Love and deception breed a complicated romance and a troubled future in this Captain Laserhawk: A Blood Dragon Remix boys’ love companion manga
Love can be a complicated thing. We either learn from it or are burned by it. If you ask Dolph Laserhawk if he has either learned or has been burned by his relationship with Alex Taylor, I’m sure he will say both. Captain Laserhawk: A Blood Dragon Remix: Crushing Love is a boys’ love companion manga written by GLAAD Media Award-nominated writer, Ben Kahn and illustrated by Bayou Kun.
The story is set between episodes four and five of the Captain Laserhawk: A Blood Remix Netflix anime series and explores the past of Dolph Laserhawk through his memories. Learning how he met and abandoned the man who became the love of his life, the handsome criminal mastermind known as Alex Taylor. Dolph is a deserter, without a penny to his name, and is looking to break free from the shackles placed on him by Eden.
Through this introspective lens, we embark on a passionate, yet tumultuous love journey that is both wholesome and heartbreaking. To much of its favor, Crushing Love doesn’t spend too much time revisiting the events of the anime. There’s no need to rehash familiar story threads if you have seen the anime already. However, this doesn’t mean that you can’t jump right into the manga without having seen the anime series first. The great thing about this manga is that this book and the anime both can serve as essential starting points to Dolph Laserhawk’s story.
By jumping into the manga after watching the anime you get the additional context to Laserhawk and Taylor’s love story and gain a further understanding of their complicated relationship and Taylor’s betrayal at the start of the show. On the flip side, jumping into the anime after reading the manga, will add a layer of emotional weight and impact when the betrayal happens in the anime. Both starting points, however, provide a much deeper understanding of Dolph as a character, and as a person.
In addition to learning more about Laserhawk and Taylor’s complicated relationship, we learn more about his childhood and the experiences he’s had that led him to become a soldier for Eden. All the while meeting a trove of exciting new characters that are not in the anime which makes for impressionable interactions that beg to be seen in anime form. A light is also shined on Alex Taylor as his intelligence, smarts, and wits are highlighted to efficient effect. All the more showcasing how and why Laserhawk was able to fall for him so swiftly and so intensely.
It provides all of the context clues to Dolph and Alex’s story, which enhances the story told in the anime. Provides an introspective lens on love, trauma, and hardships and lessons on how we can learn and grow from both our old and new experiences along with our new and old relationships.This a book about two individuals who truly fell for each other and at some point wanted the best for each other, but whose personal egos get in the way of what could’ve been something undeniably beautiful.
I don’t want to go without saying that Bayou’s artwork flows nicely and provides all of the emotion, action, and sexual tension needed for the story to hit all of the notes it intends to hit. To call Captain Laserhawk: A Blood Dragon Remix: Crushing Love an essential piece of material for the Captain Laserhawk series would be an understatement and would be me underselling the gracefulness of this story.
If you are keen on picking up Captain Laserhawk: A Blood Dragon Remix: Crushing Love but haven’t picked it up yet, then make sure to do so ASAP. The manga is currently available digitally and will be released in print on March 12th. You can order the volume print through TOKYOPOP’s website when it releases on March 12th. Be sure to also take advantage of TOKYOPOP’s Valentine’s Day manga sale as this manga title and so many more are up for grabs at a special discounted price.
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