Just Another Manga Monday #8

Shojo Showdown!

I picked two random series off of my shelves to read and compare. The two selected were MeruPuri and Tail of the Moon.

MeruPuri is a short series consisting of only 4 volumes and written by Hino (also author ofVampire Knight). Tail of Moon is quite the opposite in length, comprising 15 volumes.

There were three main factors I considered in this Shojo Showdown! - plot, characters, and X factor.

Plot:

MeruPuri- A girl who is a descendant of magical royalty from another world carries an old heirloom mirror as a necklace. Little does she know that this necklace serves as a portal to another world. In dire need, a young prince uses this mirror as an escape and winds up with our young heroine. Placed under a curse, the young prince turns older when he is exposed to darkness. In his new form, he is attractive to our heroine and she does not know how to deal with her new crush.

-Tail of the Moon-- The heroine, Usagi, lives in a ninja village and is far from qualifying as a ninja. She is finally given an assignment to travel to another village so that she may wed and give birth to the children of a well-respected ninja named Hanzo. She immediately falls in love with the man, but is rejected just as quickly. He refuses to marry anyone, especially a bride-elect who is unqualified as a ninja. Usagi must train hard to qualify and also try to thaw the heart of Hanzo.

Bottom line: It's a tie. Both manga have interesting storylines and a theme of love.

Characters:
-MeruPuri-- The main characters are Airi, the story's heroine, and Aram, a prince. Over the course of the series, they develop enough for the reader to develop an understanding and empathy for these two characters. Because the series is so short, though, the other characters are not as well-developed. There is an older brother to the prince (comic relief), a servant to the prince, another prospective love interest for Airi, a fairy, the queen and others who play minor roles, but nothing like the main two. The author does a good job in developing the relationship between Airi and Aram, and raising the level of romance as the prince gets older.

[Image- MeruPuri, entrance of Aram's older brother/comic relief]

-Tail of the Moon-- Usagi and Hanzo are very well-developed (especially Usagi). By the end of the series I felt like I knew her personally. Other major characters include Usagi’s sidekick Mamezo (she raised him), other possible love interests for Usagi, other possible love interests for Hanzo, political figures, and family members. This series is about ninjas and the reader gets to experience training as well as assignments.

Bottom Line: -Tail of the Moon- wins. The characters are developed a great deal more than in MeruPuri-.

X Factor (that extra something):
-MeruPuri-- For me, the X factor in -MeruPuri- was the mental creep out. Airi is 15 and falls in love with a 7 year-old. He transforms into the body of a 17 year-old which is fine, but still has the mental capacity of a child, which, as I said- creeps me out!

-Tail of the Moon-- Ninja training!! It was awesome reading about ninja life, training and assignments. It makes you feel like you are there. Also, the ending! I’m conflicted about the ending of this manga. Maybe it’s because I didn’t want to see it end after 15 volumes, but I did not like the way it was concluded, though at least it’s memorable. I can’t remember how half of the manga I’ve read terminate.

[Image- Tail of the Moon, Usagi is on a ninja assignment]

Bottom Line: MeruPuri -…definitely loses in X Factor. -Tail of the Moon- wins.

Winner: The winner of Shojo Showdown! is -Tail of the Moon-!

It's such a fun read! I could read the series over and over again.