Quick Review: ‘Search And Destroy’ Vol. 3

Search and Destroy by Atsushi Kaneko is a sci-fi reinterpretation of the classic manga Dororo by Osamu Tezuka. We follow a vengeful cyborg named Hyaku who hunts down members of the dystopian underworld to collect the body parts they stole from her.

Whether you’re new to manga or are sick of conventional pop-manga, Search and Destroy is a breath of fresh air. Fans of the original Dororo manga or the 2019 anime adaptation will feel right at home — but you don’t need to be familiar with the original story to appreciate this new interpretation. Kaneko’s art is a winning mix of Western underground stylization with cutting-edge Japanese kineticism.

The manga’s themes of discrimination, women’s bodily autonomy, and authoritarianism, are well-integrated and make for a richly layered revenge story. Kaneko allows his storytelling to become more expressionistic as characters envision Hyaku as a ravenous wolf coming to eat them. Hyaku’s sidekick, Doro is given a full character arc that feels both surprising and authentic to the source material. As a whole, the third volume delivers an exciting and satisfying conclusion.

I hope more people will discover Search and Destroy because I want to see more alternative manga get English translations. As a trilogy, Search and Destroy is an achievement and stands as one of the most unique stories on my bookshelf and would make a worthy addition to your own collection.

Search and Destroy Vol. 3 is now available from Fantagraphics.