Angelic Layer

Hmmm, I was going to make one large post about three different series, but it's looking like I have more to say than I thought I did. Damn you, CLAMP!

This 5-volume series centers on the protagonist Misaki Suzuhara, a 7th grader who looks like a 4th grader. Her mom works a lot, so she has just moved to Tokyo to live with her aunt. She is quickly sucked into the sub-culture revolving a video game called Angelic Layer. In the game, players like Misaki are referred to as a "deus," and they control a small toy, usually about the size of someone's hand. The toy looks human, although they wear outfits designed by their deus, usually designed to look fantasy or sci-fi esque. The point of Angelic Layer is to have the "angel" (toy) of a deus battle another angel in a one-on-one battle, gladiator style. The deus controls their angel by putting on a helmet that covers their eyes, and using their mind.

Overall, not much happens in the series. Misaki is a typical shojo manga heroine: she is very polite and innocent, and receives help from lots of people who want to help her succeed in the video game of Angelic Layer. Misaki is a natural at the game, and goes through many tournaments with her angel. The entire plot of the series is Misaki battling these fights with her angel, Hikaru. There is one highly predictable sub-plot as well. Due to the lack of a plot that I cared about (guess who wins every battle?!), I was pretty bored throughout the series, and only finished it because I am a complete-ist.

I did enjoy the references to other CLAMP manga littered throughout. Every volume opened with newspaper clippings about Misaki's success in the Angelic Layer tournaments. Snatches of other articles were visible, including speculation about the "Man of Many Faces," and CLAMP School Defenders Duklyon having to go into rehab, due to their Angelic Layer addiction, :) In volume 4, Misaki is singing to herself, A field of peony pink... - from my investigation into the CLAMP School Detectives anime, I know that this is the theme song from that show! Unfortunately, it's not a great song.

Misaki also got the name for her angel from Magic Knight Rayearth. She names her angel "Hikaru," because she says that like Hikaru, she would like for her angel to be "a short girl, but strong and happy."

I would say that this series would appeal to younger kids. The gladiator fights provide action, and it's lack of a plot would mean not getting lost, as can often happen in manga (even for adults). The only caution I would have is that Misaki's friends seem to like to tease her by inexplicably knowing what color panties she's wearing. I think it's supposed to be funny, but I was a little WTF about the whole thing.

The internets tell me that Angelic Layer is set in the same universe as CLAMP's later series, Chobits.

Characters from Angelic Layer will appear in Chobits and Tsubasa: Reservoir Chronicle.

This series was made into a 26-episode anime series, but I have very little interest in seeing it.

Magic Knight Rayearth

Magic Knight Rayearth is a 6 volume series (although the latter three volumes are also referred to as "Magic Knight Rayearth II, vol. 1-3). Hikaru, Umi, and Fuu are three girls who attend different schools in Tokyo. Their classes happen to be having field trips at Tokyo Tower at the same time when they meet by chance. The three girls are transported to another world while they hear a voice calling them "Legendary Magic Knights," and asking them to save the world of Cephiro.

Princess Emeraude is the one who called the girls. Along their journey to save the princess (and thus, Cephiro), they are given weapons, armor, and a white ball of fluff that looks like a chubby rabbit, called Mokona. In the world of Cephiro, one is able to fight enemies with the strength of their will.

There is a nice plot twist at the end of the first arc, but it didn't really make the three volumes leading up to it worth it. I found the second arc to be much more boring than the first one. Especially disturbing was volume 4, when each of the girls felt the need to apologize profusely to their love interests for happenings that were not their fault. I think it was supposed to be romantic? SO NOT.

This series was more interesting than, say, Angelic Layer, but I still don't really care for it. In terms of having a girl (or group of girls) transported to another world, I like Escaflowne better (and possibly Twelve Kingdoms - I need to rewatch that series). In terms of magic girls fighting, I like Sailor Moon better.

This series was made into a 49-episode anime series, as well as an OVA. The OVA apparently changes the storyline a lot, but I'd be more willing to watch that than 49 episodes!

Overall: meh.

Legal Drug

This manga is only 3 volumes long, but it is also unfinished. Why?! Like Legend of Chun Hyang, I thoroughly enjoyed this series, and wish that there was more I could read right now.

Kazahaya Kudo is a runaway found in the snow by Rikuo. Rikuo brings him to the Green Drugstore, and the two young men live together and work for Kakei, the owner of Green Drugstore. Their default job is typical store maintenance, but from time to time, Kakei will send them out on special missions for extra cash. These missions usually require Kazahaya's ability to read people's emotions/memories to solve their cases (or obtain special items).

Kazahaya is the younger of the two protagonists, naive, and has a rather pretty face. Rikuo is taller and colder, and it's pretty heavily implied that the two boys might have subtextual feelings for one another (or, at the least, provide great fanservice for readers who might read and go, "OMG! They're totally gay! This is so cute!"

As a side note: This series is definitely not intended for young children!

I look forward to reading more of this, when more comes out. Wikipedia tells me that only 1/5 of the story has been told thus far, and that at Anime Expo 2006, CLAMP told people that they intend to revisit it in the near future.

Rikuo and Kazahaya will both appear in xxxHolic.