Twilight of the Dark Master
(dr. Akiyuki Shinbo, 1998)
published in Empire No.71, Sydney, 2007
Despite drowning in 90s style tentacles and ravaged naked bodies, Twilight of the Dark Master is actually a love story – and an effectively tragic one at that. On the celebration of their engagement, Eiji and Shizuka’s romantic reverie is interrupted when Eiji transforms into a humungous genetic beast, covertly engineered by a laboratory controlled by the ancient Tsunami demon spirit. Aided by psychic detective Shijo – himself coming from a line of great demon fighters aligned with Mother Earth – Shizuka’s love fuels the story, hurtling us toward a wonderfully apocalyptic conclusion. More love stories should end this way.
