Review: FUTABA-KUN CHANGE

Considering we're still in the midst of a Ranma 1/2 reboot, now's a good time to talk about its pervy weirdo cousin of a manga.

FUTABA-KUN CHANGE (Futaba-kun Chenji), by Hiroshi Aro.  First published in 1991 and first published in North America in 1998.

PLOT:

Futaba Shimeru thought he was just another ordinary high school guy.  He went to classes, hung out with his wrestling team, and pined for the pretty Misaki from afar.  Then something strange happens when he thinks of Misaki during a private session with a porno magazine: he turns into a woman! It turns out everyone in Futuba's family can change sex whenever they are excited, and can only change back when their thoughts calm down.  That's a hard thing for Futuba to do when his teammates are searching for the cute girl with the sweet wrestling moves, his sister keeps getting horny over him, and he's forced to enroll in school as his female self.

Review: I WANT TO BE A RECEPTIONIST IN THIS MAGICAL WORLD

I cannot be the first person to observe the vast difference in ambition when it comes to light novel adaptations targeted at men versus those targeted at women.  The men become (or aim to become) rulers and adventurers.  Even those who want an easy life become farmers and shop owners.  Meanwhile, their feminine counterparts only seem to aspire to be potion-makers, healers or this.

I WANT TO BE A RECEPTIONIST IN THIS MAGICAL WORLD (Maho Sekai no Uketsukejo ni Naratai Desu), based on the original light novels by MAKO and character designs by Maro, with art by Yone.  First published in 2019 and first published in North America in 2023.

PLOT:

Ever since she was a little girl, Nunnally wanted to be a receptionist at Harre, the adventuring guild of her world.  Only the most capable, elegant, and talented young ladies are hired, so that means young Nunnally must go to the best magic academy in the land to qualify.  Unfortunately she's a commoner in a class of nothing but stuck-up noble children, including a particularly snotty boy named Alweiss.  She's going to have to work hard to rise above them, find and refine her own magical talent, and show the world just how capable she can be.

STORY:

My first response to a title like I Want To Be a Receptionist In This Magical World is a sarcastic "aim high, sister!"  I don't want to denigrate the very notion of being a receptionist, speaking as someone who's worked as one more than once in my life.  I just find it very hard to believe anyone would aspire to such a role.  I can understand why a child like Nunnally would be dazzled by a fancy uniform and classy manner.  It's not that far off from the impulse that drives little kids to want to become vets because they like animals or to become a firefighter because fire trucks are bright and loud and fascinating.  It's the fact that Nunnally sticks with that into her teens that I find harder to believe.  

It's almost as hard to believe as the qualifications necessary for such a low-ranking role.  To demand the highest ranking students from the highest ranking magical schools for what is basically a glorified customer service role is like demanding a Master's degree for an ordinary office manager job.  That's not even getting into the unspoken gender bias, because I sure as hell don't see any dudes doing this job.  It's almost like they are unthinkingly replicating the shitty gender politics of office workers in Japan!

Of course, these complaints ultimately amount to very little because that's not what this story is actually about.  No, mostly it's just the same old boring wannabe Harry Potter magic school bullshit you've seen in a million other light novels.  That means Nunnally is an underdog surrounded by snobby nobles with only a couple of roommates to serve as friends and secondary shipping fodder.  That snotty rival boy of course turns out to be her snotty love interest, as their boring bickering is meant to be a substitute for actual flirting or sexual tension.  In true light novel protagonist fashion, Nunnally turns out to possess a rare form of ice magic, which has the added side effect of giving her bright blue hair and eyes (not that you can really tell outside of the front cover).  Unless you are absolutely brand new to this sort of manga, you will have absolutely seen these sorts of characters, these sorts of relationships, and this sort of plot before.  Hell, you can probably recite it in your sleep.  It seems that Nunnally's lack of ambition is exceeded only by that of the author, who has absolutely no ambition or originality to speak of.

ART:

There's not a great deal of difference stylistically between the art for the light novels (which have been licensed here under the the title "The Sorcerer's Receptionist") and this manga adaptation.  At most, the manga artwork has been somewhat simplified.  It's not unpleasant to look at but it's not particularly distinct either.  That same level of run-of-the-mill competence can be found in every nook and corner of the visual production.  At worst the pages are a little cluttered, but otherwise it's no different from any other workmanlike light novel adaptation you can find at the bookstores.

RATING:

The concept behind the title is bad, but the real issue with I Want To Be a Receptionist In This Magical World is that it's stultifying dull and derivative.  It can't even commit to that premise, as flawed as it is, because even that was too original for the original author.  You've seen countless other iterations of this story and you'd do better to read literally any of them.

This manga is published by Yen Press.  This series is ongoing in Japan with 7 volumes available.  6 volumes have been released and are currently in print.

Review: MY HAPPY MARRIAGE

It's January again, which means once more it's Dealer's Choice Month.  That means there's no theme tying together this month's review beyond the fact that I want to talk about them...or in this case, that the second season of the anime adaptation of this work is currently airing. 

MY HAPPY MARRIAGE (Watashi no Shiawase na Kekkon), based on the light novels by Akumi Agitogi and illustrations by Tsukiho Tsukioka, with art by Rito Kohsaka.  First published in 2018 and first published in North America in 2022.

PLOT:

For almost as long as Miyo Saimori can remember, her life has been nothing but misery.  She was the product of a loveless arranged marriage, lacking in the hereditary magical powers that noble families like hers are supposed to possess.  When her mother died and her father remarried, her life became nothing but an endless wave of drudgery, abuse, neglect, and depression.  Miyo has no reason to believe her life could be anything different, even when her father sends her off to be married to the notoriously icy Lord Kiyoka Kudo.

With the help of Kiyoka's kindly housekeeper Yumie, Miyo slowly begins to open up to others and piece together her sense of self-worth.  In turn, Kiyoka finds himself drawn to this strange, sad, lonely young woman, even as outside forces conspire to sabotage their romance before it can properly begin.