Ranked #668

Hoshi no Samidare (Manga)

First, the typical apology, this is my first review, etc, etc. I don't think that should stop it from being any less quality or else I wouldn't have submitted it, but chalk up any stupid mistakes to that.

Anyway, Wakusei no Samidare, or as I prefer to call it, "Lucifer and the Biscuit Hammer" originally attracted me because of it's awe-inspiring name. And then I read the first couple pages, and instantly was hooked. The first pages are the stuff of legends. Absurd, Surreal, and extremely Snarky, they served as a very good preview for what was to come.

Story: The Story of Lucifer and the Biscuit Hammer is simple at first glance. A group of modern day HEROES have to save the world from the mysterious Mage and his Biscuit Hammer, and the main character has been chosen! He has to find his Princess and save the world! Yeah, it's a fairly typical story, but there's a couple plot twists that throw the whole premise on it's head a couple chapters into the story. (That being said, at it's heart it really is a story about saving the world, just done extremely well.) Cliches are poked at extensively for humor, though that doesn't mean that the manga can't be serious when it wants to be. One of the major reoccuring themes is the true nature of the so-called "Hero of Justice" character type , and typical concepts of Good and Evil are played around with . In other words, It's a conventional story with a lot of unconventional elements.

Art:One of the weaker points about this work, but that's only because the rest of the work is so strong. The art is nice, very refined and smooth, not at all messy. Character designs are not terribly unique, but they have a hint of their own style to them. The environments are pretty dull mostly, however, and lighting isn't used terribly well. Meaning, essentially, visually it's not amazing. I would point out that the goons that go after the main character generally have fairly interesting designs, so points for that. Otherwise, it's average. Not bad by ANY means, not amazing, just average. Which isn't necessarily a bad thing.

Character: The core of this story is about characters. Character Development, Character Relationships, etc. There's three to note. The main character Yuuhi, Princess Samidare, and Noi Cresant, the animal companion. All three add a lot to the work, and have very complex relationships. Yuuhi in particular, being the central character, has the most interesting psychology. He also has a very deadpan style of humor, which adds a lot to what makes this story so fun. Samidare is not quite as complex from what we've seen, but she is one heck of a character. Not at all your typical princess~ Finally, Noi is much more than a typical animal companion, being the third member of the trio, and his personality is an incredibly contrast to that of the main character's, giving them a somewhat uneasy relationship that is one of the most interesting in the series.

There's other characters, few that are as deep, but they are a colorful cast. Which is good, because the story is all about the characters. The main trio's relationship to this cast varies, and there's a lot of underlying tension between the characters. The story is all about character relationships, which makes it very interesting indeed

Enjoyment: It's worth pointing out an odd quirk of this story. Battles tend to be short and sweet, there's been a couple extended battles, but they've been short. The rest of the manga is mostly about character relationships, that almost has a slice of life feel to it at times. If that may affect your enjoyment, be forewarned. Personally, I thought it was quite entertaining though, for reasons already mentioned.

Overall: Okay, it's not perfect. It has it's flaws here and there. But overall, it's a fun spin on a classic genre, and has a nice mix of humor and drama. It's also very character focused, which is always a plus in my book. Really, it's not breaking any new ground, but that doesn't make it bad by any means. It's an entertaining story with some fun twists and great characters, and that's good enough for me. read more