Manga Review - 'Magical Angel Creamy Mami and the Spoiled Princess, Vol. 1' by Emi Mitsuki, Studio Pierrot (Original Concept)

What can I say - I'm a Magical GirlTM fan who is easily enticed by cute covers. Guilty as charged.

I bought and read 'Magical Angel Creamy Mami and the Spoiled Princess, Vol. 1' despite knowing virtually nothing about the classic eighties anime it's based on, 'Creamy Mami'. Basically it's like a Magical GirlTM's 'Jem and the Holograms' for very young children? 'Hannah Montana' and 'Full Moon o Sagashite' with 'Kamichama Karin' sprinkles? The original, proto-'Mink' by Megumi Tachikawa?

But it turns out the new manga is accessible enough for a newbie like me. Its premise of a Magical GirlTM story told from the POV of an oblivious, nonmagical rival girl is very interesting, to say the least. That angle of the narrative is executed well, in my opinion.

The titular "spoiled princess" is Megumi Ayase. Though she isn't really spoiled at all. Nor is she much of an antagonist. The manga aims, hopefully, to elicit sympathy for Megumi, as she's a victim of the entertainment industry's systematic misogyny.

One example within the capitalist, corporate, marketing hell, that's relevant here: the music and idol industry. It is constantly churning up young girls for their attractiveness to the public (talent is a bonus, but still optional, and safe, forgettable, regurgitated mediocrity rules). It profits off these girls, exploits them, burns them out, and then callously discards them as soon as they inevitably become "too old" and have lost their spark. Or magic.

A new girl catches the attention of the male higher-ups - the men with the power, the power to make and break starlets - and that's the end of the previous girl (now a woman, older, wiser, jaded, exhausted, and breaking through no fault of her own) and her career, and the vicious cycle keeps going. Heaven forbid it is outright abusive, though tragically that is often the case for these female celebrities.

The music industry is especially ruthless in its misogyny. 'Magical Angel Creamy Mami and the Spoiled Princess, Vol. 1' gives us a glimpse into that horrible business and how it works.

Honestly I hate the studio manager/president character. I don't know if he's as bad in the anime, but here he is terrible, no matter how young and good-looking he is (I won't even bother remembering his name).

Megumi, you seriously shouldn't bother with him and his studio anymore. I know you're childhood friends and you built the studio "together", but that's now water under the bridge. He clearly doesn't care for you anymore - he even flat out states it more than once, and to your face. He laughs at your struggles and suffering. He only cares about money and exploiting young girls for all they're worth. He is a bona fide creep, too. He literally tells a little girl on the street how beautiful she'll be when she's older.

The president deserves every neck-turning slap Megumi smites him with.

Everything Megumi does in the manga, where she is the put-upon, threatened protagonist, is out of desperation, to save her career, and continue to be appreciated and validated for her talents. She will not be cast aside and forgotten about. She wants to remain relevant, and she still has her own special brand of magic within her.

'Magical Angel Creamy Mami and the Spoiled Princess, Vol. 1' definitely could have been more critical and damning of the music industry and idol culture, and given less panel time to the awful studio president, who deserves to get #metoo'd so badly. But as is, it is a cute, interesting story, with a dynamic and sympathetic "antagonist"-as-protagonist. Some of its twists and turns are funny and clever. Its magic, sparkles and cuteness are not always overt - it's mostly grounded for a Magical GirlTM story - but they're there.

I'll end on a couple of quotes from the mangaka, Emi Mitsuki, in the Afterword; the second of which says a lot about the manga and its purpose:


'Creamy Mami has always been a sanctuary for me! My eternal place of hope!! [...] I remember Megumi being such a scary character. BUT! [...] Once I grew up, I saw her differently. She struck me as an admirable person who worked incredibly hard and yet was struggling. That's what made me want to portray the good parts of her that I couldn't understand as a child.'


'Magical Angel Creamy Mami and the Spoiled Princess, Vol. 1' is an appealing, intriguing, entertaining little novelty, to add to my Milky Way galaxy-wide Magical GirlTM collection.

