This months marks the first time since the start of 2024 that I actually bought some new manga. I've had to save up money for renovations, so I had to cut back on nerdy expenses the past few months. This new purchase coincided with me going on vacation, so the timing was ideal. New books + free time = fun.
First up today we have Gaming With My Grandma. A manga that strikes a nostalgic sweet spot for me, as its actually set in the late-90s.
Shouko is an introverted little girl who likes nothing more than to play video games on her Playstation. She mostly plays RPGs, but is not shy about exploring other genres. Though she has a short temper when it comes to figuring out new kinds of games that she doesn't instinctively understand. She also prefers to play games alone, but this changes when her sweet, old grandmother suddenly takes an interest in Shouko's activities.
Shouko is happy to share her passion for games with her grandmother, but it also leads to much annoyance and awkward moments. Grandma talks over cutscenes or walks in front of the screen. She keeps asking questions that she won't understand the answer to, even if it's explained to her. Yet as the two of them experience more and more games together, this also affords them many bonding moments.
Throughout these stories, both Shouko's and the author's love for these games is put on full display. Each game is discussed in great detail with Shouko regularly expressing what she likes about them. It really feels like you're listening to someone recount cherished memories of their childhood games to you. A lot of Shouko's experiences, opinions, and anxieties will feel familiar to people who also grew up with games. She is a well-realized character, very human and relatable. Which made those bonding moments and the character development born from it especially satisfying.
For example, one of my favorite chapters is about the game Baroque. A dark, moody RPG with unsettling mechanics and monsters. It's very out there and the A-plot of that chapter is how this makes Shouko feel awkward. She finds the game intriguing, but she is worried about being judged for that. That her grandma will find the game repulsive and will think less of her for enjoying it. Watching the two of them address those feelings made for an engaging storyline, made extra fun because you get to see all these cool moments from Baroque play out in-between.
Sticking with grandmothers as a theme, we got "xx Demo Mahou Shoujo ni Naremasu ka?" by Ayumi Tsubaki. Its story revolves around magical girls that are tasked with defeating devils, who are people that had their negative feelings amplified by the powers of evil. Magical helper Leo is desperate to recruit a new magical girl to the cause. So desperate that he ends up settling for a less-than-ideal candidate.
Instead of the adorable, upbeat teenager Momo-chan, Leo winds up signing a contract with the girl's grandmother. A doting, elderly widow who moves at a snail's pace and isn't exactly the fighting type. Even when the powers of the Amor star transform her back to her teenage self, grandma refuses to fight the devils. Instead listening to their woes and providing that most potent of magic: grandmotherly love.
Her approach is surprisingly effective at combating the anger of those turned into devils. Yet it also puts grandma in direct competition with rival magical girls, who don't take kindly to some newbie changing how things are done around here.
I had fun with this one, but do have to admit that the writing and art waver in quality all over. The first few chapters focusing on grandma are perfectly solid. Even got some Cutie Honey-like qualities going, with grandma changing to different outfits to best deal with any situation. Focus then soon drifts to tangential storylines involving other characters, which aren't anywhere near as appealing. We still cut back to grandma plenty of times, but interesting moments involving her become rare. With some battles being skipped over entirely as the page count grows thinner the longer it goes on.
There's definitely unrealized potential here. Maybe the author wasn't confident enough in the unique selling point of their work. Or maybe it was the pressure getting to them, or tight deadlines. Who knows. What we're left with is still an entertaining manga that occasionally strikes an emotional cord. It's not an urgent recommendation or anything, but a fun work to pick up for Magical Girl fans looking for something short to read through.
For something completely different; Hyper Dolls. I recently got to talk about the OVA adaptation, which I enjoyed a lot. It's the story of two sexy, intergalactic peacekeepers being tasked with protecting Earth from evil. They fight giant monsters, rescue folks, the usual. Except the Hyper Dolls are also incredibly egotistical, mean-spirited, and careless. Frequently causing widespread collateral damage during their battles for no real reason whatsoever. They are Earth's only hope... and that really blows.
I was curious to see how much further the manga would go compared to the 2-episode OVA. In that regard, I was both very pleased as well as thoroughly disappointed.
Good points: there's a lot more storytelling throughout the manga. Its 30 chapters cover far more adventures for Mew and Mica, while the beefy page count provides plenty of room to fit in lots of banter, gags, and references. It's incredibly funny and confident in its appeal. The characters are better written and see a lot more development over the course of the plot. The art is also splendid, which I didn't anticipate going by Shinpei Ito's work on Cutie Honey.
Bad points: While the plot is much improved, it doesn't offer any more closure than its OVA did. You get a few story arcs after which the manga just ends at volume 5. Nothing gets resolved. No villains are defeated, no threats eliminated. Even the romantic subplots are left about where they started. Ito tried to get a sequel off the ground, but to no avail.
Hyper Dolls is entertaining while it lasts, but witnessing a series peter out like this always leaves a bad aftertaste. So while I can recommend it to those who enjoy series like Excel Saga or Shinesman, keep in mind that it's unfinished.
No comments:
Post a Comment