Review: STEEL ANGEL KURUMI

We go from isekai maids to robot maids as I dig up this forgotten bit of nonsense from ADV's manga division.

STEEL ANGEL KURUMI (Kotetsu Tenshi Kurumi), by Kaishaku.  First published in 1997 and first published in North America in 2003.

PLOT:

In an alternate version of the Taisho era, Dr. Ayanokoji is on the run.  The army wants to seize his plans for his "Automated Dolls," and he's willing to do anything to protect them.  Nakahito is a cowardly young orphan who happens to stumble upon Dr. Ayanokoji's hideout in the middle of a dare.  He awakens one of his Dolls with an (accidental) kiss, and she pledges her eternal devotion to him.  Now Nakahito has a robot maid who will protect him from anything, including her mechanical 'sisters' and those who would wield them as super soldiers.

Review: MAYO CHIKI!

 Of course, I can't talk about shonen manga without some sort of horny nonsense, and boy does this one live up to both parts of that phrase.

MAYO CHIKI!, based on the light novels by Hajime Asano and illustrations by Seiji Kikuchi, with art by NEET.  First published in 2010 and first published in North America in 2012.

PLOT:

Sakamachi Kinjiro is a teen boy with a serious problem.  He's got a terrible fear of women which tends to manifest as sudden, involuntary nosebleeds.  Through a series of accidents, he discovers that the butler serving the resident rich girl Kanade Suzutsuki is secretly a girl.  Said butler, Subaru Konoe, is all too ready to kill Kinjiro for uncovering her secret but Kanade has a better idea.  In return for keeping Subaru's secret, Kinjiro will go on dates with Suburu to cure his gynophobia.  Misadventures ensue, and Kinjiro is going to need to man up fast if he (and his blood pressure) are going to survive.

Review: RAVE MASTER

During Tokyopop's prime, they struggled to get their hands on big-name shonen manga titles.  They really only managed to do so twice.  One of those was Love Hina.  The other was this.

RAVE MASTER (Rave: The Groove Adventure), by Hiro Mashima.  First published in 1999 and first published in North America in 2003.

PLOT:

Haru Glory has spent sixteen idyllic years on Garage Island alongside his sister.  Then he fishes a strange, snowman-like creature out of a pond, inadvertantly setting into motion the renewal of a battle between the forces of darkness and light, of Dark and Rave.  An ancient warrior stumbles into their village proclaiming that only Haru can wield the powers of the Rave, so now Haru must master his new weapon against the the forces of Demon Card while searching for the four remaining Rave Stones that can bring this battle to an end.

Review: RIZELMINE

Don't think we're ignoring shonen romance, as here's a wretched little one-shot example from the creator of D.N. Angel.

RIZELMINE (Rizerumain), by Yukiru Sugisaki.  First published in 2001 and first published in North America in 2005.

PLOT:

Tomonori Iwaki is having a very bad day.  It began when he learned that the teacher he's been crushing on is getting married.  It only got worse when he came home, only to find a tiny, obnoxious little girl named Rizel claiming to be his wife.  Rizel is a secret government experiment, a being who needs to learn about love to further her development, and her "dads" (who are totally not government spooks) easily bribe convince his parents to go along with it.  Rizel loves her new husband, but Tomonori wants nothing to do with her and his rejections come with explosive results.  Things only get more chaotic from there, as some of Tomonori's classmates, an American-made knockoff of Rizel, and a coma threaten to part the unwitting couple.

Review: I WANT TO ESCAPE FROM PRINCESS LESSONS

 It's time for another Bad Romance Month, where we cover a selection of some of the worst and weirdest romances to grace manga.  We're starting with a fairly recent title that's in the same vein as all those villainess stories, but no sausage-curled ojou-sama could devise a torment as bad as the one this story's heroine receives.

I WANT TO ESCAPE FROM PRINCESS LESSONS (Kisaki Kyoiku kara Nigetai Watashi), based on the light novels by Izumi Sawano and illustrations by Miru Yamasaki, with art by Uri Sugata.  First published in 2020 and first published in North America in 2023.

