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: HANAUKYO MAID TEAM

 The peak of maid manga came at the beginning of the millennium, when literally any doofus could make a ecchi manga, throw some maids in it, and call it a day.

HANAUKYO MAID TEAM (Hanaukyo Maid-tai), by Morishige.  First published in 1999 and first published in North America in 2003.

STORY:

Tarou didn't know what to expect when his dying mother bid him to go to his grandfather.  He didn't expect his grandfather to be fabulously wealthy with a giant mansion full of horny maids to cater to his every need.  He definitely didn't expect said grandfather to leave everything to Tarou.  Now he has to learn how to navigate his life with an army of maids who create a lot of chaos in their attempts to manage every detail of his life.

Merry Month of Shojo Review #17: NEW VAMPIRE MIYU

It's time for me to take a look at a once-beloved shojo horror franchise, long forgotten but not unloved.

NEW VAMPIRE MIYU (Shin Kyuketsu Hime Miyu), written by Toshihiro Hirano with art by Narumi Kakinouchi.  First published in 1992 and first published in North America in 1999.

PLOT:

Wherever corrupt human souls exist, you can find the demonic creatures known as shinma.  The only defense against them is the half-human vampire Miyu and her companion Larva.  By day she poses as an ordinary high school girl, but at night the two of them hunt down and exorcise these malevolent spirits.  Her greatest challenge is before her, as an invasion of western shinma led by the masked sorceress Carlua are coming her way.  Carlua wants two things: to possess Larva for her own and to destroy Miyu by any means possible.

Review: CRUSHER JOE

Let's go all the way back to the 70s for some rare old-school sci-fi manga.

CRUSHER JOE (Kurassha Jo), based on the novel series by Haruka Takachiho with art by Fujihiko Hosono.  First published in 1979 and first published in North America in 2000.

PLOT:

In the 22nd century, there are a group of interplanetary adventurers who for a price will help anyone in need or investigate any mystery.  They are known as Crushers, and one of the most legendary crew of Crushers are the crew of the Minerva: cyborg strongman Talos, teen genius Ricky, the runaway princess Alfin, and their hot-headed leader Joe.  Together they will take on everything, be it a 'ghost ship' warping at random, a mysterious young woman hiding her scientist father's greatest secret, or a businessman seeking revenge for the events of a lifetime ago.

Review: HYPER DOLLS

Just because it's an old-school manga doesn't mean that it can't be derivative and muddled, as today's review demonstrates.

HYPER DOLLS (Rakusho! Hyperdoll), by Shinpei Itoh.  First published in 1995 and first published in North America in 2002.

PLOT:

Everything starting going wrong after Hideo Akai wished on a shooting star.  He didn't get a wish, but instead had his town invaded by bizarre alien monsters.  He's saved by a pair of pretty lady warriors calling themselves the Hyper Dolls, but they swear him to secrecy or else they will rip his head off.  Now the girls, Miyu and Miaka, are trying to lay low at Akai's high school, but dark forces from both Earth and space are conspiring against them...