STREET FIGHTER ALPHA: Volume Two

Volume two of Udon's Street Fighter Alpha manga continues where volume one left off: with a lot of fighters ready to pound each others' faces in at a moment's notice. It's a formula that works well for a manga series based on a fighting game, and thus it's easy to see why writer Masahiko and artist Nakahira decided not to mess with it.

Volume two of Street Fighter Alpha concludes Ryu's inner struggle with good versus evil: the psychic warrior Rose reveals that Ryu must walk the path of friendship to achieve status as the world's greatest fighter. Otherwise, he risks succumbing to the evil lull of the Dark Hadou, the ancient power that consumes the user's soul and self-control. While Ryu attempts to reign in his emotions, the massive crime syndicate Shadaloo, lorded by M Bison, tries its hand at taking over the world once and for all.

Oh, and there's a fighting tournament going on, of course.

If you enjoyed volume one of Street Fighter Alpha, volume two will make you even happier. Ryu faces off against M Bison when the evil dictator begins picking off bits of Japanese cities with his massive flying fortress. A lot of Japanese martial arts cliches are admittedly present, particularly the usual lessons about love, trust and not letting your negative emotions get the best of you. On the other hand, martial arts manga has remained a consistently successful genre for some time, and that's because the characters and morals mesh well with epic fight scenes. Street Fighter Alpha is no different. In fact, it's one step ahead of most shonen manga series because it ends within two volumes instead of carrying on forever.

There are a few disappointments to be found. Having been injured, Ryu's friendly rival, Ken, sits out most of the manga's battles. He seems to regrets it as much as the reader. It would also be nice to see more of the Alpha cast. Ken, Ryu, Rose, Chun-Li, Charlie, Bison, Sodom, Vega and Guy seem to prevail. Cammy is present as the brainwashed and deadly Shadaloo agent “Killer Bee,” but her role is subtle and somewhat unsatisfying. The enmity between Ryu and the ancient evil warrior Akuma is also left unfinished: though a quick end is something most manga series can benefit from, there are a few loose ends in Street Fighter Alpha.

The fight scenes are beautifully drawn, even though the character designs are a little more gaunt than Capcom's original designs. One thing remains accurate, though: Chun-Li's enormous thighs of doom still look like they're capable of cracking ten walnuts with one quick squeeze.

There are a few grammatical errors in the translation. They're sloppy, but they don't interfere much with the story. Besides, you'll no doubt be wanting to pick up Street Fighter Alpha for the fights, and for that it can't be beat.