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Reviewed by Shannon Fay If there’s one thing I’ve learned from manga, it’s that there’s apparently nothing hotter than a guy in a girl’s body. Case in point is ‘Cheeky Angel,’ a shonen series about a teenage girl who used to be a boy. And while Megumi wants nothing more than to go back to being a guy, the guys in the series like her just the way she is. When Megumi was nine, he and his friend Miki helped a wizard. The wizard gave Megumi a magic book which would grant any wish. Megumi wished to be the ‘manliest man on earth,’ but because of a miscommunication (or maliciousness on the book’s part) Megumi was turned into a girl. Now in high school, Megumi has turned into a stunning young lady but still thinks of herself as a guy. Her beauty has gathered quite a following, and the main supporting characters are a group of four guys dedicated to protecting Megumi. She doesn’t really need it as Megumi is a super-strong fighter, but that doesn’t stop her admirers from following her around. Chief among them is Genzo, a white and black haired punk who is trying to give up his tough guy ways in order to win Megumi’s heart. But Megumi’s heart is in turmoil. She still wants to return to being a guy, and so she enlists her fan club in tracking down the wizard that she helped nine-years ago. At this point in the story, the guys know the story about Megumi’s transformation, but aren’t quite sure if they believe it. Volume four is mostly taken up with a crime story. Megumi is on vacation in Osaka and runs into a female thief. The two get along like oil and water thanks to the thief calling Megumi a girly girl, a label that cuts right through Megumi’s macho pride. But that doesn’t stop Megumi (and her followers) from helping out the thief when she gets mixed-up in some bad business dealings. This volume really showcases how well Hiroyuki Nishimori does action. While the main drive of the series is the romantic-comedy high jinx, there’s also plenty of action as the characters are the type to get into fights every chapter. Volume five continues the search for a way to change Meg back into a guy. In a previous volume the group had actually found the magic book, but since it was still pissed off at Megumi for throwing it into a lake, it cursed Meg with bad luck. Now Meg has become an expert at dodging things, whether it’s a tree branch falling overhead or a crate falling next to her. This bad luck also puts her friends in danger, and so Meg considers leaving them and moving away so they’ll be safe. Cheeky Angel is a fun series, and actually made me laugh out loud at certain points. It’s an interesting shonen series as it shows what guys look like from a girl’s point of view. For example, whenever Meg sees a guy acting stupid or perverted, she tells herself that she’d never act like that if she were a guy. Usually it’s shojo manga that is associated with gender issues, but shonen manga like this (and to a lesser degree, ‘Pretty Face’) also looks at the difference between men and women, between gender and sexual orientation. The art for Cheeky Angel is cute, at times a little manic but always clear. The expressions are great and really sell the comedy, as well as the occasional serious moment. While the backgrounds aren’t extremely beautiful, they are detailed and consistently drawn. Cheeky Angel is a good gender-bending comedy. There’s a lot of story packed into each volume, making each graphic novel a satisfying read. If you prefer your stories with angst, than this one isn’t for you, but if you want a rom-com with action, than this is it. Comment on this review of Cheeky Angel v4-5 on the Manga Life Forums. |
6 October 2009
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