Circumstances of the Revenant Braves

Circumstances of the Revenant Braves is a webcomic written and illustrated by Kristof Serdynski. The comic was launched in June 2007 and updates every weekday (Monday through Friday). Some comics are accompanied by a blog entry. The blog entries uploaded by the author sometimes discuss anime, video games, reviews and updates on the authors’ life.

Style
Circumstances of the Revenant Braves is an anime/manga style webcomic. The webcomic itself although being illustrated in an anime style and having several anime themes often pokes fun at stereotypical anime conventions. A couple of main characters are otaku, including Kei, who is exposed as a secret otaku in Chapter 2, Page 15. Revenant Braves also includes multiple references to classic and popular anime such as The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya and Mai HiME.

Setting
The setting of the story is a fictional city that is similar to the authors’ hometown of Dartmouth, Nova Scotia and the surrounding Halifax Regional Municipality. One such example of similarity to the Halifax Regional Municipality is the name of Lilith’s Café, The Satisfaction Café. This is based off the popular vegetarian restaurant Satisfaction Feast which is located in Halifax. It takes place in a world that is similar to our own, but as the author writes, is “vastly more interesting.”

Story
Circumstances of the Revenant Braves focuses on the daily life of a 15 year old boy named Kanzaki Kei and begins on his first day of High School (10th grade). The comic, as described by the author is: “…the story of a young man who comes to learn what a lousy human being he is when he meets a young lady who doesn't realise what a marvelous human being she is. . . there's also cool sword fights, demons, ancient spirits, and other nifty stuff which keep things from dragging.”

Cast
In Circumstances of the Revenant Braves surnames come first, then given names.

Kanzaki Kei: Kei is an average young man who has no aspirations or goals, other than to stay out of trouble. Kei hasn’t put much thought into pondering the more important questions in life. In middle school Kei was heavily into video games and comics but has since toned it down to fit in with his high school peers.

Aoyama Fio: An enigmatic young lady who is determined to help others in situations where they have nowhere else to turn. This desire has driven her to start an organisation that has no specific focus for helping people, but essentially changes goals (as well as names) on a day-to-day basis. This is a running gag throughout the comic.

Gensai Sol: A passionate young man who is a student of the martial art “Sen Genkotsu Ryu”. Sol encompasses the spirit of comic book justice and wishes to use his talent and enthusiasm to fight and destroy evil.

Gotou Ken: Is a spirited young man who is eager to please his girlfriend. He works part-time at The Satisfaction Café.

Inafune Serge: A generic acquaintance of Kei’s. Kei enjoys his company, but is often left feeling bored by his uninspired conversation.

Kanzaki Lilith: Kei’s mother. She has an unpredictable temper and owns The Satisfaction Café. Ken is often the target of her outbursts.

Reviews
Circumstances of the Revenant Braves was reviewed by Robert A. Howard of http://tangent.panel2panel.com on October 24, 2007. An excerpt from his review:

“Its appearance is rather unrefined, especially when compared to the vast number of inked strips out there; this roughness helps CRB stand out from its peers as Kristof S. is actually a good artist who can draw realistic people, clothing, and backgrounds with a minimum of lines…CRB remains a diamond in the rough, well worth reading and watching as its rough edges are smoothed away, and the gem inside emerges.”

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