Oct 10, 2022
I have to admit that all kinds of stories related to the two First World Wars and their subsequent Cold War I enjoy like eating bread and butter, and it is not surprising that all kinds of media related to one of the most well-known eras of the modern history that presents what it was like in those times of war, espionage, authoritarian governments, conspiracies among themselves and a high international tension that sought to avoid a nuclear war as much as possible.
In the Japanese medium, although it's not frequented or there are not many well-known titles for the newer public, there are programs that
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are inspired by said historical events such as 86, Youjo Senki, Irina: The Vampire Cosmonaut; in addition to franchises such as Girls & Panzer, Azur Lane and Kantai Collection.
And in this case, what is the new novelty? A 9-year-old communist girl!
With story by Kouta Matsuda and art by Monchika, it tells Myao Chobirov who, at 9 years old, is the new general and leader of the Socialist Republic of Coldona, after the death of her father Jo Chobirov. Her immaturity and innocence will make her have to deal at a young age with all kinds of situations that she must occupy as Head of State of the nation, with unexpected results for her high command-especially with her two right hands of her Nguyen and Khan.
Oh, Our General Myao is mostly an episodic series, where the only plot is to see Myao get into trouble due to his lack of experience managing an entire country. After all, she's a girl under 10 years old, and not a 40-year-old politician, who watches over the prosperity of an entire nation. Those more familiar with current political satire will likely find a comedy about Soviet communism old-fashioned. On the other hand, those who are very interested in the subject will enjoy certain jokes that the main character manages to make work due to the unexpected solutions that she comes up with for each urgent issue that must be addressed in a nation: Economy, International Relations, Domestic Policy, culture etc.
The manga manages to make good use of the common stereotypes associated with communist authoritarianism along with Myao's cuteness and unpredictability, as she is always a headache for Nguyen and Khan, her two right-hand men. In return, the two of them seek to advise Myao with the adult experience they have, with Nguyen being the one who acts as a strict and loving father to her while Khan... well, is purged to do the worst tasks that the human being can do. You would never imagine: like mowing the lawn or washing the bathrooms.
And here where perhaps some may not feel interested.
The manga itself has no real story except for the main character dealing with the problems of an adult politician at a young age. The context of the crisis, the shortage and the past of Coldonia are mentioned as an environmental prop, but it's not the focus of the manga to present a more in-depth story about this. This is why the viewer when reading manga, who in principle would do it for comedy since this is what sells, might think that they would take more interest in how a child matures and grows leading a nation in extreme poverty to a much different way. Unfortunately, Myao doesn't pose a slightly darker military story like 86 or Youjo Senki.
The positive side is that there's a very slow evolution of Myao's character as a leader thanks to the upbringing she receives from her two right hands, and also best friends, Nguyen and Khan whose mission is to make her a better leader, even better than the tyrannical that it was his father. However, don't expect the manga to take a more mature course with this as it doesn't seek to tell a story, but rather to entertain. Still, I admit that those little moments seemed to me the best of the manga.
And why do I recommend reading this? Because I like stories with a military theme, together with an absurd, moe and happy comedy formula, it will be worth laughing for a while at the cheerful Myao and the times that Khan purges in each chapter, all this to seek a more peaceful world. A pity that there are only 48 chapters, but even more so when you can take a day to read a chapter before making dinner or going to work.
With so many tensions in the world, sometimes it's nice to relax and have a laugh with something.
Reviewer’s Rating: 7
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