365 Days of Manga, Day 275: Love Attack! (Junai Tokko Taicho!)

LOVE ATTACK (JUNAI TOKKO TAICHO!) • Shizuru Seino • TOKYOPOP • 13+
Chiemi, a tough girl who beats people up, is asked by her teacher to reform tough guy Akifumi Hirata. When she jump-kicks him from a second-story window, he responds by asking her out the next day, then picking her up and dragging her out of class on a date. Soon they each find out that the other person isn’t a “deranged devil” or a “violent wolf-witch” after all, and they turn into a happy couple whose idea of a good date is beating up punks together. Shizuru Seino’s Heaven!! is a hilarious supernatural comedy about a butt-kicking girl and a rough guy, and Love Attack is good too, although its premise isn’t as original. Also, it’s one of those manga where the first chapter tells such a complete story that it seems unnecessary to continue it. By the third storyline, when Chiemi is being threatened by creepy perverts who want to dress her up in a maid’s uniform, Seino seems to be running out of ideas, but luckily the wackiness (and some sexually suggestive bits) gives the reader reason to keep consuming this tasty manga junk food. (Review by Jason Thompson – originally printed in Otaku USA magazine.)
*** (three stars)
As I sit here in a coffeeshop in Seattle drawing thumbnails for King of RPGs volume 2, I look at the daily manga winners list and see that today’s winner is… Autumn W. of Illinois! Congratulations, Autumn!

This artful B&W photo was sent in by Valerie, another recent winner. Thanks, Valerie! I’ll send you some more manga soon. In the meantime, if you want to read about some really obscure doujinshi (fan-published manga) based on American superheroes and Star Trek… if you dream of a chibi Wolverine… check out my new Anime News Network article, House of 1000 Manga: Justice and Star Trekker!