UPDATES - 12/05/08

Ok so finally we have new content!

I have a review of He is My Master Vol: 1 that has just been published, and I am working on a feature article for next week as well, in addition I am pulling together some DVD reviews as well, so hopefully we are back on track.

MANGA REVIEW: He is My Master Vol: 1

From the Back Cover:

Welcome to the day-to-day adventures of the richest most perverted kid on the block- Nakabayashi Yoshitaka. At 14 years old, he's already a master blackmailer, sports a major superiority complex, and has a uniform fetish to boot.

After inheriting the family fortune upon his parents' deaths, Yoshitaka decides to fire all the old staff and hire some new live-in maids to help him look after the estate. Unfortunately, he gets more than he bargained for when two hot girls and their pet Alligator Pochi shop up to fill the positions!

Initial Impressions

I can't say there is usually a lot of science to what I do when it comes to choosing items for review, usually I head to the local Barnes and Noble and just see whats available, and what catches my eye. Once in awhile though I go hunting for a series, I had stumbled upon He is My Master accidentally one evening while searching Anime online and thought that the premise might make for a fun read. I looked for Vol: 1 for quite some time, a couple of months, before I finally found my copy, in my opinion it was worth every second of the hunt.

Story - 8/10

I enjoy a good comedic light read sometimes when it comes to my manga, I don't always want something uber serious, or even with tones of uber seriousness, He is My Master definately falls on the lighter side.

Just a shred beyond preposterous comes the story of an extremely wealthy young man, Yoshitaka, with a uniform fetish who after losing his parents decides to hire an all new staff, so he can find a "young hot maid" he gets more than he bargained for with the arrival of Natsuki, and Izumi, two runaway teenagers, along with their pet Alligator Pochi.

The characters are extremely likeable, while the three leads generally fit into pretty tight Anime stereotypes, there is an undeniable charm to them, that only makes you want to read more. The star of the series though really is the Alligator Pochi who manages to steal almost every scene he is in.

I have to say I haven't laughed this hard in a long time, while some of the translation might feel a little off sometimes, and there seem to be a few gaps in storytelling [where did the Mitsuki-Chan Defence Force come from anyways?] there in an undeniable charm to the story and characters, there's a cute but cheeky humor to the writing that keeps you coming back for more.

Art - 8/10

As always art is a subjective thing, but I really love the classic lines in He is My Master, they harken back to a different time for Anime and Manga, and thats certainly not a bad thing. The characters are full of life and emotion, some of Izumi's emotions are an absolute riot, and Pochi looks wonderful in his cute, albeit atylized look. Backgrounds are equally well done with large amounts of detail, not overdone but not too lacking either.

Final Conclusions overall - 8/10

We all need some light hearted humor in our lives, He is My Master fits wonderfully into that category and should be a fan pleaser for many a volume to come, with its wonderful characters [GO POCH!] and cute refreshing artwork.

+ Good story, fun character, nice artwork

- Translation needs some work, some odd gaps in story

Publisher: Seven Seas

Cost USD: $9.99

Rating: 16+

Forgotten but not gone

Ok, so life went a little nuts here in the last month or so and I just haven't been able to get this thing back on track, try as I might...

But I am going to try to change that.

I am dedicating an hour a day to writing/working for this blog, so there should be a lot more content heading your way here pretty soon.

Again sorry for how long I have been absent, I miss this blog and the joy it brings to me.