Bodyswap mangas are, as is repeatedly brought up in this story, quite common, so it's a bit odd that none had combined it with Japan's well known fandoms for cutesy same-sex romances. Despite a fair few flaws, I found myself really liking this manga and its central not-couple. I think the reason is that it captures the light feel of Japan's love comedies, while going strongly against the gender stereotypes they tend to be mired in, and having something to say about these fandoms.
The art has a serious sameface problem, but it does a good job of livening up dialogue of with cartoonish expressions and visual metaphors, and fits well the comedic tone. There is real depth to the contrasting outlooks of the boy and girl who get swapped and how they react to it, much as they are both exaggerated to the point of caricature. Some thought is put into what body-swapping would entail; it lasts more than a month, with all that implies.
The flaws are easy to list: everyone else is one-note, sexual harassment is treated far too lightly, and it ends with some character growth but no proper resolution. I also feel the protagonist could have been done better: author's notes point to an initial concept where he idolised 2D girls and looked down on 3D girls. Some of this Madonna-whore complex remains in the final story, but mostly he feels less like a real otaku and more how otaku want to see themselves, with an almost monastic life of devotion to their waifus. He doesn't even seem to treat them in any sexual way. It's still a good look at why this otaku ideal is unhealthy, but then making him more realistic would hit up against another problem.
Ajiichi's previous work is all yuri manga, with an unusual range going from cute schoolgirls and supernatural comedies to jaded adults in lesbian bars. And this shows. Yuri shenanigans pop up with little regard to logic or plotting, and since it's not a yuri manga it never goes anywhere. But it has the effect of making the world around our otaku heroes seem little different from the fiction they talk about.
It's an interesting little manga, but I suggest only reading it if you are familiar with the idiosyncrasies of Japan's strange fandoms and want to know more.
A bodyswap story with an unusual setup and some substance
Bodyswap mangas are, as is repeatedly brought up in this story, quite common, so it's a bit odd that none had combined it with Japan's well known fandoms for cutesy same-sex romances. Despite a fair few flaws, I found myself really liking this manga and its central not-couple. I think the reason is that it captures the light feel of Japan's love comedies, while going strongly against the gender stereotypes they tend to be mired in, and having something to say about these fandoms.
The art has a serious sameface problem, but it does a good job of livening up dialogue of with cartoonish expressions and visual metaphors, and fits well the comedic tone. There is real depth to the contrasting outlooks of the boy and girl who get swapped and how they react to it, much as they are both exaggerated to the point of caricature. Some thought is put into what body-swapping would entail; it lasts more than a month, with all that implies.
The flaws are easy to list: everyone else is one-note, sexual harassment is treated far too lightly, and it ends with some character growth but no proper resolution. I also feel the protagonist could have been done better: author's notes point to an initial concept where he idolised 2D girls and looked down on 3D girls. Some of this Madonna-whore complex remains in the final story, but mostly he feels less like a real otaku and more how otaku want to see themselves, with an almost monastic life of devotion to their waifus. He doesn't even seem to treat them in any sexual way. It's still a good look at why this otaku ideal is unhealthy, but then making him more realistic would hit up against another problem.
Ajiichi's previous work is all yuri manga, with an unusual range going from cute schoolgirls and supernatural comedies to jaded adults in lesbian bars. And this shows. Yuri shenanigans pop up with little regard to logic or plotting, and since it's not a yuri manga it never goes anywhere. But it has the effect of making the world around our otaku heroes seem little different from the fiction they talk about.
It's an interesting little manga, but I suggest only reading it if you are familiar with the idiosyncrasies of Japan's strange fandoms and want to know more.