Sunday, November 21, 2010

I Reads You Review: NINJA GIRLS, VOL. 4



Creator: Hosana Tanaka; Andria Cheng (translation and adaptation)
Publishing Information: Del Rey Manga, paperback-B&W, 202 pages, $10.99 U.S., $11.99 CAN
Ordering Numbers: ISBN: 978-0-345-51245-1 (ISBN-13)

Rating: “OT” for “Ages 16+”

Ninja Girls is a shonen manga series from creator Hosana Tanaka. It follows the journey of a boyish young man named Raizō and his posse of kunoichi (female ninja) to restore a great family.

The horn growing from Raizō’s forehead marks him as a member of the Katana family. Actually, Raizō is the lost, illegitimate son of the most recent feudal lord of the Katana family, who apparently committed suicide. Kagari, Kisarabi, and Himemaru are three, loyal and sexy female ninja who have come together to protect Raizō. He is their new master, and they are scheming to elevate his status and to return the Katana family to greatness.

As Ninja Girls, Vol. 4 opens, Raizo is having dreams that are either hints at the future or clues about the past… or both. Next, Tsukioka Azami, a demure young woman, suddenly appears and claims to serve the Katana family. She certainly is a whiz at the domestic arts, but Kagari is suspicious of her… or is that jealous of her? When Kagari leaves Raizo and her comrades, it begins an adventurer that will land the entire group in the clutches of Katana family enemy, Kabuki Seigan.

It seems as if Hosana Tanaka is less interested in Ninja Girl’s lead character, Raizō, and more interested in the supporting players, who are very colorful and quite interesting. That’s actually a good thing for the reader when a comic book is filled with characters that are appealing and have engaging back stories. Even the villains are attractive.

The mixture of action and comedy with a healthy dose of character development will keep readers engrossed with Ninja Girls. The intrigue and fanservice will catch any stragglers.

B+


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