With so many series on the manga market, it’s no surprise that the occasional gem falls through the cracks. Ultra Red is such a gem. Violent, brutal, bloody and graphic, Ultra Red is 4 volumes of kick ass fighting manga.

Taiki Akibaiki is a small boy who’s constantly picked on by his peers. He practices martial arts with his father, but he’s generally considered very weak. One day when getting picked on a couple kids from a rival dojo, he’s rescued by a strange country boy named Sumeragi Sen. It may sound cliché, but don’t worry, there’s good reason for that. It is. The entire series is fairly cliché, right up until the end. But that doesn’t make it incredibly worthwhile.

Because of its brevity, the series isn’t a power-up manga. All characters start out pretty much as strong as they’re going to be, but it’s nothing to shake a stick at. Sen’s abilities are awesome to watch, and the way each fight is drawn is exciting and action packed.

Sen’s country-bumpkin attitude is bit tedious at times, but consistent throughout and doesn’t necessarily detract from his development as a character. The dark undertones of his family’s past lend themselves to make his strength all the more frightening when combined with his naiveté.
As a result of the series being so short, the pace is set pretty fast and certain things that could be interesting are glanced over, but as a whole, Ultra Red is well put-together and a fun read. If you’re a fan of ultra-violence and extreme action, this is definitely a series to pick up.

-Joshua Kaplowitz