For most shojo manga fans, comics creator Yuu Watase needs no introduction. With bestselling girls' comics series like Fushigi Yugi and Absolute Boyfriend to her name, Watase could have easily spent the rest of her career coasting on her shojo manga successes. But last year, she decided to do something different: she launched Arata: The Legend , a fantasy adventure series for a shonen manga (boys comics) magazine, Shonen Sunday.
While it seems like a dramatic change of pace, it really isn't -- Watase's best stories have always had much more action, drama and humor than most shojo manga romances. Now freed from creating stories that is primarily focused on romance, Watase tells a tale about two very different boys named Arata who trade places across dimensions, and get sucked into the biggest adventures of their lives.
I'm always excited to see established manga artists taking chances and blurring the lines between the often gender-based genres in Japanese comics. But has Watase made the most out of ventures into the land of shonen manga storytelling? Check out my review of Arata: The Legend Volume 1 from Shonen Sunday / VIZ Media and see where this new series plays to her strengths, and where her weaknesses trip her up.
You can check it out for yourself, free! The first 8 chapters Arata: The Legend are online at ShonenSunday.com. Also, while you're there, you can read their exclusive interview with Watase-sensei as she talks about the inspirations for Arata and much more.
Image credit: ARATAKANGATARI © 2009 Yuu WATASE / Shogakukan
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