Creators: Reiji Saiga, Sora Inoue, Lucan Duran
Translation: Lucan Duran
Publisher: TokyoPop
Age Rating: Teen
Genres: Action, Comedy, Adventure
RRP: $9.99
Real Bout High School v1
Reviewed by Doctor Generic

Daimon high school, Japan. Ryoko Mitsurugi is nicknamed the Samurai Girl--and not because she enjoys samurai movies (especially ones starring Toshiro Mifune). It's because Ryoko is the top fighter (and most popular student) in school. Whether facing down a gang of punks with her wooden sword (and beating them soundly) or taking on students in random fights around the school, Ryoko always wins. She also has a dear friend in Hitomi, who is the witness to many of Ryoko's fisticuffs. And there's Ryoko's schoolgirl crush on Tatsuya from the kendo club.

All that changes, however, Shizuma Kusanagi transfers from another school. An uncouth braggart, Kusanagi is also a fighter of incredible ability. He talks tough, and he has the skill and muscle to back it up. And he's just managed to institute, with the help of the principal, Todo, the K-Fight--a last-man standing, no holds barred martial arts competition that involves Daimon and other schools. And it's going to be televised to the school's TVs by the perky Natsumi Fujishima!

Comment:
Let's see…cute girls, check. Standard Japanese high school setting, check…loads of action and comedy, check. Even with these cliches, though, Real Bout High School still manages to rise above them and it's one of the best comics around.

Start off with the story by Reiji Saiga. Yes, Saiga does hang onto the standard cliches present in many manga, but then does a 180 and gives us characters that are unique and in many cases very funny. From Ryoko's love of samurai films to Kusanagi's noble/ignoble personality, there are quite a few characters to concentrate on. Even the principal, a secondary character, gets his chance to shine. There is a lot of humor in the story, but it is complemented by Sora Inoue's art. Having seen Inoue's art from his previous effort Parallel Trappers! I have to say that it is suited to RBHS's madcap action. Inoue's art is bursting with detail, and he has a strong grasp on depicting action.

And besides, he draws one cute Ryoko. Nice.

The translation is perfect--especially with the rat-tat-tat dialogue in some scenes. There are some things that will throw people off, however. The first is that the book is printed in the original Japanese format--that is, it is to be read from right to left (there is a guide to help you out). The second is that the sound effects (i.e. the POW! WHAP! BAM!) are in the original Japanese, and there are no translations present in the book to help. I wonder why TokyoPop never bothered with this element of the book.

Those complaints aside, I enjoyed RBHS a lot. I was, literally, laughing out loud while reading it. The manga was also the basis for an animated series, and that series has managed to capture the source material's flavor. This one is definitely worth it.

Comment on this review of Real Bout High School v1 on the Manga Life Forums.


6 October 2009
Naruto v46
We Were There v6



home | reviews | news | features | about us | advertise | privacy policy | contact us
All materials © Manga Life, 2005 - Site designed and hosted by Silver Bullet Hosting