Ranked #1130

Ai Kora (Manga)

The beloved is the ultimate fetish. (Mason Cooley)

PLOT: -

This series focuses around the daily life of Maeda Hachibei, a pervert who idolizes ‘Parts Love’.

There’s a big misconception among anime/manga fans that a pervert is someone with extreme sexual desire or fantasies. In truth being a pervert means to think, act and follow the paths which are opposite to the normal standards set the world. Having weird/abnormal sexual tastes and desires indeed comes in that but it is not only limited to that.

In a sense ‘Parts Love’ is a perverted thing and in another sense it is not.

Parts Love is a common norm among teenagers. The times of our lives when we’re fooling around and haven’t set our goals (in terms of romance), ‘Parts Love’ is a blessing for us. We often see teenagers admiring, fantasizing on models, idols, actors, celebs etc not because of their work but because of something else. I mean it is not rare that we hear sentences like ‘I don’t like her acting but her boobs are hot” :P

Going by above explanation, ‘Parts Love’ is not exactly a perversion but a teenage habit that fades away with time. We all grow up and chose partners and those choice are hardly effected by things like ‘Parts’ but by ‘Personalities and mutual understanding’.

However, a key part of perversion is that it takes things at an extreme level. And Hachibei does that time and time again in this series. He takes his love for parts to such an extreme peak that it becomes a fetish. Normally that is plain madness, but here it is something very interesting to see.

This series also throws lights on interesting topics like types of parts fetishes, thinking habits of a fetishist, real love v/s parts love etc. This series has very little (almost none) nudity in it, but despite that it is regarded as one of the greatest ecchi series out there.

The ending has been left on the reader to decide and hence the reactions might be change from reader to reader. None the less it is an exciting and insane comedy which will grab the hearts of the readers.

CHARACTERS: -

A great series can’t be completed without its cast and the characterization in Ai Kora is great indeed.

The lead character appears to be a hype active teenager who doesn’t love parts but worships them. But that’s not all there’s to his personality. He’s strong and caring person and his moto “If you love the parts, you must also love the owners of those parts”, differentiates him from normal perverts and fetishists and makes him a hero who is willing to help and protect his loved ones at any time.

The overall cast is also great. There’s a vast and exciting range of characters to look out for, especially the types and habits of perverts that appear in this series.

ART: -

The art of this series is very cool and easy to catch. The sketches and expressions increase the beauty of the characters and make this manga even more hilarious.

CONTENT: -

Ai Kora has insanely hilarious jokes and situations in it (something that is plus point of Inoue’s work). These things take the series to greater heights and make it one of the best perverted comedies out there.

TARGET AUDIENCE: -

Teenagers who like insane and whacky comedy will love this one.

TIPS: -

Don’t read this series in one go. Reading it slowly will increase its effectiveness and epicness. read more

Hilarious Parts
by radiantfire

Context:
For this review, I'll be analysing Ai Kora. It is by Inoue Kazurou who is probably most known as the author of Midori no Hibi. At the time of this writing, I have read 58 chapters of this manga.

Story:
Ai Kora revolves around Hachibe Maeda and his endless attempts to glorify his favourite parts. It is a creative attempt on the world of fetishes and takes the notion of "objectifying women" to another level. Each chapter is episodic, in that, they often highlight a particular fetish being promoted. In this sense, those who enjoy short quick shots of romance and comedy will definitely enjoy this series.

Art:
The art is good and matches the general feel of the manga. I particularly enjoy the wacky facial impressions and surprisingly detailed backgrounds.

Character:
The characters are fun and unique. Hachibei's character design is very creative and the girls each has their own special charm. However, due to the episodic nature of the series, there is little character development. Nonetheless, the characters are enjoyable to follow.

Enjoyment:
Hilarious stories, comical art, and enjoyable characters makes Ai Kora a joy to read. However, the stories are quite predictable. Once you get the feel of the manga, you'll probably end up knowing how the chapter will turn out after reading a few pages. That's not to say that you won't continue enjoying it. Rather, the surprise aspect has been tarnished.

Conclusion
While a lack of plot and a repetitive aesthetic may turn people off, anyone who's up for some light romantic comedy should definitely check out Ai Kora. It's fun, comical, and at times, adorable. read more