Boku to Uchûjin

Version française/日本語バージョン

Boku to Uchûjin by NOBEL
Chapter 1 page 2

WARNING! I use this image with its author, NOBEL's authorization. Please DO NOT upload it on other websites without mentioning the author's and the manga's names, DO NOT modify it and DO NOT claim it as your own.


Title: 僕と宇宙人
Author: NOBEL
Website: Lazy Nobel
Chapters: 13 (ongoing)
Keywords: aliens, romantic comedy, school life, cultural differences, language barrier, ojô-sama, BL, smart but arrogant male lead
Related media: a BL spin-off with 2 of the side characters


Yamamoto Manabu is a 3rd year middle schooler. Last year he was the Student Council President and ever since he has been crushing on the ex-Vice President, Shiratori Mizuho. When they end up in the same class, he looks forward to be Class Representatives with her. But then comes in the transfer student Sola Luli* who becomes Class Rep in Mizuho's stead. She comes from the Palopilu Planet, doesn't speak one word of Japanese and for some reason is very attached to Manabu...

*I chose not to respect the Hepburn transcription because I thought that l was "softer" than r and I could afford to since Palopilians aren't Japanese anyway.

(And that's when you're wondering why there is BL written in the keywords. It's just two side characters and it's pretty light, more shônen-ai than yaoi.)

Boku to Uchûjin is a 4-koma style romantic comedy. Contrary to the majority of school comedies, this one takes place in a middle school and not in a high school. I don't know if it has an impact on the story but I find the general ambiance of the work rather innocent in a good way (careful, innocent doesn't mean Care Bears, there are sad and depressing moments too). This innocent side is refreshing and original compared to other more famous works such as Hori-san to Miyamura-kun (see the complete review) where it tends to get over-melodramatic. Boku to Uchûjin is a comedy and even when things get serious, it doesn't pile on the pathos.

There are many side characters which can sometimes make the story a bit confused but it quickly gets back to the first circle of main characters (Manabu, Mizuho, Luli, Momoko and the Student Council). I liked it that, even though it's a romantic comedy, it deals with other themas like for example family relationships. However that too could become a weak point by dividing the story into arcs (it's okay in action mangas but not really in comedies or love stories).

Beginners special selection 2

Version française/日本語バージョン

I'm sorry for taking so much time, I said I'd write the second selection mid-July but I was very busy. As promised, here are web mangas aimed at a bit more mature audience.


Title : アイカギ屋
Artist : トモリ
Website : brown note
Chapters : 4 (ongoing)

Kogake is an unusual locksmith: on top of the normal keys, she also makes keys that can open the door to someone's heart. While promoting her shop, she travels through many parallel worlds. But Kogake's twin sister, Koyomi is afraid Kogake might never be able to come back to her own world one day.

Aikagiya is a supernatural story with a bit of romance and a lot of slice of life. This art style isn't very engaging but the story is interesting enough to override that weakness. The level is moderate beginner: the grammar is pretty simple with short sentences but as always the problem is the kanjis. There aren't a lot of them but since some of them are unusual or advanced level (i.e. tobira 扉 or kagi 鍵). So you may want to have a dictionary ready at hand.

Yôgen Kaikitan

Version française/日本語バージョン

Yôgen Kaikitan by Kubouchi Yôko

Warning! I use this image with its author, Kubouchi Yôko's permission. Please do not host it on another website, do not modify it, do not claim it as your own. Please respect Miss Kubouchi's work and intellectual property: ask for her permission beforehand (plus she's very nice and answers quickly).

Title:  妖幻怪奇譚
Author: 窪内葉子
Website: かしこ
Chapters: 17 (ongoing)
Keywords: occult, supernatural, clan, curse, yôkai, calm and level-headed heroine 

Sakisaka Hina is part of an exorcists clan and she is a "cursed child". On her 17th birthday, her guardian god Amane, a hinnakami, comes to meet her. He's the one who has been protecting all the cursed children ever since the cursed began. He grants them any wish but in exchange he takes their soul to Hell after their death. That's why most cursed children resent him but Hina's different and she was looking forward to meet him. 

I looooove this web comic. At the beginning it was a bit difficult for me because the art is a bit too BL-ish to my taste but once I started I got completely hooked. I find the main characters very realistic (the side characters a bit less). Hina is the BEST: she's calm, composed, doesn't whine, isn't aggressive, she's got ethics but doesn't go all Miss World "a world in peace". One one hand she's mature (and her short hair strengthens that image) but one the other hand she sometimes reacts childishly, even though she tries to controls herself.
If you're looking for an ersatz of Fruits Basket, go look elsewhere. 