Final Score: 3.5/5

Manga Review - 'A Cat from Our World and the Forgotten Witch Vol. 1' by Hiro Kashiwaba

'A Cat from Our World and the Forgotten Witch Vol. 1' is one of the best fantasy manga I have read. It is one of the best cat manga ever. And it is one the best isekai manga ever, by way of this subversion - it's an ordinary cat from our world (the title is self-explanatory) who is transported to a fantasy world. He's a giant in that world, and everyone else is small compared to him.

It's an isekai where the "hero" is a big fluffy pet kitty. But that's far from all...

'A Cat from Our World and the Forgotten Witch Vol. 1' is both adorable and tragic. Adorable because OMG! THAT CAT!!! He's a precious pussycat! He curls up and sleeps all over the place, demands attention and affection, catches bugs, and molts fur everywhere. He's innocent and snuggly! Daw! (In case it wasn't obvious, I'm a big cat (heh) person). And tragic because, well, that would be everything about the shared titular character, the forgotten witch.

Her name is Jeanne. She summoned the cat by mistake, via a magic circle, out of desperation in a life-and-death situation. She is like Baba Yaga crossed with the Grinch, and I swear she has one of the most tragic lives and backstories ever.

Without spoiling too much, I will say that 'A Cat from Our World and the Forgotten Witch Vol. 1' intimately knows how propaganda, bigotry, piousness and religious extremism work, and it is a horrific and devastating thing to witness. Whilst reading, I actually felt like crying for poor Jeanne.

Another detail I have to note is 'A Cat from Our World and the Forgotten Witch Vol. 1' - in another surprising twist - is written like a sequel to a typical isekai story; furthermore it is a deconsrtuction of the genre, framed through Jeanne's backstory. It's the first volume, and not everything is revealed to the reader concerning how Jeanne's many traumas came to be, but enough is there for now to fully grasp her pain and sorrow. She deserves all the sympathy in every existing world.

Don't be fooled by the cover, reminiscent of 'Alice in Wonderland' - the fantasy cat manga will hit you with all the feels. I cannot stress this enough.

Much like how I cannot stress enough how vehemently I recommended 'A Cat from Our World and the Forgotten Witch Vol. 1' (it is a great title, isn't it?) for everyone to read. The premise, and its execution, are fantastic, and it is unflinchingly raw and emotional.

The isekai manga will make you feel loss and heartbreak, but also hope and salvation - in the form of a giant, innocent kitty cat.

Everybody needs a cat, big or small, to comfort them, and make them feel needed and wanted.

A tale of a cat and an elderly, outcast witch has no need to go so hard, and be as good as it is. But it is that good - it delivered all the goods - and I'm glad it went as far with the idea as it did.

Beautiful, warmhearted stuff, not to be missed.

Final Score: 5/5

Manga Review - 'Yotsuba&!, Vol. 1' by Kiyohiko Azuma

There's not a lot I can say about 'Yotsuba&!, Vol. 1', other than it is one of the funniest manga I have ever read. I actually laughed out loud a few times. I wouldn't dare spoil any of the comedy - I would never spoil and attempt to explain any of the jokes. That would defeat the purpose. Just read it for yourself and see; have a good laugh at the fresh surprises.

'Yotsuba&!' is about the most lively, sprightly, curious, naïve and ADHD little girl ever, Yotsuba Koiwai, and her daddy moving to a new home in Japan. Their neighbours are three sisters of different age groups, and their mother. And that's all I'm going to reveal. The slice-of-life, all-ages (a few questionable jokes (of what you'd expect of Japanese humour) aside) sitcom-style manga starts from that premise.

It is by Kiyohiko Azuma, the creator of 'Azumanga Daioh', the anime of which I saw over ten years ago now (wow do I feel old - where did my anime-watching youth go?), and read the first manga volume at around that time, and I haven't thought about the franchise since.

But 'Yotsuba&!, Vol. 1' is peak comedy I will remember for ages. It is also genuinely adorable and sweet (even mysterious...). So it is a keeper for me. I'm glad to have finally given the classic manga a chance.

