Manga: Love*Com vol. 1
Story: 7
The manga is very similar to the anime (or the other way around, but I happen to watch the anime first) but it has some extra elements in the story the anime cut out. I feel that events are better explained in the manga and it all feels less rushed. The absurd humor still manages to get across to the reader. The height problems Risa and Otani face are funny and the way they tease each other with them is hilarious.
I wasn’t expecting too much because the anime went with a style that was rather unique but not really eye-catching, however I was glad the manga was much more stylish. The character design is much more detailed and cuter. It still has the weird facial expressions I loved about the anime, but it didn’t really have the overhand. A lot of time has been spent on designing the outfits of the characters who did wear all kind of different outfits for a change. It was a nice detail I liked because in most series characters seem to wear the same clothes all the time.
Risa and Otani are really fun characters. They first dislike each other but after they join forces to go after their crushes, they start to appreciate each other more and they even become friends. This of course still doesn’t go without some insults or fights. I like the fact that they aren’t plain characters without weird quirks, it’s rather the opposite.
Even though I recently watched the anime, the manga still managed to amuse me a lot. The over the top comedy between Risa and Otani is still very entertaining. The manga brings across that point as well as the anime does. The story follows along the same line still and therefore I should rate it the same as the anime. However since I really liked the stylish artwork much better then the animation the anime used, I rate this a bit higher.
Manga: Rozen Maiden vol.1
Story: 8
The first volume basically follows the same storyline as the anime. (Or the anime is true to the manga, but I watched the anime first) It focuses mainly on Shinku in this volume and it is the introduction to a strange story about dolls that have a mind of their own. This volume is only the beginning of things to come and there isn’t too much going on yet but it surely makes the reader curious because it does let on that there is much more going on then is revealed. In the last chapter of the volume Jun and Shinku are entering the N-field, a place where many worlds are connected, for the first time and it ends meeting the mysterious hare.
The artwork is very detailed and beautiful, particularly the characters. Costumes are also an aspect of attention. They use negative space on a frequent base, especially in the N-field. The background aren’t really detailed but since the foreground already is, using too detailed backgrounds would make things crowded to my opinion. All in all the manga is really eye-catching and there isn’t anything I could find that brings down the quality.
As stated before this volume is mainly focused on Shinku and Jun. The personality of Shinku is one like a lady that has high standards and peculiar wishes. She sees Jun as her servant but Jun is not amused and this causes many quarrels. Yet they as the volume progresses they start to care for each other. Even though they continue bickering, they also start to appreciate one another.
This is a must read for anyone who hasn’t watched the anime! The unique story and characters are one of a kind. There is a good mix between humor, cuteness, action and mystery and therefore appealing to a broad audience. Even if you have seen the anime already, it is still worth getting because it is really no punishment to read everything again. However don’t expect anything new, at least not in this volume.
Manga: Kimi wa girlfriend
Story: 7
This one shot comes from the same mangaka as
The artwork is appealing the eye and fits the shojo genre. Big eyes, cute character designs are the trademark here. This is accompanied by typical sparkly backgrounds but don’t have too much detail. Expressions are drawn somewhat exaggerated to add some extra comedy here and there. Like in S.A there are no huge flaws in the artwork and she remains the same quality in this work.
This one shot mainly focuses on the two main characters and how they differ from the other people who go to the same school. They are each others opposites and this fact makes certain events that happen very entertaining. Because it is a one shot there is only so much development going on but the female leads character changes gradually over the chapter, however she still remains her rowdy self at times. The male lead didn’t develop so much to my opinion. The thing that develops most is the relationship between the two of them.
This is an entertaining little story from a different point of view. It is funny to see how stereotypical gender behavior gets done by the opposite gender. The artwork is good and the story is enjoyable if you skip the ever repeating introductions. It isn’t a must have, but it isn’t a waste of money either.
Manga: S.A (Special A) vol.1
Warning: This document contains spoilers
Story: 6.5
S.A is short for Special A. It is the top class of an elite school where only the 7 top students belong. They have a special building within the school apart from the others. All students of this elite school are very rich, except for Hikari who is the daughter of a carpenter. The only reason she insisted to go to this school is because of her rival Kei.
She lost to Kei in an impromptu wrestling match at age 6 and she swore she would defeat Kei some day. Now at age 15 she is still fighting every day to meet up to her goal. She wants to beat him someday whatever it takes.
S. A is drawn by Maki Minami and this is her first published manga. Even though this is the case I didn’t notice anything that felt off. Character designs are cute. The panels are in the right places and she actually dares to experiment with the placing of the panels. There are a lot of scenes where bodies are in hard to draw positions but she pulls it all off.
Only the hair of the characters is too long, especially the bangs. She already admits in her manga that she does this on purpose to camouflage the fact she cant draw faces too well. However because she made this a part of her style, you don’t notice this. The backgrounds vary a lot, from detailed scenery to fluffy romance backgrounds with sparkles. It makes it a very varied whole.
I have to say that when I read the back cover I couldn’t imagine that there would be characters this shallow. I mean in reality who would strife for such a thing as Hikari does? However even though her goal in my eyes is absurd, she works hard for what she wants. She is actually the only one in S. A who has to follow classes to keep her number two position. It seems that all other members have some super human abilities and they basically don’t do anything except loafing around.
While I didn’t expect much of this manga when I read the back cover, it was a fun read and it was better then I thought it would be. All though I still have doubts about the chosen theme for this series. It seems this will be an 12 volume series (so far) and I really wonder if it will keep me entertained for that long. However I guess we will just have to wait and see. For a first timer this manga is of good quality and especially if you are into the Ouran like setting, it will be worth trying it out.