Pumpkin Scissors - Iwanaga Ryoutarou

Status: Ongoing

Genre: shounen, fantasy, historical, action

Pumpkin Scissors takes place in a fictional world which resembles 19th century Europe. The long and devastating war between the Empire and the Republic ended with a ceasefire. Despite that, three years after the ceasefire, the Empire was still burdened by war damages. 

The military section SS3 "Pumpkin Scissors" was originally created  as a propaganda tool for the citizens.  Usually dismissed for being "party section", it only handled trivial matters and only had a handful of officers. However, things changed after Corporal Randel Oland joined the rank.

Characters

Corporal Randel Oland

A war veteran who joined Pumpkin Scissors. He has a huge build and his body is full of scars, but he is actually gentle and shy. A strange lantern is always strapped on his waist. During the war, Randel served in unit 901, an anti-tank infantry unit which existence is not found in any military record. When the lantern on his waist is on, he turns into a ruthless killing machine while the words "toten sie" (kill them) is repeated inside his head. He keeps getting nightmare about the people he had killed.

2nd Lt. Alice L. Malvin
Second-in-command and the field leader of Pumpkin Scissors. Born into a noble family, she was raised in military tradition. She holds strong sense of duty and justice, and treats everyone fairly, be it nobles or commoners. Although she lacks womanly appeal to her sister's dismay, she's an excellent soldier and is profocient in sword and Mahne (double bladed cavalry sword).


War Relief Efforts

The war had caused the Empire a huge damage. There is a big disparity between the nobles and commoners, and many people live below the poverty line. There are also many unseen crimes and injustice: some people commit atrocities while hiding behind their power, status, and wealth, like a pumpkin's thick flesh. With Lt. Malvin as the spearhead, Pumpkin Scissors aim to cut through this "thick flesh" and deliver justice and happiness to the people. Quite a lot of issues are covered in this manga, such as illegal drug dealing, local dictatorship, commoners riot, as well as media and propaganda.


What I Like:

• The theme. Unlike a lot of war mangas, Pumpkin Scissors deals with the aftermath of a war. Some people (mafia, corrupt officials, etc) take advantage of the situation to gain profits over other's sufferings. The manga also shows that rebuilding a country after the war isn't an easy process, and that everyone suffers in wars, whether you win or lose, whether you are military or civilian.
• The chemistry among the members of Pumpkin Scissors. 
• The budding romance between Roland and the Lieutenant.

What I don't like:

• The chapters are very long... I think there's one chapter which is around 100 pages, so it can be quite exhausting. But I like the story so it's ok xD
• Not that I don't like, but.. the killing can be quite brutal so just be prepared :P

Right now I've just read until volume 11 (currently it's up to volume 19 if I'm not mistaken) so I still need a lot of catching up, but I like what I've read so far. This manga has a heavy theme but it's written in a way that is easy to follow (not many difficult military terms and stuffs), and most of all, it makes me think about war and its consequences. If you're in the mood for some serious manga, then this manga is for you.

Tell me what you think in the comments :)