Title:
The World of Narue, Book OnePublisher’s rating:
Age 13+Genre:
Comedy/RomancePublisher's Website:
http://www.centralparkmedia.com/cpmcomicsAnime:
Sound bite:
This is a funny book that gets its laughs from adolescent awkwardness but is never mean. There is some cartoony violence, very mild language, and images of women in their underwear, but no nudity or explicit sexuality. All situations are played for laughs.My rating:
Fine for 12 and up; OK for most younger kids, but look it over yourself first.Kid Reviews:
ShoujoOneMore details:
Plot Summary:
Half-alien, half earth girl, Narue appears to be an ordinary 14-year-old schoolgirl but has powers and problems that are out of this world. Kazuto Izuka, a shy earth boy, has a crush on her, and much of the humor in this book comes from the way her super powers accentuate his awkwardness. Narue returns Kazuto’s affection but knows that she must someday choose between him and her interplanetary lifestyle. Narue’s classmate Hajime, a science fiction fan, is obsessed with proving that Narue is not an alien. The book consists of a series of short episodes: Narue’s space superiors send a robot girl to make Narue jealous of Kazuto; Narue loses her headband, which allows her to teleport from place to place, and another student finds it and clumsily teleports to all the wrong places; Narue’s older sister, whom she has never met, appears from outer space and is jealous of Narue; while teleporting, Narue gets stuck in the wall between the boys’ and girls’ rooms at school.
Character and morality:
The characters are good role models—Narue is pleasant to everyone, even the nerdy kids, and Kazuto is sweet and sincere. Some of the side characters are devious and unpleasant, but they get their comeuppance. A boy who has a crush on Narue finds her lost headband and keeps it, not realizing she uses it to teleport from place to place. He is concerned someone will see him and think he is a “pervert” for wearing a girl’s headband. He accidentally teleports himself to the girls’ locker room, where the girls are changing, then to the top of a high scaffold. When Narue and Kazuto come to rescue him, he says “I’d rather fall. I don’t want Narue to see me like this… Cowards like me shouldn’t be in love.” But Kazuto tells him “It’s better to be helpful to the people you love than not to be. Even if you can’t do anything you shouldn’t deny how you feel.” Narue and Kazuto rescue the boy and treat him graciously.
Narues’s older sister Kanaka appears halfway through the book. Kanaka’s mother is a starship captain, so mother and daughter seldom see each other, and Kanaka feels abandoned. At first she is jealous of Narue and shoots her with a stun-gun, but when she realizes Narue really wanted to see her, she helps nurse Narue back to health.
Violence:
This manga has a lot of cartoon-style violence. Narue bludgeons a cute-looking puppy, who is actually an alien menace. We see the bat swishing and then a blurred-out image with blood dripping from it. She drags Kazuto down the street and beats up an enemy alien who has broken into her apartment—and this is all in the first few pages. Narue’s older sister Kanaka, who can’t teleport very well, crashes into things and gets a nosebleed. Kanaka also shoots Narue with a “self-defense gun” that makes her sick. The violence is mostly indicated by jagged Japanese characters, lots of diagonal lines, and exaggerated facial expressions, rather than anything realistic. However, younger children may find the dog episode and the face of the burglar, with one glaring eyeball, somewhat disturbing.
Sexuality/body functions:
We’re at the puppy love stage here. There is one kiss (seen from a distance) between Narue and Kazuto. There are several scenes of people in their underwear but not in sexual situations. When Narue shows Kazuto her planet, he is more interested in her underpants-clad bottom (which we see). A classmate who suspects Narue is an alien watches her change in the school locker room; we see her in a bra and panties. Narue sends a hologram of herself to Kazuto; when her skirt swirls up to reveal her panties, he gets a nosebleed. He gets another nosebleed when he and Narue are alone and Narue suggests they “do something naughty.” A classmate accidentally teleports himself into a girls’ locker room; the girls are all in underwear, and he is embarrassed. Narue accidentally teleports herself into the boys’ room at school and gets stuck in the wall; we see fully clothed boys, from the rear, standing at urinals. Narue’s underwear-clad bottom is visible on the other side of the wall, and the boys rush to cover it up with a shirt. In the last comic, Narue’s skirt is tucked up into her waistband and Kazuto can’t figure out whether to tell her or discreetly pull it down. When he tries to do the latter, she move suddenly and he accidentally slaps her on the bottom. “Not until we’re adults!” she tells him.
Language:
A minor character refers to “big boobs” and “tiny boobs.” Another exclaims “Narue pisses me off.” There is one “damn.”
Substances:
None
