DearS Vol. #02

By Robert Harris     March 14, 2006
Release Date: April 12, 2005



Creative Talent
Writer/Artist:Peach-Pit
Translated by:Christine Schilling
Adapted by:

What They Say
Takeya realizes that too much of a good thing is a pretty darn good thing! He’s the master to a hot alien; three beautiful babes constantly surround him; and school is looking better and better, too. His life is idyllic…until a DearS agent arrives on the scene with a mission: bring Ren back to the community!

The Review
Packaging:
On the cover we have a great shot of the newest addition to the cast, Miu, kneeling down in her DearS suit. Miu is characterized by long, flowing pink hair and it really spreads out over the cover and even across the spine and onto the back. The DearS logo is stationed above her in a pink font to match her hair and the general tone of her suit. On the back we have a different DearS logo in smaller black font and a summary of the volume. Taking up the entire right side of the back cover is a shot of Ren hugging herself and in the process squeezing her rather ample breasts together. Ah, cleavage always sells. This being a Tokyopop release, the company title is along both the front and the back cover next to the spine, in small and non-obtrusive silver, and the spine contains the Tokyopop logo (that bug head robot thing or whatever it is), the title of the manga, the author, the volume number, and a miniature picture of Miu from the front cover. Right inside the cover is a full-color foldout version of the Ren image on the back cover. The first volume of DearS was very attractive and this volume continues the trend, and I must say I find it to be one of the most attractive releases Tokyopop puts out. Every volume is color-coded to the character on the cover and it’s just great to look at, although there are still no extra notes at the end of the volume. One word of warning: DearS covers always have that rough, slightly textured finish to them. Keep this away from pets; they love to scratch on it. Believe me.

Artwork:
I love Peach-Pit’s artwork. I really do. All of their characters have unique, recognizable designs, are very detailed, and the women are what I like to call ‘high-octane sexy’. It’s the kind of over the top, gratuitous, unabashed exaggeration of the female form that manages to narrowly miss being insanely stupid and ends up endearing. What I find even more enjoyable is their willingness to super-deform their characters at a moment’s notice for comedic effect, and rather than coming off as sickeningly sweet as so many other attempts at SD do, it really amplifies the humor thanks to the stick-figure nature of the deformities as well as the outrageous facial expressions. The backgrounds tend to be minimalist and light, but this is fine as it places more emphasis on the excellent character artwork. It should be noted that many people have a problem with this art style as they claim that due to the exceptionally large eyes and their placement on the head it makes the characters look like insects, Ren in particular as a kind of beautiful space mantis. Rest assured that if you are in this group you will soon become used to it and wonder how you ever thought the cast belonged in a B-grade horror film.

Text/SFX:
I really like the translation for this title. There is a lot of text here, which is great since we really feel like we know the characters better after the volume is over. The dialog flows nicely, and fits well into the text bubbles. It’s also a very funny translation, and as someone who rarely laughs out loud at anything, manga or otherwise, I was pleasantly surprised to find myself chuckling repeatedly throughout the volume. The sound effects remain untranslated, which doesn’t particularly faze me (especially in a series focused so strongly on dialog and character interaction), but you may be of a different opinion.

An important thing to note is what was originally an English teacher in the Japanese manga is now a Spanish teacher. I know this kind of thing has bothered a lot of people in the past, but let me assure you that this is a necessary change. Many of the teacher’s jokes revolve around using English (or in this case, Spanish) in humorous ways, and if she remained an English teacher it would be impossible to keep the tone and nature of these jokes. The manga still takes place in Japan, there is no “Americanization” in any way, it’s just a necessary change so don’t get too bent out of shape about it. If you don’t know any Spanish, however, you may not get the most out of it. Personally, I can’t remember any of my High School Spanish and I could figure it out from context just fine, so it’s not an insurmountable barrier by any means.

Contents:
In Volume 2 we are introduced to a gaggle of new DearS. Right off the bat we learn more about Miu, the DearS that made a brief appearance at the end of the last volume. She is the real DearS homestay student, and upon learning that Ren has usurped her place she is not too happy. Miu challenges Ren to a contest to decide who will stay and who will leave, and after some minor mishaps both are permitted to stick around. Miu doesn’t lose her grudge against Ren though, and throughout the volume she continues to yell at Ren and takes it as a personal task to teach her how to behave.

