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Sep 4, 2008
[This is actually one of the side stories of Watashi no Ookami-san, which is a two volume manga. You can find it in the 2nd volume.]
So, I felt I needed to write a review for this particular oneshot, because it's one of my favorites (and one that I always wish had been continued). I'll say it straight up; it's cute fluff without much plot. But hey, what can you expect for only 36 pages?
The story is pretty fun, but not very original... We start out with two demons, Cruel and Karlo, fighting each other in the Underworld; some sort of power dispute. Unfortunately, before they
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can finish their duel, Cruel gets summoned away! He lands in the presence of a very ditzy young girl named Pearl who is just too cute for her own good. He attempts to kill her, and ends up summoning a giant statue to land on his own head. He's become a demon servant, and can't hurt his mistress. Things degenerate from there.
The art is vaguely reminiscent of CLAMP style... Pointy chins on the guys, really big eyes for the girls, dubious masculinity... I personally like this style, so it won't get much complaint from me. Cruel looks cute, I love long hair, and Pearl is very pretty. The layout seems a bit too crowded at times, but not to the point where I'm getting headaches.
For being a 36 page manga, the characters have some decent background. We don't see much of Karlo (heeey, he's only in about 6-7 pages), but Cruel is evil demon status until he realizes that he can't do anything vaguely demonic worthy while being a servant, and Pearl sort of reminds me of Tohru from Fruits Basket. She's a bit of a ditz, but she'll do what she can to help you out, with some unexpected and noteworthy advice to boot.
I love this story. It's cute, sweet, sticks out in my memory, and also very short... I wish it had been longer, and that we could have seen some more interaction between Cruel & Pearl, but alas~ it is only a one shot.
Overall, it's a fun read. And even if you find that you're not so fond of it, well, there's not that much to read anyways, so finish it and smile about it when you're done. I think that it's very well done for being a side story to something else.
Reviewer’s Rating: 6
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Nov 21, 2007
I was pleasantly surprised at how much I enjoyed this manga. I'm actually not that fond of horror or depressing series, but I picked it up because in a recc it mentioned vampires.
I'm not quite sure how to review this, to be honest. There's just something about the story that draws you in and doesn't let you go until the end. I think the story is fabulous; it keeps a nice steady pace throughout the volumes, never speeding up to the point where you find yourself at a loss as to what's going on, or lagging too much and causing disinterest.
The art is beautiful. Not
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your typical shoujo or shounen styles; more like something out of an older horror book. It's absolutely lovely. Chizuna looks almost like a painted doll in some of the frames; like something that doesn't quite belong where she is.
The character development is also quite good for a seven volume manga. Granted, they start out as pretty interesting characters, but as you read further you end up pulling back even more layers and discovering how complex they really are.
As for enjoyment value, I was completely enthralled for the entire series. It was positively delightful, keeping you interested and wondering about what was going to happen next. I'll probably re-read the story several times within the next few months or so.
Overall, the story was a delightful ride. In fact, I enjoyed it so much that I am probably going to go and purchase the books now, since I would enjoy having a hard copy of this. If you are a fan of psychological conditions and bittersweet endings, I would totally recommend it to you.
Some extra side notes:
When I mentioned vampires, it's not in the literal sense. The two main characters, Kazuna and Chizuna, have a type of disease that makes them crave blood to the point where they can become violent. Hence the label 'vampire'. So if you're looking for something that actually does have 'I-have-a-legion-of-bats, can't-go-out-in-the-day, let-me-suck-your-blood' vampires, this probably isn't for you.
There is some light incest in this manga. The only thing that physically happens is some kissing, but if that thing seriously squicks you out, then maybe you should avoid this. If it helps, you might also want to know that while they are related to eachother, they haven't been in contact since they were really young, so they are basically strangers.
If you have finished the 46th chapter, and you like the way that the story ended there, then DO NOT READ THE 47TH CHAPTER. I honestly wish I hadn't read the 47th chapter, because now it has me slightly miffed at the series. There's an author's note in the back of the Tokyopop versions that explains why the 47th chapter is like it is, but I honestly think that you should just stop with the 46th. It has a good ending.
Reviewer’s Rating: 8
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Nov 1, 2007
So I hunted this down after hearing it was a crossover between One Piece and Dragonball, because who wouldn't want to read something like that? You have two wonderful artists combining their already loved characters together in what should be an awesome story, right?
Wrong.
The story is completely and totally random, and had I not read One Piece or Dragonball I would have been at a total loss. It makes slight references to minor plot points of the other two stories, but it does not have the "pirates" or "z-fighters" themes at all. It's just these really random characters going around doing their (what we can
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assume) daily routines. It's totally plotless.
The art is wonderful. It's well drawn, the characters fit together seamlessly, and there's a lot of action in the background. Very common of the OP and DB series. In fact, the art is probably the best thing about this manga, because you can see (with official art!) what the characters look like together.
The characters, again, are wonderful. However, they are also using the same personalities from their mother series, so if you haven't read OP or DB before you would be at a total loss as to what is happening, or why they are doing certain things within the manga.
Enjoyment value was okay; again, it's OP and DB, and even if it is a totally crack story, it was amusing to see some characters together. Props out to Sanji and Roshi hanging out together. That was awesome.
Overall, if you have read Dragonball and One Piece, you should probably read Cross Epoch just to say you did. It's not a great story, but it's still fun to look at the art and see what characters Toriyama and Oda decided should work together, based on their personalities and/or gender. It's not any sort of monumental story that you'll dig out a great plot from, but I would say that it is worth reading.
Reviewer’s Rating: 6
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