PLOT:

When Leticia was seven years old, she was engaged to the crown prince Clarke.  This meant she was torn from her family home and forced to undergo a decade's worth of lessons in deportment, etiquette, history, dancing, and more, all for the sake of a boy she barely knew and a role she never asked for.

One day she finds another woman on his arm and presumes she is free at last from her unwanted engagement.  She immediately runs off the countryside to play, roam, and do all the un-ladylike things she's been forbidden from doing for years.  Unfortunately, Clarke does not want their engagement will end and he will do anything to keep Leticia by his side, including stopping her many attempted escapes.

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.

Holiday Review #23: CAPTAIN MOMO'S SECRET BASE

Another year, another opportunity for Dark Horse to release a new Kenji Tsurita manga.  What can this one offer that Emanon and Wandering Island could not?

CAPTAIN MOMO'S SECRET BASE (Momo Kancho no Himitsu Kicho), by Kenji Tsurita.  First published in 2017 and first published in North America in 2024.

PLOT:

In the far future, interstellar cargo deliveries are an everyday thing.  The companies that run them operate on tight margins, employing only a single pilot, basic amenities, and just enough battery power to get to the delivery site.  Moshi-Moshi Momo is one of these pilots, but she's not one to follow the rules.  She sneaks on her cat Grandpa John, hangs around stark naked, fills every space possible with physical books, and is always scheming new ways to tweak the ship's systems so she can get a little extra power to replicate better food, even if every instance means she is that much closer to running out of power before she gets to her destination.

Holiday Review #22: MOBILE SUIT GUNDAM: THE ORIGIN MSD: CUCURUZ DOAN'S ISLAND

 You think I would be excited to read not just a new Gundam manga this year, but a spinoff to site favorite Gundam: The Origin.  Alas, things always seem to end up a little cursed whenever Cucuruz Doan is involved.

MOBILE SUIT GUNDAM: THE ORIGIN MSD: CUCURUZ DOAN'S ISLAND (Kido Senshi Gundam: Cucuruz Doan no Shima), based on the original concept by Hajime Yatate and Yoshiyuki Tomino, the original manga by Yoshikazu Yasuhiko, mechanical designs by Hajime Katoki, and character designs by Tsukasa Kotobuki, with story and art by Junji Ohno.  First published in 2016 and first published in North America in 2024.

PLOT:

Once, Cucuruz Doan was the commander of the Y-02 Platoon, there to test some of Zeon's latest prototypes in their efforts to win the One Year War.  He was known for his ruthlessness and ferocity in battle...until the day he defected.

Months later, the former members of his squad have been scattered across the battlefields of Earth, thinking back on their commander and wondering how things all went wrong as one by one they confront the dreadful Gundam.

Holiday Review #21: TRILLION GAME

What happens when you combine the writer of Dr. Stone and the artist of Crying Freeman?  You get this, although I'd have to ask why anyone wanted this in the first place.

TRILLION GAME (Toririon Gemu), written by Riichiro Inagaki with art by Ryoichi Ikegami.  First published in 2020 and first published in North America in 2024.

PLOT:

Haru is a fast talker with charisma to spare and a big dream: making a trillion dollars.  Gaku is talented with computers, but can't seem to catch a break otherwise.  Haru convinces Gaku to join him and make all their dreams come true, even if that means bullshitting their way into a start-up loan from a banking executive's daughter and competing in an international hacking contest.

Holiday Review #18: DUCHESS IN THE ATTIC

 Of course, there was plenty of lady-led light novel adaptations to go around.  This is probably one of the few that didn't involve reincarnations or villainesses, although that doesn't make any better than the rest.

DUCHESS IN THE ATTIC (Yane Urabeya no Koshaku Fujin), based on the light novels by Mori and character designs by Huyuko Aoi, with art by Maki Hayashi.  First published in 2019 and first published in North America in 2024.

