Polite Dissent

Ray, Volume 1
Manga by Akihito Yoshitomi
Published by ADV

If you’re looking for authentic medical stories, you’re not going to find them in Ray. On the other hand, if you’re looking for an adventure story with a smattering of medicine and science, and the hint of a dark conspiracy in the background, then this is the manga for you. And did I mention the kung fu nurses?

Ray is the product of a clone farm, raised to provide organs for the extremely rich who can afford them. As a young teenager, her eyes were removed, but a mysterious benefactor rescued her and provided her with a new set of eyes — an enhanced pair with x-ray vision. With the help of her new eyes, Ray has become an underground surgeon and travels Japan helping those in need.

In the first story, Ray is hired by some bank robbers. One of their members is deathly ill. She is able to cure the patient as well as help the criminals evade the police. The diagnosis will be familiar to anyone who watches House, as it is mentioned there on a weekly basis.

The second story deals with a young woman who has dilated cardiomyopathy and desperately needs a heart transplant. Ray has access to a new artificial heart, but it is too large for the patient. Her boyfriend insists that she be given his heart instead. Ray has to find a way to save the girl’s life without killing both patients.

The first two stories contain actual medical diagnoses, but from the third story on, Yoshitomi gives up any pretext of medical accuracy. The stories get more bizarre and strange with each chapter.

The third chapter concerns a patient who grew up with Ray on the clone farm. He has had a fungal time bomb placed in his chest by the mysterious owners of the farm. If Ray can’t remove it in time, he’ll die.

In the fourth story, a drug dealer has a rare tumor and is being cared for at the hospital where Ray moonlights as a nurse. It quickly becomes apparent that Ray is the only one with the skill to save him. As she is operating, other members of her patient’s drug cartel come to the hospital to kill him, but luckily the hospital is protected by kung fu nurses. There’s enough head kicking (and fan service) in these scenes to keep even Chris happy.

The final story is the strangest one. A teenage girl has been acting bizarrely and has been brought to the hospital for observation. She has become hypersexual, kissing and fondling everyone. Ray is able to succesfully diagnose and cure the patient, but it is definitely an X-Files style conclusion.

My Diagnosis:
Ray, Volume 1. Accurate medical storytelling? No. Worthwhile and fun adventure story with a hint of medicine? Yes.