Welcome to This Week in Shonen Jump, our weekly check in on Viz’s various Shonen Jump series. Viz has recently changed their release format, but our format will mostly remain the same. We will still review the newest chapters of one title a week, now with even more options at our disposal. The big change for our readers is that, even without a Shonen Jump subscription, you can read these most recent chapters for free at Viz.com or using their app.
This week, Robbie checks in with “Ice-Head Gill.” If you have thoughts on this or any other current Shonen Jump titles, please let us know in the comments!
“Ice-Head Gill” Chapter 1: Gill Sol and the Lich
Written and illustrated by Ikuo Hachiya
Reviewed by Robbie Pleasant
For the second week in a row, there’s a new manga in “Shonen Jump,” which means another chance to impress us with a strong start as we place our bets as to which manga will make it for the long haul and which will be quickly forgotten. In this case, we have “Ice-Head Gill,” a manga that brings fantasy and Norse elements together.
Fantasy manga in “Shonen Jump” tend to either hit huge heights, like with “Black Clover,” or be quickly canceled and forgotten, like “Guardian of the Witch,” or “The Hunter’s Guild: Red Hood,” or many other series I’m pretty sure I read briefly before they suddenly and unceremoniously ended. So “Ice-Head Gill” will have a bit of an uphill struggle. But, as something of a fantasy nerd myself, I dove in optimistically.
The story of “Ice-Head Gill” is set in The Kingdom of Ashen Ice, which features a mostly generic fantasy kingdom with vaguely viking-esque designs, as well as Urchin Island, a frozen isle that leans more heavily into the viking aesthetic. Here we meet protagonist Gill Sol, whose father was a brave warrior and leader, up until the day he allegedly killed the prince and his allies before running away. So, naturally, the entire village wanted to take it out on Gill, a fact that they point out not once, but twice, to the point where it’s the first thing they decide to do when forming an angry mob.
Subtle, this manga is not.
But that still presents Gill’s backstory and motivation, as he’s sent to live on Urchin Island with his aunt (whether biological or adopted, we’re not told). From there we get to understand who he is as a character, from his inhuman strength to his attitude about his life on the island and his father’s fate. And, of course, as a shonen protagonist, he has some kind of skill that will allow him to fight in any shonen manga battle scenes we may get (whether or not that leads to tournament arcs) – in this case, he’s beyond skilled with an axe. Equally importantly, we get to see him rally the villagers together, which is a good trait to have.
The chapter also introduces the more magical and monstrous elements of the story with liches. Unlike the liches in D&D, these ones are more generic “evil people come back from hell who can also possess people,” but they work well enough as fantasy enemies for the hero to fight. It also serves as the inciting event for the manga, sending Gill off on a journey on a vague relic quest.
Visually, “Ice-Head Gill” has a lot going for it. The artwork is clean, with strong linework and a good balance of details. Both the character designs and the scenery look nice and are brimming with personality; Gill’s design is a basic but strong “young shonen manga protagonist” design that feels similar to Gon from “Hunter X Hunter” with a bit of “Demon Slayer” thrown in, while his Aunt Mela sports a “dark ice queen” style that is almost begging to be cosplayed. Other characters also feature solid designs that reflect their personalities nicely, including the monstrous, skeletal liches, and even the general villagers.
While the manga includes no shortage of action, the majority of the fights we see include super-fast movement, which is both a positive and negative. While it shows off the characters’ speed and strength, it also doesn’t give us quite as much action to follow, as it ends the battles quickly. Though the fight against the lich does go on for a bit longer, and gives us a little more to follow.
Overall, “Ice-Head Gill” is off to a solid start. There are a few minor issues along the way, but nothing that stops it from being an engaging beginning that establishes the setting, characters, and overarching goal. While it’s not an instant hit, there’s enough potential to make it worth following.
Final Verdict: 8.0 – A strong start to what could be a good new series in “Shonen Jump,” supported by clean artwork and solid storytelling fundamentals.
