The Bottom Line
What if monsters were just like the kids who live down the block, except they like to drink blood and they can turn into fierce koalas? That's kind of the premise of COWA!, a cute and clever comic for kids by the creator of Dragon Ball and Dragon Ball Z.
With some endearingly bratty monster kids, some cowardly villains and a quest that's really an excuse for a road trip, COWA! delivers lots of kid-friendly laughs that are witty enough for grown-ups to enjoy too. A one-shot treat that offers few tricks, but lots of fun for all ages.
Pros
- Great action scenes and goofy jokes that are part Dragon Ball, part Dr. Slump
- Funny, clever and cute, with just enough adventure to entertain both kids and adults
- Mischievous kid monsters who share real friendship and kid-like misadventures
- Love the 16-page color intro, which shows off the nighttime world of Batwing Ridge at its best
Cons
- Includes a few silly fart and poo jokes that only a kid could love
- Presenting color pages in black and white make for muddy reproductions
Description
- Original Title: Cowa! (Japan)
- Author & Artist:Akira Toriyama
- Publishers:
- Shonen Jump / VIZ Media (US)
- Shueisha (Japan)
- ISBN: 978-1-4215-1805-3
- Cover Price: $7.99 US / $9.99 CANADA
- Age Rating:
E – Everyone / A – All Ages
for kid-friendly humor and adventure
More about content ratings. - Manga Genres:
- Shonen (Boys') Manga
- Kodomo (Children's) Manga
- Action / Adventure
- Comedy
- Paranormal / Supernatural
- US Publication Date: July 2008
Japan Publication Date: May 1998 - Book Description: 208 pages, black and white illustrations, 16 color pages
- More Manga by Akira Toriyama:
Guide Review - COWA!
Like COWA!'s vampire / were-koala hero Paifu, Akira Toriyama's manga stories have a split personality. On one hand, Toriyama-sensei can draw some of the most imaginative, laugh out loud funny stories in manga. Dr. Slump and early Dragon Ball are great examples of this. Then there's his action-packed shonen manga adventures like Dragon Ball Z, where mega-musclemen howl with steroid-laced rage as they basically beat the crap out of each other. I tend to favor the Dr. Slump / Dragon Ball side of the Toriyama continuum, so it's little wonder that I adore COWA!.
COWA! is a one-shot story about a group of monster kids who get sent on mission to save their town from a monster flu epidemic. With a retired sumo wrestler as their driver and mentor, the monster kids take a road trip to visit the Witch of Horned Owl mountain to get medicine to save their village.
What makes COWA! so much fun? Well, the characters are just adorable. They're mischievous in a way that's both bratty and endearing. For example, when Paifu the vampire boy plays "angel tag" with Jose the ghost, Jose terrifies Paifu by saying "You need love, I can tell! Come give me a hug!" instead of "Booo!" Priceless!
Like that old sit-com The Munsters, COWA! gives us everyday people and ordinary events with a whimsical monster twist. Paifu's vampire mom greets her son by telling him that she's got 'fresh blood for dinner,' then later reminds him to brush his teeth, because 'a vampire's nothing without his fangs.'
The story is pretty simple, but that's part of its appeal. The art and character designs are really charming too. My only complaint is that I wish that more of the story was printed in color, because that's when we the nighttime world of Batwing Ridge is seen at its best. Overall, COWA! is a funny manga treat that kids and adults can enjoy year-round.
