Happy Friday readers! In today’s issue of Manga Hermit, I decided to change things up a bit. If any of you have noticed, I’ve been on a slice-of-life run for the last couple of articles. Knowing full well that you’ll be getting more than enough of that wholesome, communal feeling during the holiday season, I had to think deep and hard about a manga that defied reality more than a human having god-given abilities. Cooks, assassins, families, music, overly compensating males – what haven’t I thought of yet?

…How have I not done any mechas yet?

In the land of Cruzon, the numerous countries have eked out a lifestyle though the use of a curious material called Quartz. There are numerous types of quartz that can be found in this realm and their applications are all but limitless. What makes Quartz truly unique is how this material is manipulated. You see, almost the entire population of this realm can use “magic” – the ability to manipulate and conjure Quartz into numerous forms and applications, from the day they are born till the day they die. Life is unfair, and sadly there are a select few who cannot utilize magic, thereby making a Quartz-reliant lifestyle a tad difficult.

Rygart Arrow is one of these “un-sorcerers”, but he’s got bigger problems than having to make a fire just to have breakfast. His beloved country of Krisna is on the verge of decimation by its neighbor - the Nation of Athens. Out-gunned, out-manned and barely having the advantage on tactics, Krisna’s eventual fall grows closer with each passing day. The king of Krisna believes that they have one last ploy to use - the discovery of a never before seen and highly advanced Golem (bipedal war machines) encased in Quartz. The problem is that it seems said golem is unaffected by magic. On a whim, the king calls in his old war cadet friend Rygart, just to get his opinion on the war and the new golem when everything goes wrong. But, curiously the golem begins to respond to Rygart’s presence…

Written by Yunosuke Yoshinaga in 2007, with 10 volumes in print and a whole mess of mecha-on-mecha action, Break Blade is one manga that breaks the mold without actually breaking the mold. An interesting mix of mecha and fantasy, readers will be hungering for more battles where Rygart and the Delphine get to show off their mettle. Break Blade’s story is solid, though there is a demand for answers on the growing conflict between Krisna and Athens. No anime/manga plot remains that straightforward after so many issues.