Final Score: 4/5

Manga Review - 'Puella Magi Madoka Magica: Wraith Arc, Vol. 1' by Magica Quartet (Writer), Hanokage (Artist)

'Puella Magi Madoka Magica: Wraith Arc, Vol. 1' - it's exactly what you'd expect if you've seen the original anime all the way through. Especially its ending.

The manga is supposedly set between the original series and the 'Rebellion' movie, and it aims to explain how the events of the latter came to be.

Strangely, Homura Akemi barely appears, and she's front and center on the cover. Though she takes center stage at the end, in a gigantic wraith battle mirroring Walpurgisnacht.

The first volume is mainly about the magical girls Mami Tomoe, Kyouko Sakura and Sayaka Miki trying to work as a team as they fight the wraiths in their city. Mami is the levelheaded leader, though she has questionable and even manipulative motives, and Kyouko and Sayaka are constantly fighting each other, physically and verbally. It is ultimately about Sayaka dealing with her own issues and heartache (Kyousuke and Hitomi remain key players.)

Yet again, it is about a magical girl's loneliness...

Madoka is a goddess-like presence, a symbol of hope and light, rarely seen but always there, always felt, regardless.

Only poor Homura remembers her, and believes in her, and cannot stand to lose her again...

'Puella Magi Madoka Magica: Wraith Arc, Vol. 1' is an enjoyable yet bittersweet manga story for any 'Madoka Magica' fan. The action is awesome, as are the characters and their development. Of course it doesn't hold a candle to the original anime - nothing can ever match that self-contained package of perfection, I don't think. But it's a good, fulfilling story in its own right.

For more of my 'Puella Magi Madoka Magica' reviewing and gushing, read these links:


'Puella Magi Madoka Magica, Vol. 1'

'Puella Magi Madoka Magica, Vol. 2'

'Puella Magi Madoka Magica, Vol. 3'

'Puella Magi Madoka Magica: The Different Story, Vol. 1'

'Puella Magi Madoka Magica: The Different Story, Vol. 2'

'Puella Magi Madoka Magica: The Different Story, Vol. 3'


Final Score: 4/5

Manga Review - 'Magia Record: Puella Magi Madoka Magica Another Story, Vol. 1' by Magica Quartet (Writer, Creator), U35 (Artist)

This 'Puella Magi Madoka Magica' manga is Mami Tomoe's mystery story about the decrease of witches in her city, and an increase of witches in another city. That city is the setting of 'Magia Record'.

It's the main series invading investigating a spinoff series, as it were.

In 'Magia Record: Puella Magi Madoka Magica Another Story, Vol. 1', the magical girls from 'Magia Record' infrequently appear and mostly separately, and they are greatly amateurs compared to the competent, confident and experienced Mami. Kyouko Sakura is Mami's sometimes partner. Madoka makes a very brief cameo in the first chapter, where she's just lounging at home. Kyubey is here, too. Homura and Sayaka don't appear at all.

This is Mami's story, through and through. She's a gunslinging, tea drinking, magical girl detective, concerned but hardheaded.

There is a big witch battle at the beginning, but otherwise, the fight scenes happen off-page.

It is very simple... at first.

It is not straightforward for any 'Madoka Magica' fan who isn't familiar with 'Magia Record' - it can get confusing. I know I was a little confused, as it had been years since I read the first volume of 'Magia Record'. But 'Magia Record: Puella Magi Madoka Magica Another Story, Vol. 1' will likely sate the thirst of fans of the original anime and manga. Everyone in it is in character.

Is there a running theme of loneliness and needing friends and teammates? It's about Mami, so that's probably the case. The detective's case. Heh.

Okay, I'll shut it now.

If you have read and liked 'Puella Magi Madoka Magica: The Different Story, Vol. 1' and 'Magia Record: Puella Magi Madoka Magica Side Story, Vol. 1', then check this additional manga out.

Final Score: 3.5/5

Graphic Novel Review - 'Pillow Talk' by Stephanie Cooke (Writer), Mel Valentine Vargas (Artist)

'Pillow Talk' - what an exhilarating, heartwarming experience.

