Kid's Joker

Publisher
ADVManga
Writer
Maki Fujita
Artist
Maki Fujita
Country of origin
Japan
Length
6 volumes
Year
2005

Kid's Joker V. 1

By David Rasmussen
5th Mar 05

Sometimes you just don't need to have your entire family wiped out by mobsters in order to feel the need to punish wrongdoers, take for example the case of one Hotaru Yanagawa. It seems that she can't even go from her place of residence to school without finding a good reason to punish a bad person.
She's not exactly a vigilante type, nor does she have the erratic desire to dress in tight (or nearly non existent) clothing akin to a costume and beat the crap out of bad guys on a daily basis... but she can't help herself, her dream is to be a police officer and stop crime after all.

So it may have been fate (or just bad timing) that she would become involved in the problems of the new girl in school, and the man who seems to be watching over her... yeah, turns out the girl's family is in big trouble and they're being watched over by these people... I dunno... some special group that handles bad guys or something like that. Anyway that one incident teams her up with this guy (Yui) who seems to suddenly take a liking to her, and from that incident they meet again a month later while he's on another case which leads to her (once again) teaming up with him (against his better judgment).

One things leads to another, and the girl who originally wasn't so hot on becoming a vigilante suddenly has found a way to make a difference... if only she can get her foot through the secret back door of this organization first that is.

I wish I could say more, but the creator had the bad fortune of ending Volume 1 in a bit of a cliffhanger which won't be resolved until next chapter, but let's just say the events from this volume should push the ball along to the point that Hotaru can get through that door blocking her from joining up with this strange "group" that Yui is in by the time we get to Volume 2! Maybe...

Oh-kay. Can't say until next review so for now let's wrap up and give the breakdown...

Kid's Joker Breakdown the 1st
What's Hot? - It's a good read. Hotaru, who can't turn her back on anyone in trouble, is suddenly thrust into situations that seemingly open the door to opportunities to do more for people, but how she can get into said door to fight the good fight is the question... and the thrust of the beginning of this book which is a solid read. Mixing humor with action and abit of the crime drama thrown in, this little title does a bang-up job from artwork to story, and is a nice read all around.
I'm looking forward to seeing where this all goes next time. It's all good in my opinion.

What's Not? - I can't think of a downer on this title at all. Nope, not at all.

Moments to Remember? - It all focuses on Hotaru, and that's the best part. Yes, yes, there's Yui but... and not to be insulting to the poor guy... he's about as interesting as that cartwheeling blonde pretty boy of a character named Raiden (Metal Gear Solid 2 : Sons of Liberty)... speaking of which, any of you ever got over that naked Raiden part of that game? Just checking.
Yes, I guess it should be a buddy title (or a romantic action title since I guess she'll start to have feelings for him eventually) but he's just not as interesting as she is. She's the star, after all, so it's all about her.

What to Ignore? - Nothing. It's all good.

Overall? - I like this title. It's a good read that is a pretty solid page turner well worth your time and effort in buying. Looking forward to seeing what happens next in Volume 2!

-- David Rasmussen 5th Mar 05