For all of our watchers who are readers of Zone-00 (english language), your adventure
have to stop at Tokyopop's volume 4! I have found that a very kind soul has recently begun scanlating where Tokyopop has left off.
The volumes can be downloaded from sendspace though harukami's post here:
harukami.tumblr.com/post/40908…Please share with your friends and comment on their work! I will also do my best to get the word out. The Zone-00 fans are a small group for certain, but if we stick together and support eachother to the best of our abilities, I believe that we can grow into a great community.
News for those unfamiliar with Zone-00 aka: Manga We Love Feature #1♥!
I would very much like to introduce you to a new manga!
Title: Zone-00
Manga-Ka: Kiyo QJO (also the artist of the Trinity Blood manga!)
Date first Published: 2007
Rating: Older Teen (+18)
Genre: Fantasy, action. (small doses of humor, ecchi, and mystery as well!)
Where you can read it: volume 1 can be read
here. Unfortunately, the rest of volumes 1-4 are not scanlated online as far as I know. Chinese scans of volumes 1-3 are available, but I think that wouldn't be much help! I know it can be purchased on eBay, and maybe it is something you can borrow from your friends or library?
If enough people would be interested in reading more, I will scan and share my four volumes with you. To give you an idea:
The story of Zone-00 is as enigmatic as it is wild and fearless! Take a bold step into the lives of
Ango Shima, a young and orphaned exorcist who has spent his life slaying demons, and
Saburo Kujo, a wide-eyed and curious youth who's body contains an ancient and powerful Ogre! Although the two were born enemies, a friendship begins to blossom in the midst of growing danger. Their time together is filled with childish vigor, but soon evil is en route to Tokyo! A dangerous drug has surfaced called Zone-00- when taken by demons, their power becomes immeasurable!! With the help of both allies and enemies such as the smokingly beautiful
barmaid bartender Benten, the Kaze Siblings-- silver-haired twins who can transform into motorbikes--, a cat, a dog, witches, demons, and many more, the two boys must fight the evils within in order for all to uncover the mystery of who's behind this drug and how they can be stopped! Traps, old friends, beautiful women, and even family will stand in their way, leaving you wondering--who will become the victims in this world and who will come out on top?! But that's just up to volume four.
Extra Info:
Some reasons why we love it-
- A wide and varied cast (every character has their chance to be well developed, and all of them are either lovable or lovely to hate!) There are new ones being introduced in nearly every chapter.
- fabulous amazingly amazing beautiful art. QJO is a master artist, hard at work penning delicate features, highly intricate outfits, thousands of eyelashes, tattooed bods, and rock hard abs in every chapter! There is eye candy on every page, and it is a style that never gets old to look at.
- A busy story! The plot in Zone-00 is always moving and twisted every which way! For sure, the plot never drags and the characters never inhabit one place for too long.
- The action flows amazingly and each character has a very unique way of delivering their words. I guess these are two very different things, but somehow I feel fine grouping them together. ;u;
- There is a great sense of humor present within the pages. I've laughed out loud countless times.
Possible turn offs-
- It can be hard to follow the turns of this complexly woven story. I have read that sometimes the overlapping plots confuse the reader.
- The art is TOO
PRETTY?! *0* (I'll leave that for you to decide.) - To contradict that- although QJO's work is dazzling, the author is not afraid to draw blood or gore. The series can get awful violent, please be sure you can stomach that.
- Some may find certain situations or scenes crude or without taste. The story is indeed wild and at times outrageous. I think you will be able to recognize how you feel right away, however.
Why you should read it:
Okay, okay, so if you've come this far, you're probably wondering "Why are you telling me to read this! Jeez!". Guess what, I have more than one reason. C:
- First off, I feel more than comfortable recommending this to you because every member of The Bet is Off is a longtime fan and avid reader of the series! There is a reason why we cosplay this mysterious series after all! All five of us love indulging ourselves in the story and wide range of characters. Not to mention that the majority of us have or are making costumes for more than one character! That has to tell you something.
- Furthermore, The Bet is Off are not the only cosplayers of Zone-00 by any means! In fact, Zone-00 is widely popular in countries such as Japan and China, where a drama CD (featuring famous seiyuu such as Jun Fukuyama, Ishida Akira, and Romi Park) has been made and a themed cafe had been opened in the story's name. If you search the series on foreign cosplay sites such as CURE and Worldcosplay, you will find pages upon pages of colourful and highly detailed Zone-00 cosplays.
- Kiyo QJO is an incredibly talented artist who--without a doubt-- deserves more recognition. With such ensnaring covers and artwork, I can't seem to understand why the series did not gain popularity in the US before the end of its publication. I wonder if perhaps it is because scanlations are not readily available.
Now, for some of Kiyo QJO's Zone-00 art (what to expect):
Amazing examples of Zone-00 cosplay (features):
Why am I doing this? Well, I hadn't been planning on spending a couple of my hours tonight writing this, and I'm definitely not the best persuasive writer, but I can only hope that I have inspired you to begin to read the series, or at least look further in to it. I've written this because I really want to share with The Bet is Off's watchers the things that we love. I almost feel that it is a duty of sorts! I want to introduce you to something new you can enjoy. As a fan of this series, and many others that have shared the same neglected fate under English translation, I can't help but feel heartache that so many amazing series have been so overlooked, especially considering that they would be enjoyable to so many.
Please let me know- do you appreciate a post like this? I know that I, for one, am always looking for new things to read and watch, or at the very least, become familiar with for conversation's sake. I'm writing this post, because I know that I would like to be informed of interesting series as well, especially of the gems that are overlooked.
If you happen to look further into Zone-00 and perhaps read it, please consider coming back and let us know what you think. I would be really excited to hear whether or not it appealed to you.
I hope everyone has a great night, and that maybe you made it through this journal! ;u; Love to everyone, and we are going to come back with cosplays of our own very soon!
♥Bridgette
