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Harajuku Zoo is only my second look at a Sweatdrop title, and to be honest I picked it up mainly because it had a pipe-smoking, cynical looking hedgehog called Carlos in it. Look, things like this pique my interest ok? The story itself is set in Tokyo, where two mutually
antagonistic teenage sisters share a tiny flat. The sisters clash in most
things, not least their fashion - older sister Ami is a 'gothic lolita' sporting
sombre colours and lace, whilst younger sister Ruriko is a label-obsessed 'Kogal',
festooned with jewellery, cute accessories and the latest fashions. As you
can guess a shopping trip isn't the most harmonious of days out, but things take
a turn for the strange on their latest one. Ruriko buys some new plastic
animal figures in an arcade, normal enough you may think, but an ill-advised
wish brings them to life! Now Ami and Ruriko have a group of confused, talking
animals to share their already cramped flat with - Sakura the rabbit, Sven the
bear, Ponpon the koala and Carlos the hedgehog. The animals can remember
their previous lives but not how they ended up as toys in a Japanese vending
machine, however, the biggest problem now is how to settle into their new life
in the big city... |
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Harajuku Zoo is, as you probably guessed from the description above, a light-hearted comedy, and it's a very good one too. The cute characters have more depth than you would expect and the story throws up plenty of laughs, whether Sven pretending to be a Swedish diplomat by wearing a fake moustache or Carlos' incessant pessimism. Despite its cuteness Harajuku Zoo does have quite a wicked sense of humour (chav bears!) and manages to avoid the cloying sweetness you would probably expect from the look of the art. However, setting it in Japan is a bit of a double edged sword. Whilst the setting suits it and allows for a culture-clash aspect (none of the animals are from Japan), it does lead to a lot of explaining of Japanese terms and traditions. The problem I often have with the Western manga I have read though has been the art. |
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Some artists seem to try too hard to draw in a manga style and the artwork's quality and individuality suffers as a result. Joanna Zhou doesn't need to mimic someone else's manga style, she has a style of her own. Her art suits the story perfectly, with the cute character designs and simple backgrounds really brought to life by a great skill with expressions and facial features. She manages to capture the characters moods and personalities effortlessly and displays great comic timing for the many gags. Harajuku Zoo issue 1 is a joy to read and will leave
you wishing for more, in fact that's the only real problem - at just 32 pages
long and with no timescale given for a second issue it's over all too quickly.
What there is though is very good, Joanna Zhou has created a sweet and highly
enjoyable tale with a unique style that keeps you smiling throughout. The
art is simple but effective where it matters - in the facial expressions - and
the comedy is fun and well executed. Whether you believe these kind of
things are real manga or not, Harajuku Zoo issue 1 is a great example of
how enjoyable they can be. Give it a go, it's worth it, and roll on issue
2! Quite a lot for such a short book, a brief intro is supported by character descriptions and adverts for other Sweatdrop series. However, the main extra are the 'Infoballs' scattered liberally throughout. These Infoballs give bite-sized and unpatronising explanations of some of the more eclectic aspects of the story. From koala pouches to Japanese fashion, the Infoballs are informative on a number of different subjects and are not overused. Good stuff! Ratings Feature:
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