Master Keaton

Master Keaton (Masutā Kīton) is a manga series that was created by magna artist Hokusei Katsushika and Naoki Urasawa. Urasawa is a well known mangaka, the term given to manga artists, who has been working professionally since 1984. He has won the Shogakukan Manga Award, a highly coveted manga award. Master Keaton began in the Big Comic Original, a popular manga magazine, in 1988. It went for 18 volumes and ended in 1994. It was turned into an anime series between 1998 and 1999 in Japan. The anime has been dubbed in English and is available on DVD’s, but the manga is only available in Japanese. Most manga’s are written for ages ranging from children up to around 20 years old. Master Keaton was developed for men that are in their 20’s and 30’s.

Synopsis

Master Keaton is about a character named Taichi Hiraga-Keaton. Keaton is the son of a wealthy English woman named Patricia Keaton and of a Japanese zoo keeper named Taihei Hiraga. His parents divorced when he was very little and as a result, Keaton was raised in England. When he grew up he decided to become an archeologist and studied at Oxford University. One of his main professors was Professor Yuri Scott, who comes into play later on in the series. Keaton lives a relatively normal life, marrying a woman, having a child and then getting divorced. His daughter is five years old in the series, and is living with her mother, Keaton’s ex-wife.

It was after all of this happened that he decided to join the British SAS (Special Air Service). The SAS is a very selective and secretive group that only allows the best into their ranks. They are in the center of the United Kingdom Special Forces and they are so good that they serve as the ideal military force for other countries to emulate. Keaton thrives in the SAS, eventually getting to the rank of master sergeant. He is involved in the Iranian Embassy incident and also helps to fight in the Falklands War. It is after his time in the SAS that he decides to go to work for Lloyds of London. Lloyds is a British insurance market. It is Keaton’s job to investigate claims for them. On the side he also has an insurance agency with his best friend, Daniel O’Connell.

Characters

• Daniel O’Connell – Daniel is the co-owner of “Keaton and O’Connell, Insurance Investigators”. He and Keaton met at an excavation during a murder investigation way back in 1982. He and Daniel then started working together. He is a kind man, but is known as a bit of a womanizer.

• Yuriko Hiraga – Yuriko is Keaton’s daughter. She is currently attending school and hopes that she can graduate from Oxford as her parents did. She is extremely independent and likes to boss her father around. She also has a very kind heart and loves to travel with her father when it is allowed.