Classical Medley 2
March 12, 2009
I figured I’d just finish this story up with the second volume. It’s cute, but mostly good for kids. I don’t think a lot of teens or adults will be too into this one.
Everything set up in the first volume plays out pretty much exactly how you would imagine it. Soprano and Alto go into the neighboring kingdom to try and get help from Soprano’s brother, the elder prince of the Classical kingdom. The neighboring kingdom, Alla Marcia, is a place where toys come to life. The brainwashed members of the quintet come to take Soprano and Alto back to Classical, and they also try to get the “medley” from Alla Marcia as per the instructions of the evil overlord. Things happen just in time, there is an epic showdown, Soprano and Alto realize things about one another… you know how this stuff goes. You won’t find any surprises, but it’s still a nice story. The telling is quite energetic and the characters are likable, if shallow. I think the only thing that’s slightly less than kid friendly here is the gigantic breasts that the queen sports for no reason. No jokes are made, there is no innuendo, and they aren’t referenced at all. But they are there and they are very huge. They’re there on the cover, if you’re curious, and… is she wearing panties? Huh?
My favorite detail is that the two toys that highlight and explain the whole toy kingdom thing are Muscleman and Pandaman. Muscleman is the literal translation of Kinnikuman, a really popular Shounen Jump series from the 80s about wrestling. Kinnikuman’s opponents were always chosen from characters that kids would send in for that purpose. Pandaman was a character that young Eiichiro Oda submitted to the series. I don’t know that Pandaman ever actually made it into Kinnikuman, but he is a frequent background character in One Piece. Muscleman and Pandaman in this series look nothing like their (real-life? manga?) counterparts, but I like the connection all the same. Apparently they are still bitter rivals in the kingdom of Alla Marcia.
March 12, 2009 at 11:07 am
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