She's pretty, full of life, and completely deadly Kabuki is a great series. Every one of the Kabuki books are startling, beautiful, touching, violent and oh-so-cool. It follows a rhythm and style that is altogether American pop brilliance and Japanese deep craftsmanship. It's a story being passed down from generation to generation about finding yourself. It'll leave a mark.
Kabuki: Scarab is as good as any of the other Kabuki books. It focuses (not surprisingly) on the Noh operative named Scarab. She's a girl who fell into being cool because she was quick, smart and dated the right guy. Ironically, it's the same things that made her a good assassin. Scarab is wonderfully drawn by Rick Mays, who combines his great handle on Japan, pop urban danger, stylish street gear, and a weird combo of innocence and volatility.
The writing borrows heavily from Speed Tribes (a highly-recommended, solid, easy-to-read book on contemporary Japanese youth culture). For the first time, David Mack uses someone else to map his story. I didn't quite understand why he did this when both he and Rick Mays are so familiar with Japan. Doesn't make the story less enjoyable, but it did give it a sense of "didn't I read this before".
Scarab is the first of the Kabuki books to completely focus on another character. I loved it. Can't wait for the next installment!
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