Defenseless City manga, Act 1
Welcome to the opening salvo of a unique manga from the Votoms library. One reason for its uniqueness is that it’s a spinoff of a spinoff, featuring Kiek Karadyne (from Armor Hunter Merowlink) as the main character. Another is that it was written by Hiroshi Yamaguchi, who contributed scripts to Merowlink. Yet another is that it was drawn by a female artist, Yuki Otake, working under the pseudonym Fumiaki Shibata. She made her way up the ladder drawing Merowlink doujinshis, and this marked her professional debut.
The story is named after a 1945 Italian film titled Citta Aperta (Open City). Originally serialized over seven volumes of Bandai’s Cyber Comix anthology, this hard-boiled prequel consists of five acts. The first made its debut in Volume 34, published in August 1991. A collected edition was released by Bandai in February 1993 with some art changes. But in the interest of preserving the harder-to-find version, the Cyber Comix draft will be presented here along with a few extras from the final edition. Starting with this prologue…
Prologue
It began with a surprise attack by Gilgameth on the planet Parumis, an important base for Balarant. The battle line expanded into the surrounding space. An endless war of attrition ensued. The Parumis Campaign.
An AT pilot called the “Black Wolf” ranged across the land like a jet-black wolf stalking its prey. He believed in victory. Victory for his army. And that he would live to see his beloved sister again. The GAT-22-3 heavy machine gun roared. SMAT-38 missile gunpods cut the enemy’s throat. The black wolf did not run in a pack. He was the lone hunter of Parumis.
But…no honors shone over the head of the lone wolf. Despite the battle lines moving in their favor, Gilgameth’s military command issued an order for the withdrawal of all troops. Each unit was forced to abandon the front. The wolf was abandoned. His mission was to be a pawn in the withdrawal of his own army. That was the only honor given to him.
The black wolf howled, driven by despair and grief, hatred and rage. He crawled through the depths of hell and despair. He survived.
Now, with the letters of revenge engraved in his heart, the wolf seeks the blood that will redeem him. Soon.
The Hundred Years’ War has come to an end…
A mysterious man looks up at an AT. Is what he desires the stage of hell…!?
TO BE CONTINUED