The manga version of the anime and novel series of the same name is extremely well done, and well worth the price of admission.
Creative Talent:
Writer/Artist: Temari Matumoto
Translation: Jennifer Pan
Adaptation: Karen S. Ahlstrom
What They Say
Yuri Shibuya just can't catch a break. First, he had his head dunked in a toilet. Then he was transported to another world - where he finds himself king of the Mazoku's, a new race that expects him to lead them to war against all of humanity. And to top it all off, he's engaged - to a man! From the creator of Shinobu Kokoro comes an outrageous, gender-bending high-school alien love story!
The Review!
Packaging:
This is definitely one of Tokyopop's nicer looking books. From the cover with one of Matsumoto's beautiful character pieces to the two color pages inside, this is a book that demands attention. The pointy, almost gothic font used on the cover is a little difficult to read, but it definitely fits with the story's fantasy theme. The print quality isn't bad, with nicely sharp lines and dark, even blacks.
Artwork:
Matsumoto is an artist at the top of her game, and this entire book showcases her talent nicely. Character designs are varied, distinct, and instantly recognizable to anyone familiar with the anime, her panel layouts are dynamic and varied, and her selective use of unusual angles and elaborate backgrounds adds a nice artistic sensibility to the whole book.
Text/SFX:
Some of the sound effects are translated on the page, others appear to have been replaced with the English equivalent, and still others are left completely untranslated. Tokyopop's haphazard treatment of sound effects remains disappointing.
The adaptation is a different story - it's smooth, natural, and genuinely funny in places. It really feels like a labor of love, and manages to even give the various characters unique voices. Translation notes are included in several places, which is also a nice touch. An excellent job overall.
Contents (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers):
Yuri is an ordinary high school boy with a strong sense of justice, so when he sees a classmate being bullied he can't help but get involved. But when Ken leaves him high and dry, Yuri ends up getting flushed down a toilet...and lands in another world!
He's not entirely sure what to think at first, and quickly decides that he's somehow landed in some sort of European-themed amusement park. But when the people there take one look at him and react with terror, he's not sure what to think. A swordsman on a horse intervenes and does something so Yuri can understand the language, but before anyone can start explaining what exactly is going on, another swordsman rides to the rescue and takes Yuri away.
Conrart keeps referring to him as "Your Majesty," which seems to bother Yuri far more than the strange world he's somehow found himself in. Apparently, he's the reincarnation of the former demon king, supposedly a powerful magic user, and a demon himself! He's told that his job as king is to wipe out all humans, which doesn't sit well with him in the least. This isn't something Yuri can easily accept, and neither is the obviously harsh treatment that the people of this land have suffered. And while Conrart and Gunter welcome Yuri with open arms, not all of the demon tribe members he runs into are quite so willing to accept their new king. Conrart's brothers, Gwendal and Wolfram, are open in their contempt for their new king and refuse to accept him.
Adrift in a strange new world with rules and customs he can't even begin to guess at, Yuri quickly finds himself not only king of a country with some major problems, but engaged and scheduled for a duel to the death!
Comments:
Kyo Kara Maoh balances a fine line between a serious fantasy-adventure story and an oddball comedy, and it manages to maintain that balance with ease. On one side, you have children who are terrified of having their heads chopped off by a king, but to balance that out you have the surprisingly hot-tempered Yuri ending up accepting a duel, simply because he picked up a dropped piece of silverware. What's really impressive about this series is how well realized and compelling the characters are. Even with the number of characters introduced in this volume and the amount of ground covered, it's obvious that none of the characters are mere two-dimensional shells, put in place for convenience and nothing else. The story is executed skillfully enough that it's not hard for the reader to realize that what we've seen in this volume is merely brushing the surface of some very complex characters, with reasons and motivations for everything they do.
Manga adaptations of existing anime or novel properties don't exactly have the best reputation, and for good reason. But there are exceptions to every rule, and this is definitely one of them. Fans of the anime who don't like experiencing the exact same story in another format are advised to pass - this is a very faithful retelling of the story, and doesn't really include anything particularly new. But for just about anyone else, this is an easy recommendation. Despite the reputation this series has, this isn't a BL title, so don't let that scare you away. Fantasy manga fans of any stripe should definitely be sure to pick this up. Highly recommended.
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