Manga Review: Kobato

Title: Kobato
Author: CLAMP, Ohkawa Ageha, Apapa Mokona
Release: Monthly
Status: Ongoing
Genre: Slice of Life
Art: A
Originality: A
Story: B
Characters: A
Humor: A
Action: B

Impression: This is about a sincere airheaded girl who goes by the name of Hanato Kobato and her guide Ioryogi, a blue stuffed dog doll with the demeanor of a drill sergeant. Kobato must face the wrath of her guide who’s armed with godzilla’s atomic breath attack should she fail to adapt to society with her often misinformed views of society norms. Her main goal is to fill a bottle with wounded hearts by healing them so that she can fulfill her wish to go to some place. I find this to be a really fun manga with an adorable protagonist and a great sense of humor but knowing CLAMP this could turn ugly in the most annoyingly convoluted ways. Yes, I read Tsubasa Resevoir Chronicles to the end and firmly believe that everything went to shit after the brilliant Tokyo arc. There also seems to be a few crossovers with their other stories so I wouldn’t rule out Syaoran’s Group showing up. I am expecting Kobato to one day walk into Watanuki’s shop since they share a common character and probably Watanuki’s former living quarters(That or CLAMP believes all apartments are the same). Incidentally Ioryogi is the most awesome stuffed animal I’ve ever seen and he is voiced by Tetsu Inada in the anime, the same guy who voiced Kurogane in Tsubasa Resevoir Chronicles. I still haven't gotten the image out of my head of Kurogane as a small blue dog that breathes fire. Then again it could just be an interesting piece of foreshadowing...