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Writer & Artist: Ryu-Ichi Sadamatsu
Translator: Molly Rabbitt
Letterer: Tom Williams
Editor: Louis Yamani
Designer: David Colderley
Publisher: Titan Manga
Price: $12.99
Release Date: July 1, 2025
Maki Makino died ten years ago. Or at least she was supposed to. But when an overpass collapsed on her, a man freed her from the wreckage. The surgeons repaired her broken leg. Maki worked hard to rebuild her injured muscles.
Maki no longer participates in track and field. Still, she enjoys running. But Maki never forgets that she almost died. Nor can she forget the man who saved her. He said he came from another world. But was he an alien like he claimed? Let’s slip on our running shoes, leap into Cosmic Censorship Vol 1, and find out!
Story
Maki’s life is in disarray. But she’s hardly alone. The world is in a crisis. Her younger sister stays home as elementary and middle schools switch to remote learning. Maki's high school still expects her to attend. So, Maki leaves home and braves the damaged bridges and roads littered with impact craters.
The falling meteorites defy scientific analysis in Cosmic Censorship Vol 1. As the skies bring apocalyptic death and destruction, attacks on single women and children rise. While running to school, a man surprises Maki by equaling her speed. As they pause for breath, Maki tells him her story. Roger Penrose remembers hearing about her accident. When another meteorite shower strikes the Earth, Maki and Roger cling to each other until the danger passes. Then Maki continues on her way.
As events unfold, Maki realizes that Roger is her guardian. He comes from the future, when kaiju rule the Earth. Roger wields powers that help him defeat the giant monsters. But Roger's actions raise eyebrows among his fellow guardians. Each time he protects Maki, Roger alters the timelines in Cosmic Censorship Vol 1. The other monster hunters worry that, in changing their past, Roger could destroy their future.
Art
Ryu-Ichi Sadamatsu fills panels with detailed art. While taking the form of a manga, the characters and backgrounds feel like a comic. Faces and expressions are not overly cute. Nor do breakaways show caricatures of faces suffering nervous breakdowns from hyperactive thinking and straining to rein in their anxieties.
As Maki runs to school, she passes blocked-off areas, construction vehicles, and unsafe bridges. Cranes top nearby tower blocks. Another meteor shower raises plumes in the nearby river, forcing Roger and Maki to cling together as floodwaters threaten to wash them away. Another meteorite hits an electrical tower. As an explosion fills the air, Maki freezes as a jeep hurtles toward her. Then Roger embraces her as the jeep crashes farther along the embankment. Later, an official inspects the damaged vehicle. He notices the imprint of a giant hand denting the jeep roof in Cosmic Censorship Vol 1.
Tom Williams fills dialogue balloons with generously sized uppercase letters. He lets Molly Rabbitt’s English sound effects dance with their Japanese versions. Giant letters accompany the occasional one-page cartoon of Maki amid chapters filled with intense action, swordplay, monsters, and giant robots. Thanks to Titan Manga for providing a review copy.
Final Thoughts
Maki Makino doesn't know why she's different. She only knows she doesn't fit in. But when Maki meets Roger Penrose, she enters a world of monsters and giant robots. Amid a confrontation with Roger's coworkers, Maki discovers why she is different. Like the extraordinary people who hunt her, there is more to Maki than meets the eye in Cosmic Censorship Vol 1.
Rating 10/10
To look inside see my preview of Cosmic Censorship Vol 1.
