![]() There are repeated instances where the reader can’t avoid the fact that this is, above all else, a manga aimed at a juvenile male audience. These elements are what I find most enjoyable about the manga, whereas the more immature gags tend to largely miss the mark. At least once a chapter, the characters seem to break the fourth wall and reflect on the fact that they’re manga characters. There are also several amusing situations that arise as a result of the contrast between Arale’s apparent age and her complete lack of knowledge about the way human society functions. Many of the gags rely on a familiarity with the tropes and cliches of how robotic characters are normally presented in anime and manga one of the first things that Arale does upon gaining self-awareness in the first chapter is ask Norimaki if he’s included any weaponry features (“tummy missiles”) in her body. The humor in this volume is very hit-or-miss with me, but that’s primarily because the author approaches the various gags from several different angles, some of which resonate more than others. I’m of the belief that humor is one of the most thankless genres to write, if only because what’s funny to one person may fall entirely flat with another. Norimaki soon realizes that Arale may not be the perfect creation that he had envisioned, and spends as much time trying to keep a handle on her as he does inventing new items and lusting after the beautiful women of Penguin Village. He names the girl Arale (another, smaller variety of rice cracker, naturally), and while her strength and other abilities are superhuman, her straightforwardness and questioning nature are that of a small child. the main character (whose name is a pun on a variety of rice cracker), creates what he considers his masterwork as an inventor – a humanoid robot shaped like a little girl. His career was launched, however, by this series, which combines goofball humor with a keen awareness of the tropes of robot-centric anime and manga. Manga author Akira Toriyama is probably most familiar in the West for his perennially-popular Dragon Ball series and its various offshoots. (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers) It's this series that made me wish Toriyama kept working on comedies. Maybe not six year olds but defiantly at least ten. This is one of the great comedy series I've read that is actually apropriate for kids too. ![]()
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