Kurohime – Vol. 1

You know how when you were a little kid, you figured if you took all the things you liked and mushed them together, obviously what you ended up with would be superior to all those individual things alone? While you probably learned the fault in your logic after your fourth failed pineapple-banana-pickle pie, sometimes that goofy, toddler mentality works out for the best. Kurohime is an action-packed, comedic tale of witchcraft, romance, and wild-west gun-slinging. But don’t let it weird you out – this is one heck of a fun story.

Zero’s a gunman of justice and preservation. As a young child, he was saved from certain death by the beautiful Kurohime, a sorceress of amazing power with perfect mastery over Senryu, or the art of demon bullets, a form of magical marksmanship. Inspired and slightly love-struck by the fateful encounter, he grows up to be an amazing gunman himself, idolizing the beautiful witch from afar, and wishing only to meet her himself. On his journey, he runs into a spunky little girl named Himeko, who only seems to be trouble. It doesn’t take long for Zero to figure out Himeko is Kurohime, but cursed into a child form! She only becomes herself when she feels genuine love for a man, as punishment for being narcissistic and self-preserving. But there’s something about Zero that lets her, from time to time, be herself…

What I love about this series is its total quirkiness. Kurohime is made out to be an amazing heroine, and once you get to know her, it’s all you can do to keep from loving and hating her at the same time. She’s not a nice person in the least, but her bizarre antics and total selfishness in contrast to the hero she spawned, Zero, just make me giggle page after page. However, be warned that it’s bit monster-of-the-week, at least in the first novel, so if you’re not into that, this may not be the series for you. For the guys, there’s also some serious eye-candy – Kurohime is, admittedly, quite the looker. Buxom blonde doesn’t even begin to describe her, and I think it’s her rotten personality contrasting with her beautiful form that makes her so appealing as an anti-heroine.

The art style took some getting used to for me. It might be that the art looks like it would be more at home in a video game than a manga – but just the same, I suppose I find that to be a bit refreshing. While it caught me off guard, over time I suppose I grew used to it, and enjoyed the change of pace. The flow is appropriate, and I never felt confused in the fight scenes – something I’m always worried about with serious action-adventures. Zero’s a little too feminine for my tastes, but I suspect that there was a specific intent to make him as least like Vash the Stampede as possible, so it’s easily forgiven. There are definitely some scenes I could see leaping right off the pages into animated form, so I’m giving the art direction more than a passing grade.

Overall, if you’re looking for something with a goofy and original premise, I totally recommend picking up Kurohime. However, if you’re not big on the typical shonen titles and won’t stick with a monster-of-the-week storytelling style, you probably won’t be a big fan. Just the same, it never hurts to give something or, in the case of Kurohime herself, someone a second look. You never know how it might surprise you.