PLOT:

Opal dreamed of having a beautiful wedding as a child, but her chances were ruined forever thanks to one man getting fresh with her during her debut.  Now all of the other nobles presume she's a harlot, and she's forced to marry a duke who covets her fortune and only cares for his sickly mistress.  Opal knows where she's not wanted, so she moves herself to the attic to bide her time, review her husband's ledgers, and find a way to get herself out of this mess..

Holiday Review #10: I WANT A GAL GAMER TO PRAISE ME

 The success of My Dress-Up Darling has led to a wave of shonen romances where a flirty gyaru gal with a otaku-friendly interest gets together with an ordinary teen boy all while missing what made that series so good and appealing in the first place.

I WANT A GAL GAMER TO PRAISE ME (Gyaru Gamer ni Homeraretai), by Geshumaro.  First published in 2022 and first published in North America in 2024.

PLOT:

Raito Sasaki wants to be better at battle royale games, so he figures he could hire a top-ranked player to be his coach.  He never expected that coach to be a perky gal with a rockin' bod.  Rion's advice is good and her perspective is always positive, but how can Raito focus when a hot girl is in his room pressing herself close to him at every turn?

Holiday Review #5: GOKURAKUGAI

Even shonen manga is not immune to the horror vibes, even if it mostly takes the form of demon fighters like this one.

GOKURAKUGAI, by Yuto Sano.  First published in 2022 and first published in North America in 2024.

PLOT:

In the neighborhood of Gokurakugai, there are two troubleshooters named Alma and Ms. Tao.  They are guns for hire, committed to hunting down demonic creatures known as magas in the Chinatown in which they live.  That means doing everything from solving missing persons cases, comforting victims of familial abuse, or hunting down a serial killer.

STORY:

So even if you aren't the sort of person who keeps up with all the latest chapters in the Shonen Jump app, odds are good you've heard of this series because for a while it was a meme.  The joke was that despite having only a handful of chapters to its name and rather middling rankings, Gokurakugai was the most impossibly popular, acclaimed manga to ever run in Weekly Shonen Jump.  

I can see how these jokes would arise because Gokurakugai is aggressively mid.  The premise is flexible, but there are countless other action exorcist/spirit detective styles stories like this one, even if you only limit yourself to Weekly Shonen Jump.  Alma is pretty much every Shonen Action Boy you've ever seen: dumb, happy, gluttonous, eager to help, with hints of a dark past and the flashy ability to pull a giant knife made of blood from his chest.  Tao is just an enigma, carried more by the coolness of her design than anything else.  The rest of the cast is full of familiar shonen character types, ranging from the Token Cute Girl to the Token Sleezy Guy (who is both a money-grubber and mildly pervy).  

The stories we see in this volume also have the same problem.  They are perfectly fine, largely self-contained stories that follow a fairly firm formula.  Someone brings a case to Alma and Tao, they go to the site, they have a big flashy action sequence, and all the loose ends are wrapped up tidily (save for the final story in this volume, which leaves off on a cliffhanger).  Curiously, these fights are also often use for exposition dumps about Alma's supernatural origins or the demons they fight.  I'd be lying if I wasn't amused at the fact that they are called "maga," and that Alma himself declares him and Tao to be "maga hunters."  That term is a lot more loaded for Americans than it is for the Japanese, but there's no doubt that quite a few people would find the prospect a little more appealing after this year's election.  It's just hard to understand how this otherwise unremarkable series survived when so many others like with much more memorable premises and characters did not.

ART:

This is apparently Sano's first serialized series, but you'd never guess it from looking at this book.  Everything from the designs to the backgrounds are polished and technically competent.  It's just a shame that despite all that effort, Gokurakugai still feels generic.  Maybe they are a touch more realistic than you typically see in Shonen Jump, but you could probably swap them with similar characters from half a dozen other titles running in the magazine right now and not notice much of a difference.  The only design that feels mildly inspired is Tao's, with her long braid of grey hair, cool shades, skintight bodysuit, and ever-present cigarette.  Even then, she feels more like a thirst trap than a character in her own right.  The most distinct thing this series has going for it visually is its Chinatown setting, and even then it feels very shallow, as if everyone is cosplaying in a theme park.