I am not a fan of sports stories at all. In fact, 'Pillow Talk' might be the only comic of any kind about sports I've ever liked (except, I'm sure 'Cheer Up! Love and Pompoms' counts). No, not like - I love it.

So apparently pillow fighting -as in, pillow fighting as a wrestling sport, in a ring with fighters who are characters with backstories and everything - is a real thing. It looks fun. And the confidence and creativity of the ladies-only fighters in 'Pillow Talk'! So inspiring.

There are so many diverse women and gender-nonconforming persons in 'Pillow Talk'. There are different body types, ethnicities, sexualities, gender expressions, hobbies and interests; and enby rep, trans rep, and even single mother rep! You don't often see that in graphic novels like these.

All this friendship and community. This utter, effortless embrace of differences. Looking out for each other. It is beautiful to behold.

I'll let the blurb tell the synopsis of the graphic novel, as it does it better than I could:


'When shy, introverted college freshman Grace Mendes reluctantly attends her first pillow fight match, she falls in love with the surprisingly gritty sport that's part roller derby, part professional wrestling. Despite struggling with deep-seated body image issues, Grace joins the competitive Pillow Fight Federation and crafts the confident persona of Cinderhella [...] But as her alter ego rises through the ranks of the PFF, gaining traction and online fame (and online trolls), it turns out the real battle is not taking place in the ring, but between Grace and her growing insecurities.
Bighearted and big-muscled, Pillow Talk is an inclusive, high-octane, outrageously fun graphic novel that aims a punch at the impossibly high standards set for women in sports, and champions the power of finding a team that will, quite literally, fight for you as you gain the confidence to back in the ring and fight for yourself.'


The plot is as simple as that. It doesn't need any more to it.

The characters are great. They are beautiful, and often messy - meaning, real - inside and out.

I could relate to Grace Mendes in some ways. Her self-confidence issues and insecurities hit hard, and are presented and dealt with sensitively. She just needs plenty of the right support and understanding. She's also implied to be asexual near the beginning of the book. She has no romantic interest, which is a plus for originality and subversion.

Grace's best friend and college roomie Callie, a pushy, partying, intrepid social media connoisseur and blooming bisexual, is simultaneously the worst/wickedest and most excellent friend ever. She can frustrate me in one dialogue, then make me warm to her in the next.

I love most of the PFF fightsonas - such as Rapunchel, Pain Eyre, Barbara Gore-Don, Lois Slain, Aphromighty, and Elle Bow Baggins (fucking brilliant). I love these women's outfits and fashions, too. So colourful and comfy. And the boots!

I want to give a special shoutout to the PFF professional wrestler Naomi, aka Miss Fortune, who is also a makeup artist and influencer, and going by the trans flag heart on her makeup kit, I'd say that's her identity. She's so good at makeup and tutorials, even I'm interested and intrigued, when I'd never bothered much with makeup before, beyond concealer and mascara. Makeup can be colourful, creative, ethereal and enchanting.

Yes, a comic about pillow fighting wrestling has got me interested in makeup. That's how versatile, inspiring and amazing it is.

Practically everything about 'Pillow Talk' is comforting, cosy, cushiony (heh), supportive, and real. It is not too raw and gritty (but urgh! those internet comments about women who dare to step outside the line of what is "acceptable", like it's still the Victorian times. As one PFF fighter says at one point, "People want to tear down anyone living their best lives. Especially if they don't fit their perfect ideals. God forbid they're fat. People are jealous when we learn to love ourselves without their approval.").

I recommend 'Pillow Talk' to absolutely everyone. It is a bold, daring, thrilling comfort read, and that is not an oxymoron. It has the diversity, moral fibre, fire, colours and atmosphere of 'Cheer Up! Love and Pompoms' and 'Jem and the Holograms', only softer, and lighthearted on the competitive front.

Grace is a winner. In many senses of the word, including in her own heart, and the hearts of the other characters, and of the readers. All women are winners in their own ways.

I hope professional pillow fight matches catch on!

Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to try to think up my own pillow fighting fightsona.