Shortly after this, Takeya gets in a dilly of a pickle as Ren tries to sleep with him, which wouldn’t be so bad except when he asks her if she loves him she says no, she’s just trying to be a considerate slave. Takeya doesn’t like the idea that Ren would be so willing to have sex without having any feelings for him, and he distances himself from Ren for a while afterwards.

After some more time spent on the daily school life of Takeya and the gang, a chapter is devoted to Neneko and shows a glimpse of the past, when Neneko was really upset about her mother dying and was being picked on in school. Takeya rushes to her defense and manages to cheer her up, which helps flesh out their relationship and shows why even though Takeya is a good-for-nothing slacker, Neneko still takes care of and cares about him.

Finally, two new DearS enter the picture; a young boy DearS who represents the DearS Community, Khi, and an as-of-yet unnamed DearS that is sent to retrieve Ren. Khi is sent to talk with Takeya about bringing Ren back to the Community while the unnamed DearS hunts down Ren and attempts to take her back by force. Eventually Ren makes it back to Takeya’s apartment, and he says that he will let Ren decide to either stay or go. She says she can’t make a decision, since she is a slave, and she claims she doesn’t understand what is happening. Eventually she runs out the window, right before the other DearS shows up, still attempting to catch her.

Everyone ends up at the ocean, near the defunct DearS ship, and after attempting to save Ren, Takeya falls into the water. Ren dives down to save him, and decides that she wants to stay with Takeya from now on. Roll credits.

Comments
The second volume essentially picks up from where the first left off, introducing us to more DearS and further developing the characters from the first volume. The key difference between DearS and many of its contemporaries (such as Chobits) is the reoccurring theme of personal choice. Many feel that the basic idea behind the DearS being slaves is just to appeal to a specific male fantasy, and that the whole series is very chauvinistic, trashy, and offensive towards women. And while one would be forgiven for thinking that after the first volume, in this volume we really see an inkling of some interesting philosophical commentary to come.

Takeya continues to believe that Ren does not enjoy being a slave, and logically (for a human) feels that she would rather not have instructions or be told what to do. He grows increasingly frustrated, therefore, when throughout the entire volume Ren seems to have little desire or ability to direct her own actions and decisions. With the addition of Miu and Khi, the point is really driven home that yes, DearS are slaves, and not just because no one gives them a chance or the circumstances are unfair. They truly need to be slaves, and when given options and free choice they seem confused and afraid. It is so programmed into them that it makes you question if they will ever be able to act on their own, or if they have been slaves for so long that they are literally incapable of being without masters. It’s a little depressing, but with Ren’s choice to stay with Takeya at the end, it gives hope for their situation in the coming volumes.

With this volume, DearS transcends its cheesy, fan service-comedy roots. It’s actually about something, which very few series are these days, manga or otherwise. It doesn’t preach, and it doesn’t offer any solutions; after all, we’re only on volume two! What it does give you is characters you can really empathize with. We can all understand why Takeya is so frustrated, because it’s human to believe that people want to be free. We want to believe that Ren really doesn’t want to be a slave; that these jerk DearS from the Community have it all wrong and are oppressing the rest of them; that deep down inside the DearS really want to be freed from their imposed bondage. However, when a DearS, like Ren, with no training or conditioning by the Community, still requires a master and is incapable of making decisions for herself, what hope is there for the rest?

Don’t let me fool you though; most of the heavier material comes at the end of the volume. The majority of this volume is traditional slice-of-life material, which serves to flesh out the characters more and provides a hefty source of comedy. Seeing the relationship between Neneko and Takeya take the forefront for a chapter is great, since it’s been consistently buried by Ren’s arrival. Miu’s also a great addition to the cast, and what initially seems a one-note character (oh look I’m angry and shocked at the way Ren is acting, rinse repeat), she reveals a kind of internal sadness that makes us cheer for her.

Needless to say, I am quite pleased with the way DearS is turning out, especially since I didn’t expect much after the first volume. To find a manga that portrays such a serious and interesting topic in a fresh and realistic manner is a joy, and I’m itching to read the next volume to discover what further developments await Takeya and the gang. Comedy, fan service and relevancy-who would have thought it possible?