Review: Code: Breaker

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Hello fellow manga readers, for this discussion, I will be writing my review on the manga, Code: Breaker. I hope this will be helpful for those who have not read this manga yet. Brief Synopsis: Sakura Sakurakouji has always been characterized as someone who tries to uphold justice. While riding the bus, she witnesses a teenage boy, wielding a blue flame from his hand, and multiple people being burned alive; however, on the next day, she goes back to the scene of the crime and finds no trace of the incident. When she heads to school, she is surprised to see that the same boy is the new transfer student, Rei Ogami. By befriending Rei, Sakura discovers Rei is a "Code: Breaker", which are individuals that are not listed in any government records; each Code: Breaker has a supernatural ability and delivers death to those deemed as evil. Because Sakura is opposed to the Code: Breaker's code of evil to extinguish evil, she attempts to change his way of thinking. Personal Thoughts: With the dark nature of the manga, it often uncovers the hidden corruption, which has created false peace for the general public. From illegal trafficking to gang violence, the manga gives the reader glimpses of corruption, which will often have the readers questioning their own morals. Is killing the target truly for the greater good to protect the innocent? Sometimes, the manga also depicts scenes of senseless killing, which shows how the Code: Breakers often do not consider the context of the situation before eliminating their targets. For the most part, the manga applies vigilante justice as the primary way of executing the judgement to criminals. With Sakura and Rei as the protagonists, it's interesting to see how they learn from each other. While Rei does not consider killing criminals as taboo, Sakura always tries to convince Rei that killing someone is never the correct punishment. Rei can also be like two sides of a coin. As a student among his classmates, he seems nice and approachable; however, while he's doing his part-time job as a Code: Breaker, he is ruthless and unwavering towards killing another person. Despite Sakura's good intentions for intervening Rei from killing his targets, it has occasionally backfired as the target tries to be apologetic and then retaliates. Unlike some female characters in the manga, Sakura is not a damsel in distress. Since she has a martial arts background, she does prove to be a strong female lead in the manga. Despite Rei's cold-hearted attitude towards people, Sakura does eventually help him realize there's plenty of senseless killings that can be avoided. Sakura's role as Rei's partner is almost like she is acting as his conscience because he doesn't seem to have one at times. Their attributes can be characterized as being in the opposite ends of the spectrum. Sakura is the friendly, good-natured character and Rei is the cold-blooded, two-faced character. While it is quite common to see partners in manga with different personalities struggle to work together, Sakura's attempts to open up Rei's good side provide some comedic relief from time to time. Final Verdict: The manga's principles for the Code: Breakers is based on one of the laws from the Code of Hammurabi, which is where 'an eye for an eye' concept can be found. Overall, I enjoyed the narration of the manga with various characters Rei and Sakura encounter; the plot is unpredictable, which keeps motivating me to read the next chapter. For casual manga readers, I would suggest reading this manga if you enjoy manga titles such as Flame of Recca and Blue Exorcist.