Togainu No Chi: Volume 1    by Suguro Chayamchi & Nitro+ CHiRAL Order:  USA  Can TOKYOPOP, 2008 (2008) Paperback    Reviewed by Ricki Marking-Camuto If you like brutal, post-apocalyptic war game type manga, than Togainu No Chi by Suguro Chayamachi and Nitro+ CHiRAL is the book for you. After a horrible war, Japan is a wasteland. Its deserted towns have become playing fields for a brutal game called The Igura. In it, players kill other players for their dog tags. Each dog tag has a number and a suite, like playing cards. To advance, players try to make the best poker hand. If you break the rules, executioners will come to kill you. Aside from the executioners, players fear a new entrant, Shiki, who seems to kill for another reason than the game. Another rookie, Akira, is just learning the rules as he plays for his life. I found Togainu No Chi rather confusing. A lot of the characters look alike, and very few have personalities that really stand out. I could tell that Akira did not really want to be part of The Igura, but I never would have figured out the reason without reading the synopsis on the back cover. The story also jumps around between characters a lot, adding to the confusion. However, the artwork, which is very dark and bold, works well for this type of manga. I am sure there are manga fans out there who will love Togainu No Chi by Suguro Chayamachi and Nitro+ CHiRAL, but I was just not one of them. Note: Opinions expressed in reviews and articles on this site are those of the author(s) and not necessarily those of BookLoons. Find more Teens books on our Shelves or in our book Reviews