Title: Midori Days #1
Author: Kazurou Inoue
Publisher: Viz
ISBN: 9781591169055
May Contain Spoilers
Seiji Sawamura, the toughest kid at school, only wants one thing; a girlfriend to hang out with. Unfortunately, his bad boy reputation has chased all the ladies away. A desperate plea for a girlfriend, any girl at all, has some interesting results. Seiji’s “devil’s right hand” has mysteriously turned into a doll sized girl named Midori!!
After being turned down by every girl he’s ever been interested in, it looks like Seiji’s finally going to get some female companionship. The 24/7 togetherness might grow old fast, but at least Midori likes to cook and clean! Ok, so trips to the restroom are a little more complicated, but tiny Midori is so cute!
Midori Days has one of the oddest premises I’ve read so far. Tough guy Seiji, famous for his deadly right hook, spends most of his free time fighting. This is a total turn-off for the girls he’s interested in, except for shy Midori. Seiji doesn’t even know that she’s alive until a twist of fate causes him to swap his devil’s right hand for the miniaturized girl. While Midori is thrilled by the turn of events, Seiji is less than enthused. There goes his tough guy image!
This was a fun read, with Seiji adjusting to life with his new right hand girl. The chapters were fast paced and light-hearted as Seiji struggles to keep his new deformity a secret. He suddenly has two huge problems - he can’t fight anymore, and one of his classmates has suddenly taken an interest in him! Seiji is too simple minded to realize that Ayase has developed a crush on him, even though Midori recognizes the competition for Seiji’s affections.
While I enjoyed this volume, I wonder how long Kazurou Inoue can keep the story feeling fresh and entertaining. At first the fan service turned me off, but things calmed down fairly quickly, though I’m sure it flares back up in future volumes. I liked Seiji, who pretends to be a tough guy but really has the heart of a marshmallow. And the brains to match.
Grade: C+
Rated for Older Teen
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9:34 am
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