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Reviewed by Michael Aronson “When Yae and her mother decide to take in two teenage boarders, Yae finally realizes what it's like to have sisters - an experience she has always dreamed of. The title Tori-Koro comes from the tricolors of the French national flag (Blue, white, and red) that coincide with the characters hair colors.” Interestingly, Tori Koro functions as a comic strip: four panels per strip, but progressing down the page rather than across. The format makes this book a little denser than the average pop manga title, which is somewhat rewarding given its brevity (120 pages). The book is actually a bit taller than the average manga to compensate for the panel layout. These characters have some of the largest eyes I’ve seen in manga art. You could reach your whole arm through one pupil and out the other. The cuteness extends to the content as well, as the three newly-sisters, plus mother and friends, encounter odd situations, misunderstandings and the occasional over-exaggeration. In other words, typical shojo. It’s refreshing that a story about an all-female cast doesn’t get hung up on men in any way, allowing the characters to explore their individual personalities and interests. In the comic strip format, the last panel is usually reserved for a punchline or revelation, but too often these clinchers fall a bit flat. The art expresses some kind of ridiculousness or irony, but the dialogue stumbles a bit, owing the fault to a rather weak translation. Some lines feel translated word for word rather than adapting or improvising on a situation to offer more clarity or a sense of humor better appreciated by western readers. This adds unnecessary clutter to an otherwise average story. Comment on this review of Tori Koro v1 on the Manga Life Forums. |
6 October 2009
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