Tuesdays with Ambrea: Manga Romance!

Reviewed by Ambrea

Recently, I’ve been on a kick of reading (and, in some cases, re-reading) Japanese graphic novels – better known as manga.  For some reason, I’ve been devouring all kinds of manga:  action-adventure, historical, romance, intrigue, science-fiction, humor.  If it’s come across my radar in the last few weeks, I’ve tried to give it a chance, even if it’s not usually my cup of tea.  This week, I decided to check out some stories with a more romantic bent and see what I could find:

 

In Oh My Goddess! by Kōsuke Fujishima, Keiichi Morisato finds his life changed forever with one wrong phone number – a call to the Goddess Technical Help Line.  Enter Belldandy:  she’s a goddess who can make any wish come true.  Thinking he’s being pranked, Keiichi wishes for Belldandy to stay with him forever.  Lo and behold, his wish is hastily granted and, now, Keiichi and Belldandy are stuck together for good.

I’ve actually seen a handful of anime episodes of Oh My Goddess!, but I’ve never made a point to sit down and watch the whole series.  It’s cute and funny, but, as a fan of more action-oriented anime, it just really wasn’t for me.  Even so, I decided to give the first volume of Oh My Goddess! a shot.

Although it’s a little dated, Oh My Goddess! really is a cute concept and it’s surprisingly entertaining.  I also discovered I liked Belldandy and Keiichi more than I expected.  Despite his spontaneous wish keeping them together (seemingly forever), they have an interesting dynamic and a sweet relationship, and they’re constantly teaching each other new things.

 

In Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon by Naoko Takeuchi, Usagi Tsukino is a normal teenage girl – that is, until she meets Luna the cat and discovers she’s Sailor Moon!  As Sailor Moon, she must fight the forces of evil and bring justice to criminals.  She’ll also meet other Sailor Scouts and new allies in her quest to save the world.

I’ve known about Sailor Moon for ages.  Despite growing up with it on TV and having friends who adored the series, I’ve never actually sat down to watch it, let alone read it.  I thought I would give it a try, because it’s practically a classic, but I’ve quickly realized Sailor Moon is not for me.

 

I’ll be honest, I didn’t quite finish the first volume of Sailor Moon.  For one thing, there’s too much happening on every single page for me to appreciate the artwork.  There are several different font styles, art styles, and panel lines, sometimes on the same page, that makes it seem crowded and busy and clunky and unattractive.  Worse, I couldn’t stand Usagi/Sailor Moon.  She is not a likeable heroine:  she calls her mother a dummy on the first page; she whines and cries about literally everything; she doesn’t seem to have any character development whatsoever.

I know it may be an unpopular opinion, but Sailor Moon just isn’t all that great.  Maybe, I missed the point?  I’m not sure, but it’s not a series that I will try to investigate more.

 

In Yona of the Dawn by Mizuho Kusanagi, Yona is the crown princess of Kohka and only child of the emperor.  As such, she has lived much of her life being pampered and coddled; however, when her father is murdered, Yona is thrust into danger and must learn to fight for her survival – and her rightful throne.

I picked up Yona of the Dawn with very few expectations.  Admittedly, I was a little worried she would be a bit like Usagi/Sailor Moon – and, in a way, she is.  Yona is spoiled, she’s a little useless and she cries easily; however, when confronted with the reality of her dire situation, she’s also thoughtful, adaptable, and, more importantly, willing to learn and grow.

I was actually very impressed by the first volume.  Enough that I checked out the next two in the series…and put several more on hold.  Basically, I can’t wait to read more about Yona’s adventure as she tries to find a way to survive and, one day, reclaim her throne.