Ah! My Goddess!/Oh My Goddess! by Kosuke Fujishima

When a misplaced phone call connects him to the Realm of the Gods, good-hearted but unlucky college student Keiichi inadvertently finds himself the recipient of a wish…and a beautiful goddess named Belldandy is to be the one to fulfill it. When Keiichi’s wish – “to stay with you forever” – is granted, he now has to deal with a goddess (and her two outlandish sisters) living with him!

One of the most popular series outside of Japan, there have been 4 versions of the A! MG! anime (not counting full-length movies and spin-off series). I first saw the original A!MG! anime series back in 1997 as a fan-sub, and it was even old then; it’s been published in manga form since 1989 and shows no sigh of stopping. A! MG! holds a particular place in my heart, as this was the series that introduced me to “real” (i.e. subtitled) anime back in the mid-90s; not only was it the first “fansubbed” series I saw, but it was also one of the first subtitled animation I’d been exposed to as well. I know a lot of you younger folks got your exposure to Naruto, Bleech, etc, via cable, but fan-sub anime was a rare find back in those pre-BitTorrent days.

In terms of storyline, the length of A! MG! precludes a detailed plot overview. There was a certain slap-sticky element to the early stories, as Keiichi was forced to cover up the fact that his new girlfriend was actually a powerful and magical being, while trying to maintain a normal life; once Urd and Skuld entered the series, their mischief and ham-fisted attempts at living like mortals began to drove the plot, along with introduction of more “mystical” elements and action. Due to the fact that both Keiichi and Belldandy are excellent motorcycle riders and mechanics, there has been a large emphasis on racing action during the course of the series as well (which Fujishima excels in depicting).

So, does it hold up after all these years? Well, yes and no. Along with Ureisei Yatsura, this series really popularized the “magical girlfriend” genre that’s been used countless times…so in a sense, the blame for the glut of bland/borderline sexist “magical girlfriend” can be laid at A!MG!’s feet. I’m sure I’m not alone in my perception of series heroine Belldandy as being a little too “perfect”– more often than not, she seems to have little personality and little motivation beyond being nice to Keiichi. However, you’re always stuck dealing with the fact that there’s a certain amount of fan-boy wish fulfillment in any shonen manga series (hell, most manga or comics are basically wish-fulfillment anyway) – and A!MG! is very mild compared to some of the more modern series.

With excellent art* and amazingly detailed mechanical rendering of the many motorbikes and machines that appear in the series, A! MG! remains a charming, good-natured work, (even after 19 years) probably due to the fact that it has a uniquely easy-going feel that’s easy to like and welcoming to non-manga readers. Along with Akira, Neon Genesis Evangelion, and any Rumiko Takahashi series, this is one of those anime/manga works that every self-respecting otaku has been exposed to at least once.

*- (presently, at least - the early art is amazingly dated and “80’s” looking. Fans of 1980’s Masamune Shirow series ala New Dominion Tank Police and Appleseed will know what I mean…)

Mini-Manga Review: Kagetora, by Akira Segami

After years of training, teenage ninja Kagetora gets the job he’s been waiting for – tutoring and protecting the young heir of a renowned martial arts family in the skills of the warrior. Unfortunately, sweet schoolgirl Yuki is a bit of a klutz and has trouble learning the basic moves – and even worse, Kagetora has begun to develop feelings for her. Can he teach his student the skills she needs without compromising his duty as a ninja?

Although it makes a decent attempt to be a funny and heartfelt work, Kagetora ends up as a rather average manga. The plot is simplistic and episodic, mostly centering on Kagetora or Yuki misinterpreting the other’s words or actions; the blandly-rendered characters communicate mainly through surprised or sappy expressions, with several needless instances of fanservice to boot.

This series might have been at least saved by savvy characterizations, but both the main and supporting characters are one-dimensional and are defined more by what character “type” they are supposed represent than by what they actually say or do. Despite being the heroine of the work, Yuki doesn’t have much motivation or personality beyond getting frustrated with her training or quietly crushing on Kagetora; likewise, Kagetora spends much of the work over-reacting to Yuki’s gentle flirtations and endlessly debating about his duty as a ninja.

It seems Kagetora’s intended audience is younger readers, who might be a good “gateway” series to kids that enjoy the “ninja style” and humor of Naruto, but are ready for something with a little more emotional depth; in fact, Kagetora could make for a snappy, once-in-a-while read for older (i.e. adult) readers as well.

I don’t think it’s going to make anyone’s Top Ten list…but Kagetora does succeed in at least being a likeable, if average, series.

Manga Review - The Yagyu Ninja Scrolls: Revenge of the Hori Clan, Vol 2. Futaro Yamada, story/Masaki Segawa, art

When the men of the Hori clan rebel against the villainous Lord Akinairi, he orders them to be mercilessly slaughtered by a group of blood-thirsty ninjas known as “The Aizu Seven Spears”. Enraged by the callous murder of their brothers, fathers, and husbands, the 7 surviving women of the clan turn to a vagabond swordsman named Yagyu Jubei for training in the ways of war and leadership in their quest for revenge. Jubei is no starry-eyed optimist, and warns the women that most of them can expect either torture or death at the hands of Akinari and the Seven Spears if they choose to fight back. Undaunted, all 7 women agree to train and fight the Seven Spears – or die trying!

This manga’s basic plot – a cocky, wandering swordsman fighting off 7 weird opponents – is essentially the same plot as the classic Ninja Scroll movie and the Samurai Showdown video game. Interestingly, all three of these works are drawn from the writings of Futaro Yamada, who effectively laid the groundwork for the modern depiction of the ninja in his 1960’s series of Ninpocho novels. Main protagonist Yagyu Jubei is a popular Japanese folk hero, and like fellow wandering swordsman Miyamoto Musashi, his legendary exploits have been depicted in dozens of books, manga, and films

There are slightly fantastic elements to this series, but very little of the outlandish video-game like costumes or characters you often see in “ninja” series (or even in Masaki’s previous ninja-centric Basilisk); this is a much more “realistic”* depiction of the art of ninjitsu than the average Naruto reader may be used to. The watercolor-influenced shading and tinting gives a luminous feeling to what is basically a very dark and foreboding art style. Masaki succeeds in making the Seven Spears look truly villainous, and Jubei and the Hori woman aren’t spared either. As handsome as he is, Jubei spends most of the volume looking like smirking lecher, a quality that his constant 5 o’clock shadow and missing eye do nothing to help. The Hori women are both eerily beautiful yet terrifying when angry; when their doe eyes narrow in fury, they truly resemble the female demon masks that they wear to hide their identities.

With the exception of the characters of Sakura and Ofue, most of the seven Hori women are somewhat similar in their appearance and personality - but I hope that the following volumes will draw out the character of each one of them. I also enjoyed the depiction of the Hori woman as brave and willing participants in their fate, rather than anonymous objects; even in the course of this one volume, one can see them gain in strength and ability.

In this volume, a devil-masked Jubei confronts the sickle-and-chain wielding Tessi of the Seven Spears, and barely escapes with his life. Tessi reports back to the Seven Spears, and they debate the origin of their new and unknown opponent; meanwhile, the Hori women begin their training with Jubei. Rough and painful as the training is, the women remain committed. When it comes to light that fiendish Tessi is attempting to sell 6 young women into sex slavery, the Hori women must use their new-found skills – and Jubei’s tactics of subterfuge – to kill Tessi. Are they ready?

This series has a well-deserved Mature Rating – so much like Welcome to the NHK, don’t come crying to me if your mom gets pissed when she finds this in your bookbag, kids.

* Even then, this is a far cry from the real-life exploits of the historical ninja