I like to think I’m a well-read manga fan. I’m interested in a variety of genres—drama, mystery, action, sports, romance, fantasy, supernatural, et cetera—and I’ve even read the occasional title I wasn’t all that interested in for the purposes of a review and felt that I was broadening my horizons by doing so. It’s not manga, but heck, I even read Twilight! It is exceedingly rare, therefore, that I will give up on something partway through, but that is exactly what happened when I recently tried to read Mao-chan by Ken Akamatsu.
I’ve had problems with Akamatsu before. I admit that I’m not a big fan of the shounen harem romance story to begin with, but I did try to read both Love Hina and Negima! in the past and couldn’t get past the first volume of either. The latter, in particular, was so disappointing that it inspired me to write the following Amazon review back in 2004:
So, what we have here is a scene. Take a 10-year-old boy, surround him by girls, then spend 200 pages recycling the same dumb stuff to show off undies and boobs galore.
Now, it’s not that I am anti-fanservice. It’s usually just a side note to some plot, and that’s okay. But when it’s taking the place of the plot, it gets problematic. It seems like every five pages, one of the teenage girls is tripping over something so they can sprawl over Negi.
Several times, I contemplated just giving up reading it entirely, but I’d already invested time in it so I stubbornly persevered. I will not be following the rest of this series.
Sadly, only 6 of 17 people have found this helpful. Nobody likes a critic, alas.
My point is, though, that even though I didn’t like either of these series, I at least managed to finish the volume. Why was my experience with Mao-chan different? It’s not even a shounen harem story! Plus, I had both volumes, so there was the lure of the satisfaction of completing a series to compel me to carry on. And yet I couldn’t. The idea of spending even one more precious second of my life reading about a trio of wacky old guys, each boasting about how his eight-year-old granddaughter is the best one to defend the earth from cute aliens, was unthinkable.
Was the moe the problem? Partly, but I think the greater issue was simply that I couldn’t see in it the same things others saw. People whose reviews I respect—like Katherine Dacey and Ed Sizemore—have enjoyed the series and described it as “a funny and insightful satire of Japanese culture.” I did try to see the series in that light, but failed utterly; it just seemed inane to me. I must conclude that I simply do not grok Ken Akamatsu.
Has this happened to anyone else? Is there some creator or series that everyone else seems to like that you simply just don’t get?
Sadly, only 6 of 17 people have found this helpful. Nobody likes a critic, alas.
Hee! 😀
I have never been able to get past the first few pages of Mao-Chan. I mean, I frequently have trouble getting into a manga at first, and usually will struggle through the first few chapters at least to give it a chance to hook me. Somehow, I didn’t manage that with Mao-Chan. I almost think it was the fact that the book is so long, I thought I wouldn’t even be able to breeze through it like other manga. I don’t know. But I had a similar experience.
Also, I could not finish the first volume of One Piece. Which I think makes me a freak.
Hmm.. Its brick-like qualities could have made the prospect of finishing it seem more daunting.
I had trouble getting into the first volume of One Piece, too. It’s zany and cartoony, two things I don’t generally like, but it’s also innovative and well planned out, two things I do like. I have to tolerate the former at times, but the latter makes up for it.
Yes, yes, yes, and yes. And also yes.
And finally, thank you for articulating exactly what I think of these books.
Heh. You’re welcome. 🙂
I liked Love Hina a lot, but I haven’t read anything else by him.
The entire harem genre could be done away with and the world would be better for it, I’d say. I’ve never touched any of Akamatsu’s releases, but I have been forced to sit through a handful of anime episodes based on his titles. Ughhhh.
As for your closing question, I am absolutely astounded by Bleach’s continuing popularity. The story (which isn’t much more than fighting and powering-up) has been haphazardly planned and poorly paced for a long while now, yet it continues to rise to the top of sales charts.
You know, I don’t actually disagree with you about Bleach. Most criticisms I’ve seen have made me nod my head in acknowledgment. And yet, I still keep reading it. There are some good character moments in there, but you’re right that it doesn’t feel well-planned and that fighting too often takes precedence.