RATING:

I'm sure that the usual crowd will declare Gokurakugai to be DA BEST MANGA EVAR in an unironic fashion when it inevitably makes the leap to anime, but as it stands right now it's the manga equivalent of Panda Express: offering up a familiar if unchallenging recipe with a vaguely Chinese flair that is forgotten almost as soon as it is consumed.  Even then, I will likely find myself sooner craving some of their orange chicken than I will crave to read the second volume of this.

This manga is published by Viz.  This series is ongoing in Japan with 4 volumes available.  3 volumes have been published and are currently in print.  This series is also serialized weekly via the Shonen Jump app.

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Review: DARLING IN THE FRANXX

 This one is going to be a doozy.  What happens when you take one of the most controversial mecha shows from the last decade and combine it with one of the horniest mangaka currently working in shonen manga?  You get THIS.

DARLING IN THE FRANXX (Darin In Za Furankisu), based on the original concept by Code:000 with art by Kentaro Yabuki.  First published in 2018 and first published in North America in 2022.

PLOT:

The world has been ravaged by alien creatures known as Klaxosaurs.  What remains of humanity are locked away in mobile fortresses called Plantations, which are protected by giant robots called FRANXX that require both a boy and a girl to pilot.  Young Hiro is one of the many children raised to become a pilot, but he and his previous partner failed and he can't stop sulking over it.  Then he meets the mysterious Zero Two, a half-Klaxosaur girl with a reputation for devouring her partners.  Against all odds, she takes a liking to Hiro, declaring him her "darling" and agreeing to become his co-pilot.  

Review: STELLVIA

It's so rare to find a mecha manga with a female protagonist and mostly female cast that isn't made for the sake of fanservice, which makes it all the more disappointing that this one turned out so poorly.

STELLVIA (Uchu no Suturuvia), based on the anime series by Xebec with art by Ryo Akitsuki.  First published in 2003 and first published in North America in 2005.

PLOT:

Nearly 200 years ago, Earth was ravaged by a massive electromagnetic wave from a supernova.  Even decades later, the night skies are still tinged with green.  That's the reason that Shima Katose wants to become a space pilot: to see what the stars truly look like.  She manages to get into the illustrious space academy Stellvia and makes some friends, but she struggles with her piloting courses.  What she and her friends don't know is that the second wave of radiation is only a few months away...

Review: MOBILE SUIT GUNDAM: BLUE DESTINY

It's Mecha Month once more at the Manga Test Drive, and naturally I have to start with the franchise I know and like the best...even if this is not one of its best outings. 

MOBILE SUIT GUNDAM: BLUE DESTINY (Kidou Senshi Gundam Gaiden: THE BLUE DESTINY), based on the franchise created by Yoshiyuki Tomino and Hajime Yadate, written and illustrated by MIzuho Takayama.  First published in 1996 and first published in North America in 1999.

PLOT:

Yu Kajima is just one of the many Federation GM pilots fighting to repel the last remaining Zeon pilots in the closing weeks of the One Year War. His skills have brought him to the attention of Captain Alf Chamra, who believes that Yu is the perfect test pilot for his latest project: an experimental suit called The Blue Destiny, controlled by the equally experimental EXAM system.  Now Yu is being pursued by notorious Zeon ace pilot Nimbus Schatzen, all while experiencing strange visions of a mysterious young woman and piloting a mobile suit that struggles to distingush friend from foe in the heat of battle.

Review: ACCIDENTALLY IN LOVE: THE WITCH, THE KNIGHT, AND THE LOVE POTION SLIP-UP

There are plenty of witches to be found in the light novel world, alongside the many reincarnated noblewomen and villainesses.  Are they any good, though?

ACCIDENTALLY IN LOVE: THE WITCH, THE KNIGHT, AND THE LOVE POTION SLIP-UP (Koisuru Majo wa Elite Kishi ni Horegusuri o Nomasete Shimaimashita: Itsuwari kara Hajimaru Watashi no Dekiai Seikatsu), based on the light novels by Harunadon and illustrations by Eda, written by Itsuki Azumaya with art by Shino Agetate.  First published in 2023 and first published in North America in 2024.

