Many thanks to Yen Press for providing a review copy.
About the Mangaka
Not a lot of info available on either Totsuka Masahiro or Igarashi Aguri, though Igarashi does have a website though its all in japanese.
About the Manga
I was sort of looking forward to this release, since I was hoping the collected version would flow better than the anthology version.
Sadly, I still don’t know what to make of this series. this first volume still doesn’t grab me. In fact I don’t feel anything towards it, while I was reading it I had to keep going back a few pages cause I’d forgotten what I was reading.
I sort of like the art for the series, in as much as at times the art is amazing, but at others it’s almost on the level of stickman drawings.
The front cover is awesome. Tamaki-chan is just so damned cute!! Just as the colour page inside makes her even more cute.
Unfortunately the art is pretty abysmal when it comes to the guys, and several times they’re really nothing more than fleshed stickmen. Sadly this seems to be the trend in this series, where the girls get most of the attention and the guys get almost none.
What’s more the story feels really weak. Two old school rivals have a bet over a kendo match, with an all you can eat sushi as the prize. I see a lot of lame hooks in manga, and this has got to be one of the worst. It would have been better if there was more depth to it I think.
I also worry over the rag tag party that’s being built up, how can they make this series last for the eight volumes without it getting bogged down. Especially with the pace we have, which would see to have the fight taking place in volume three. I’m hoping that they wont drag out the fights over two or three volumes.
That’s not to say it’s all bad, I have to admit that I do like some of the characters in the series. Tamaki is uber cute, but I feel her personality is a bit robotic and I was disappointed with her.
However I do like Kirino and Miya. Kirino is the generic energetic girl, but I really like her personality and attitude is great, even if she doesn’t get drawn really well. Miya is my favourite though. The dark side we get hints of in this volume is just awesome, and the fact she’s dating the fat stickman should prove interesting later on.
Sadly I still don’t see anything to keep me interested in this series. I was hoping the collected version would grab me, but I’m still unimpressed by it. Though I have to admit, it wouldn’t be the first series to have a weak start and then get better later on.
I really can’t fault Yen Press over their handling of this title, since they do a good job as always. The colour panel is left intact, as are all the localisations, a rare thing in manga these days. A decent glossary explaining the localisations, and an omake. Overall they do a good.
I’m of a mind to Junk Pile this series, though I’ll give it a few more volumes before I decide. However as it stands right now, I really can’t recommend this series.
Where to Buy
July 20, 2009 @ 21:43.
This was a series I remember reading long ago, fell out with it and never picked up again. I later found the anime which I loved immensely and tried the manga again only to fall short. There was just something missing, whether it be the artwork, or how the manga flowed but I found myself never wanting to own this. Sad, this is one of the only cases that I loved an anime but have no interest in the manga itself. This is a shame because anything Yen Press I can expect something high quality with their release.
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