''Arm of Kannon'', originally titled in
Japan
Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...
, is a
manga
Manga (Japanese: 漫画 ) are comics or graphic novels originating from Japan. Most manga conform to a style developed in Japan in the late 19th century, and the form has a long prehistory in earlier Japanese art. The term ''manga'' is u ...
by . The series was licensed in English by
Tokyopop; the Tokyopop version of the manga is out of print as of August 31, 2009.
["TOKYOPOP Inc. Out of Print Titles." Tokyopop]
1
." Retrieved on September 10, 2009.
Story
The is a
holy relic
In religion, a relic is an object or article of religious significance from the past. It usually consists of the physical remains of a saint or the personal effects of the saint or venerated person preserved for purposes of veneration as a tangi ...
of the
buddhist goddess
Kannon (
Kanzeon
Guanyin () is a Bodhisattva associated with compassion. She is the East Asian representation of Avalokiteśvara ( sa, अवलोकितेश्वर) and has been adopted by other Eastern religions, including Chinese folk religion. She w ...
bosatsu
is the Japanese transliteration of the Sanskrit word ''bodhisattva
In Buddhism, a bodhisattva ( ; sa, 𑀩𑁄𑀥𑀺𑀲𑀢𑁆𑀢𑁆𑀯 (Brahmī), translit=bodhisattva, label=Sanskrit) or bodhisatva is a person who is on the path t ...
); after the
archeologist Tozo Mikami discovered it, he disappeared for three years. When he returns, his son, Mao, starts noticing something strange about him, and soon discovers that a secret military organization, Garama, is trying to unveil the secrets of the artifact to use it as a weapon.
The first four volumes of the series see Mao infected by the Arm and his rapid growth in relation to the Arm's effects. He is captured by Garama and subsequently escapes to the surrounding forest which has also been affected by Garama. Several parties try to achieve different things in the forest. The first is Mao's sister Mayo, the swordsman from Isurugi, and a monk called Kakujo. These three try to find Mao to help him overcome the Arm's infection and release him. The second group following Mao is a group called the "SDF" who are employed by the government to capture Mao alive. This group consists of four people; a male cyborg, a female soldier, a male with cybernetic eyes and sonic abilities, and a psychic man. The third group is the Manma, these are four mutants who are to kill Mao. These four are a male illusionist, a mysterious female, a man wrapped in bandages, and a gremlin-like man. These three groups face off in the forest in a race to reach Mao first.
References
External links
''Arm of Kannon'' on TOKYOPOP's web siteMadman's official ''Arm of Kannon'' sales site*
Gentosha manga
Horror anime and manga
Science fiction anime and manga
Seinen manga
Tokyopop titles
{{manga-stub