PLOT:

Cecily dreams of having a storybook romance of her own, but her status as a red-eyed witch makes her an outcast in her world.  According to her mother, the only way Cecily can find love is to hone her powers and make a love potion.  Cecily is reluctant to do such things, but after she falls for the kindly knight Zeke she gives in to the temptation.  She makes some major changes to the recipe, but it seems to work.  As Zeke draws Cecily further into his world, Cecily is torn between her growing affection for him and her guilt over building this relationship on a magical lie.

Review: HIGH SCHOOL DXD

There was a time when you couldn't swing a stick without hitting a manga adaptation of a light novel series where some horny doofus and his harem of marketable waifus go to Magic School and have fanservice-laden adventures.

This is...certainly one example of those.

HIGH SCHOOL DXD (Haisukuru Di Di), based on the light novels by Ichiei Ishibumi and character designs by Zero Miyama with art by Hiroji Mishima.  First published in 2011 and first published in North America in 2014.

PLOT:

Issei was your typical horny high school student, hoping to score some girls and touch some boobs instead of hanging out with his even hornier, stupider friends.  It figures that the first girl to give him the time of day turned out to be a fallen angel who killed him.  Now he's been resurrected as a demon, the latest minion of the bombshell popular girl/demon queen Rias.  Issei is now a soldier in a never-ending war between demons and angels, but he's got a secret weapon up his sleeve.

Review: GALAXY ANGEL

 It's once again time for Old-School Manga Month!  Although some of you might object to the inclusion of today's title as "old-school" as some of y'all are old enough to remember when the franchise this came from was brand new.  Alas, I cannot stop the passage of time from coming for your bubble-era faves no more than I can stop myself from giving my own hot take on them.

GALAXY ANGEL (Gyarakushi Enjeru), based on the original concept by Broccoli with story and art by Kanan.  First published in 2001 and first published in North America in 2004.

PLOT:

Deep in space, an intergalactic civil war rages to determine who will control the Transbaal Empire.  The wicked Prince Eonia has killed everyone else in the royal family save for his youngest brother, Prince Shiva.  The only thing that stands between Shiva and Eonia is the Angel Troupe, five young women with quirky personalities whose duty is to protect the prince...at least, when they're not getting distracted by food or exploring their own massive ship.  Their mission only becomes more chaotic when the space patrolman Takuto gets caught up in their schemes.  Charmed by their mission and good looks, he's determined to help the Angel Troupe bring peace back to the galaxy.

Review: MISTER MISTRESS

 I can't not close out this month by shooting the metaphorical fish in the barrel - i.e., reaching deep into my boxes of BL manga and finding some silly-looking stinker to review.

MISTER MISTRESS (Aijin Incubus), by Rize Shinba.  First published in 2005 and first published in North America in 2008.

PLOT:

Fujimaru is your standard horny hetero teen boy, and it turns out that his teenage libido is the key to unlocking the secret of his late grandfather's house: an incubus named Rei.  Rei craves Fujimaru's body and the raging hormones within it, but Fujimaru isn't very keen on the idea.  The more he tries to resist, the harder Rei tries to trick him into sex.  How long can Fujimari hold out against such temptation?

Merry Month of Manga: SMUGGLER

 And now we switch gears hard, going from a sensitive and accomplished coming-of-age drama to a messy seinen crime story.

SMUGGLER, by Shohei Manabe.  First published in 2000 and first published in North America in 2006.

                                               

PLOT:

Kinuta didn't meant to end up in the Yakuza.  He wanted to be an actor.  Then he got into some financial trouble, which led to him meeting the worst sorts of people and getting himself deeper in trouble.  Now he's stuck dumping bodies, bereft of any purpose in his life.  Things only get worse when a couple of Chinese assassins take out his boss.  His gang manage to capture one of the assassins, but Kinuta accidentally lets him escape.  Kinuta must take the assassin's place to hide his failure, but the longer the deception goes on the more he loses himself in the role.