Final Score: 4.5/5

Graphic Novel Review - 'Of Her Own Design' by Birdie Willis (Writer), Nicole Andelfinger (Writer), Vash Taylor (Artist), Fiona Marchbank (Artist), Laurent Reis (Artist), Eva Cabrera (Artist), Rowan MacColl (Penciller/Inker), Linden Cahill (Colourist), Saida Temofonte (Letterer)

'Of Her Own Design' is a fun, touching, cute and versatile little graphic novel. It is a teenage girl's coming-of-age story, where she is an aspiring writer, but is suffering through writer's block. Much is going on in her life: the possibility of moving away, being forced into the middle of her parents' tug-of-war fights, her childhood best friend suddenly turning against her and becoming a mean girl once high school starts, and her crush on a girl, who's a mechanic. It is like a modern sitcom, except there are no lighthearted laughs, only tragic truths.

Oh, and there is a mysterious bookshop that appears from nowhere, and a magic pen from the shop's bookseller, and with that pen the girl writes three different genre stories in one night, to help her process and cope with her problems. These stories end up taking over her real world, her small town, the next day, via portals.

The growing up metaphor is obvious throughout, as is the commentary on escapism through fantasy, but it's nice to see the teenage girl protagonist, whose name is Brie Page, through her own inner strength, ingenuity, and perseverance, progress and deal with it all - the supernatural and fantastical, and the stressful changes in the real world, and working everything out with the people in her life. The whole book can be silly, messy and sporadic, but ultimately deep, clever and creative. Even subtle and understated in some areas.

'Of Her Own Design' is funny, wild, and sad, especially for any reader who is or has been a teenager, in the face of any kind of change that's like the end of the world to them. The stress and hardship - the feelings, the high, fluctuating emotions and thoughts - they are real and direct. No wonder so many people cling to escapism, as therapy.

The art starts off sketchy, sharp, shadowy, and in black and white; in a classic style. Then it literally gets colour - gains its colours, actually - as the story and characters progress, and it has a modern, bright, endearing cell shaded style by the end. The different stories/worlds that Brie writes (three in one night!) and then enters are in different art styles, and it's great. In one world, Brie is an elf queen in an epic fantasy world and looks like Merida from Pixar's 'Brave', bow and all, and in another she is a space pirate captain, and in another she is a hopeless romantic in a Jane Austen narrative. (There's a final boss world/story at the end, which I won't spoil.)

Brie is a shy, insecure and overwhelmed teen, but she will reveal what an awesome, imaginative, cunning and brave redheaded heroine she is. It's to be expected, as redheads make the best kinds of heroines. She is a dear, a sensitive soul, and very talented, if only she could believe in herself, and stay focused. But not too absorbed in her writing - her worlds, her creations - that she avoids reality altogether.

It is Brie's life. It is her decisions, her fate, which she will make independently, of her own design.

The plot of 'Of Her Own Design' isn't anything new, but it especially reminds me of the YA novel 'Reverie' by Ryan La Sala - LBGTQ+ lead, LBGTQ+ gender-nonconforming antagonist (in this case, they use they/them pronouns), fantasy novel worlds created by human imagination that affect the real world etc. - except this comic makes more sense, isn't nearly as complicated, and its characters are likeable. And it's fun.

Ironically, in writing about a book about writing, I think I'm going to show restraint and write less about it now, and end it here:

In an abrupt conclusion, 'Of Her Own Design' is an underrated, lost diamond in the rough of a graphic novel from 2024. I was lucky to have found out it existed from all my long and exhaustive Goodreads searches. Spread the word - the magic words! - give it visibility, give it a chance in the ever-increasing graphic novel market. Don't leave this twinkling little treasure buried! Its creators deserve the ruby recognition!

If you like stories about stories - and writing and creativity and escapism from life and the metaphors therein - then check out 'Of Her Own Design'. Also recommended if you like graphic novels such as 'Tiffany's Griffon'', 'Page by Paige'' (hey, the protagonists even have similar names!), and 'My Favorite Thing Is Monsters''.

A sweet and passionate gem of a comic book, with a lot of heart, talent and hard work behind it.

Final Score: 3.5/5