet Yu #8 Review: An Exciting Anime-Inspired Mech Showdown

Skip Tanaka and the Mech Cadets are making their way to the Sharg mothership when Central Command begins scrambling to get the Mechs back. They believe the Hero Force Two is the only way to beat the Sharg, and, to power the Hero Force Two, they must kill Robos and use their hearts. Tanaka thinks there is another way, but Park is sent with Hero Force One to bring Tanaka and the Mech Cadets back.

Mech Cadet Yu continues its climactic stride with this first real culmination of everything we've seen in the series so far. We have Tanaka and the Cadets putting it all on the line to save the world and their Robos. Plus, Park is still being played by her father, and this leads to her siding with Central Command.

It's an exciting climax at that, and it works very well. However, there are some questionable qualities to it here and there. You do get smacked with the reality that the Mech Cadets are technically child soldiers a couple of times, especially when Tanaka tells them that they will probably all die here. The mech anime from which it draws its inspiration frequently uses child pilots too, and it can get kind of iffy in those as well.

Also, Tanaka at one point implies that General Park has designs on becoming a despot, and that sucks some of the nuance out of the comic. Central Command's tactics are harsh and murderous, but they also come off like a last-ditch desperate effort to save the world. Implying the general is only doing it to get a superweapon with which to take over is a copout.

Takeshi Miyazawa's artwork continues to fit the book perfectly with its blend of eastern and western styles. The Mech Robos continue to look awesome, and even Hero Force Two has a solid design. The Sharg mothership is a little bland, but the rest of the comic looks great. Triona Farrell's color work keeps everything vibrant and lively, keeping a little levity in this story about suicide missions.

Mech Cadet Yu #8 is another triumphant issue from Greg Pak, Takeshi Miyazawa, and Triona Farrell. It's fun, fast-moving, and looks damn good. This issue has its hangups, but they are far overshadowed by what the book does right. This one gets a recommendation. Check it out.

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