No\Name was one of the most promising new manga I have read in; what, 2-3 years almost?

Maybe even THE MOST promising new series in a LONG time, mainly because overseas people were making it. Yup, these were not your ordinary Japanese mangaka; this was Rafal Jaki, the freaking EP, and showrunner for Cyberpunk: Edgerunners and writer of Witcher: Ronin, and MACHINE GAMU, an absolutely amazing artist known for his dark and gritty visual style.

So, what is No\Name about?

The story follows our two leads, Ralf and Ula, two young, well, let’s call them detectives of sorts, as they investigate various “Namers” crimes. What the hell are Namers, you might think? Please sit back and relax; let me set the stage for you.

 

Rafal and MACHINE GAMU created a very unique setting, one that feels familiar yet immensely odd in various ways.

 

The manga takes place in a modern world where your name gives you power. Depending on which name you have, your innate ability, and your training, your NP (name power) could be anything from creating snow when the weather conditions are right to becoming a lethal giant bear. Being a modern world and all, No\Name immediately showcases how the Nordic Naming Bureau(NNB), the organization our duo works for, is stuck in its bureaucratic ways and is tainted by corruption.

 

Namer crimes, as you can imagine, are crimes committed by people who often use their NP for nefarious purposes.

Story

In many ways, this is a detective story. Ralf and Ula have to maneuver through the layers of their organization and figure out a string of strange terrorist attacks, ones committed by people whose NPs are all harmless. Yet, the abilities these people use are far from that, which raises a question: How are regular people with normal NPs able to blow themselves up?

 

Rafal doesn’t shy away from putting our two leads in EXTREMELY uncomfortable and dangerous situations right from the start. Before the terrorist attack plot kicks into motion, we get a very morally heavy situation on our hands, one that ends with an innocent woman dying because of Ula. This inflicts heavy psychological damage very early in the story and has her deal with the consequences of taking a life to save her partner.

 

We go back to the terrorist organization plot soon after, and our leads discover that someone is giving strong NPs to people with normal and harmless NPs. Everyone who’s connected to these events also keeps talking about saving children.

 

When Ula and Ralf finally get a lead through some dead bodies, those quickly get removed, so our team starts thinking about a mole in the organization. But they don’t get any time to think, as they all get a sinister message on their off-day; “Senior officer killed.”

 

Someone murdered Ake, the Ancient NP holder. Our two leads soon uncover the killer: Ralf Senior.

 

Ralf Senior is Ralf’s guardian and, basically, his father. He’s also part of the NNB, so his killing of Ake makes no sense. Ake and Ralf Senior have both been part of the NNB for a long time. They are good friends and comrades, but that’s exactly the problem.

 

While on a “peace-keeping” mission in Yugoslavia, Ralf Senior came across a mysterious book containing very powerful names and a group of NoName children. These people intended to experiment on these children, give them very dangerous NPs, and have them fight in the war.

 

The NNB took the book and the kids, and Ake promised Ralf Senior they’d care for both. Naturally, someone who has been alive for an ungodly amount of time eventually loses their human aspect, their empathy, and, basically, their humanity.

 

Ake saw the book and the children as worthy investments. Ralf Senior was against the idea, but Ake persuaded him to follow along. Over time, Ralf kept pushing and pushing Ake to tell him about the children and the book, and after some time, Ake confessed.

 

The book hasn’t produced results, and the children are all dead. Ralf Senior, feeling responsible for this inhumane event, lashes out at Ake for his cruel treatment of kids they were supposed to protect. After a short scuffle, Ake loses and gets killed by Ralf Senior.

 

Then, Ralf Senior decides to collect enough evidence to shed light on this horrible situation, but Ralf and Ula confront him.

 

The Art and Action

I already spoiled too much of the story, but I wanted to convey the terrific and morally dubious world-building Rafal managed to create in such a short time.

But another terrific part of the No\Name manga is the art and the action. You see, the name power system is super interesting, and its use creates a very flexible environment for the mangaka to show compelling and technical fights.

Ula is the best example of this, as she constantly shifts in and out of her bear form during the Bear Tournament.

The Bear Tournament, by the way, is an entertaining side plot where various Bear names battle each other. The manga uses these battles to show different iterations of “Bear” names and how they work, as we get everything from an NP that lets you transform into a bear, one that boosts your physical abilities through the use of a bear spirit, and even a woman who can summon an eerie zombie bear.

No\Name uses these fights to flex MACHINE GAMU’s excellent art and ability to show the depth of the NP system in combat. Ula isn’t the most powerful Bear name, but she is a brilliant fighter. Her transformation speed seems quick, so she reverts to human form to evade attacks and outmaneuver the enemy. Then, she transforms back into her Bear form to deliver deadly blows to her enemy.

The other example is Ralf Senior. Unlike Ralf, he is a much more ruthless fighter, but he can summon just one wolf. Well, that one wolf, called Alpha, is a very tall, slender, and strong werewolf-like creature that can easily overpower even someone like Ula because, unlike her, Alpha is agile AND strong at the same time. Oh, and he also has a huge gun barrel that comes out of his mouth.

Alpha doesn’t just use the gun barrel to shoot; since the barrel exits his mouth at a fast speed, we see Alpha use it to knock enemies away that get too close when his other limbs are restricted.

These name powers also hold hidden potential, meaning they can evolve in times of great stress. Ralf Senior, for example, by the end of the manga, can summon Alpha from any place he can see, BUT NOW he can also transform into a werewolf, giving him a significant boost to his physical abilities.

The Axe

I hope I convinced you of No\Name’s many strengths. I truly believed that this was the next superstar for Shuiesha, as they were also marketing it like crazy on their Manga+ website and app.

Imagine my surprise when, during the last couple of chapters, I saw that the story increased in speed. And not in a very healthy way; the change of pace was alluding to an axe.

I just couldn’t fucking understand; why would they axe this? The art, the story, the characters, it was all top-notch.

 

Two protagonists who have similar mindsets but very different personalities.

A story that dives deep into tough subjects such as a corrupt government, war crimes, child exploitation and much more.

 

Not to mention the outstanding art, dynamic and tension-filled action scenes, and one of the most unique power systems we’ve seen in a while, one that allows insane amounts of flexibility in fights.

 

Even the dialogue radiates with its organic conversations, as characters in No\Name aren’t there to fulfill a stereotype or a role; they are all individuals who speak their minds, evolve through the story, and show charisma and personality through every sentence they utter.

 

But this was obviously too good for the Japanese audience.

Chapter 14 was dubbed “Last Chapter,” and it quickly wrapped up the story and left us heartbroken. Rafal Jaki and MACHINE GAMU stated that they were working on something new, but we’ve yet to hear any news about their upcoming project, which I am very excited about.

 

Thus, the end of the No\Name manga left many very bitter and frustrated. While many mindboggling exorcist series and a million of the most generic romcoms still thrive, a gem like this was cut short, only lasting 14 chapters.

 

For me, this was the dumbest move I ever witnessed in my 13 years of reading manga. 

If you have the time, check out our other anime and manga posts, most shouldn’t be as depressing as this one.