Coud is a young sky pirate who discovered a girl with mysterious powers on what had seemed like a routine mission. Ren has the ability to lend Coud bizarre fighting capabilities(his arm turns into a giant blade of some sort), being part of a race of beings called Edel Raid, but being the possessor of a stone called the Elemental Gelade, she has powers even beyond the norm. Followed by mysterious pursuers, but protected by a party of Elemental Gelade Protection Agency (Arc Aile) agents, this is a fun, fast-paced story with appealing art.

Cou (Coud Van Giruet):
A sky-thief who finds Reverie Metherlence as loot after a raid on another ship. He agrees to escort her to the Edel Garden. 

Edel Raid Reverie Metherlence:
A direct descendant of the Metherlence bloodline. She is also the Shichikouhouju, an Edel Raid with extraordinary powers that surpass all other Edel Raids. 

Mayumi Azuma

Reading Elemental Gelade is like clinging desperately to a rocket racing towards a munitions factory. Seriously, if you don’t believe me, listen to this--after successfully robbing a rich snob of his loot, Coud Van Giruet and his fellow sky pirates discover that among the plundered booty is an Edel Raid (a living weapon that physically bonds with its user, usually morphing into a huge honkin’ sword). Her name is Ren, and she immediately develops a bond with Coud. But soon after they are attacked by Arc Aile--an agency dedicated to protecting weapons like Ren, consequently keeping them out of the “wrong” hands. But Ren wishes to go to a place called “Edel Garden,” and asks Coud to help her escape--which ignites a fierce battle between Arc Aile and the entire sky pirate fleet. And that’s just in chapter one, folks.

Elemental Gelade is unapologetically fun, delivering action and thrills on one page, while tugging on the old ticker the next. Coud is a hero on the rise, a boy whose heart makes up for his current lack of skill with Ren. Coud and Ren’s relationship is the beating heart of the story, as he and Arc Aile form a rocky alliance to keep Ren safe while she quests for her mysterious Garden. The art is full of energy and life, in that stylistically the transition from the page to the screen (for the hugely popular Anime) is almost seamless.
 
If manga-adventure has a name, it must be "Elemental Gelade"!

Troy Lewter
Editor, TOKYOPOP