The language level is pretty hard and there's plenty of references to the Japanese folklore like yôkai and such. There are extras explaining the different types of ayakashi appearing in the manga but unless you're a specialist in Japanese ethnology, it's not the kind of vocabulary you use in your every day's life. So get your dictionary ready. The text is typewritten and the page size is nice so it's easy to read. 

Another good point: it's updated regularly for a web comic.

Mushikago no Cagaster

Version française/日本語バージョン

Mushikago no Cagaster volume 6 
source : Alice Books

Title: 虫籠のカガステル

Author: 橋本チキン

Website: チキンの魂

Chapters: 19 (complete)

Keywords: action, pre apocalyptic, slums, orphans, monsters, infection, science-fiction

Related media: 9 volumes published as dôjinshi and distributed by Alice Books and Tora no Ana (however most of the stocks are sold out and Tora no Ana doesn't do international shipping).

The story takes place in Turkey in the year 2125. A mysterious disease change people into insects who then attack other people to turn them into insects as well. Seventeen-year-old Kidô is an "exterminator" from humanity's Easternmost frontier, the block E, right in front of the "Insect Cage". Exterminators are mercenaries paid to protect their employers from insects which earned them the reputation of being murderers. One day as Kidô accompagnies his merchant friend, they stumble unto a car with on board a man and his daughter. They were attacked by insects and right before he dies, the man makes Kidô promise to take his daughter Ilie to her mother's side.

Mushikago no Cagaster is an action manga set in a pre apocalyptic , almost biopunk world. The scenario isn't that original (some parts are very similar to『Cristo - 橙瞳のメシア - 』) but it's well done and pleasant to read. The plot is rich and there's plenty of suspens: it makes you want to know what's going to happen next (the "final" chapters, around 100-200 pages each, killed one of my nights). There is psychological as well as physical violence so I wouldn't recommend it to anyone under 12.

Leaving aside the scientific talk (I admit I sometimes skimmed through these parts), the language level is intermediate. The text is typewritten but many bubbles are just big blocks of kanjis and the size of the pages isn't that big so it's a bit difficult to read.

For once, there aren't much spoilers below.

Azuki no Chi!

Version française/日本語バージョン

Azuki no Chi! by Nagato Kayo

ATTENTION! I use this image with its author's consent. Please respect her work and copyrights: DO NOT REHOST IT on ANY other website, DO NOT ALTER IT, DO NOT CLAIM IT AS YOUR OWN. If you wish to use images from her website, please ask the author for permission beforehand.

Title: あずきの地！

Author:ナガトカヨ

Website: Girlish Season

Volumes: 4 (ongoing, to end in volume 5) yes I translated as volume and not chapter, because when a chapter's over 400 pages it isn't a chapter anymore

Keywords: romantic comedy, friendship, yankee, heroine with a strong personality, dead family members, countryside, school life, bullying.

Amano Azuki lives in a village in the countryside where a big school has just been built. All the other students come from the city and there are mostly only eldery in her village. Azuki is part of a female motorbike gang founded by her grandmother and leaded by her elder sister. She takes pride in her gang's traditions so she dresses like a "yankee" even though she actually likes girly outfits very much. Because of her old school style she has difficulties fitting in her highschool. So when the Student Council President, Nogi, tells her she shouldn't dress like that she challenges him to get to know her village. One day as she was taking a stroll in secret wearing a frilly onepiece she comes upon Nogi...

Azuki no Chi! is a cute love story without necessarily being corny. There's plenty of drama and the gang parts aren't toned down (but since it's shôjo, the girls are nice to the old people, they clean un garbage, and so on...). Expect fights, bullying, rape attempts...but it's punctual enough not to make the manga's overall atmosphere tense. It's almost as if there are 2 stories : Azuki's and her sister Subaru's. Azuki's story is pretty lighthearted and innocent but Subaru's is harsher and more violent.

The text is typewritten so it's easy to read (but there aren't any furigana). Adding the pronunciation of the characters' name when they appear for the first time was a good idea. The language level is intermediate/ advanced beginner, a good JLPT N4 with a dictionary is more than enough. As the story takes place in the countryside some characters are made to sound like country bumpkins but it's still  easily understandable.

Spoilers below