Kamichama Karin Chu volumes 1-3
Koge-Donbo
Del Rey, somewhere in the 180-190 pp. range.
Ah, Kamichama Karin. I enjoyed this series when I was a bit younger. What made it so good? Was it the mix of magical girl and romance that made me borrow the manga numerous times of the library? Who knows, but all I know for sure is that the sequel thus far does not live up to the previous series.
After the events of Kamichama Karin Kazume, Karin's love intrest and future husband has returned from studying abroad. But what happens when Suzune, Karin and Kazune's child from the future is plopped on the doorstep needing them to get rid of the seeds of chaos? It's time to go into god mode. Karin uses the Chronos Clock to turn into a goddess while Kazune uses a ring to turn into a god. With the help of idol Jin and old friend Michi, can they stop the seeds of chaos before it is too late?
Typing that above summary makes Kamichama Karin Chu sound like it actually has an episodic magical girl formula. But prepare to be disappointed, because Chu is all about Karin's love triangle between Kazune, Jin, and Michi. The story is just light fluff and doesn't really help the series. Not much actual magical girl antics go on, other than the "Love Evolution" between Karin and Kazune which they use to "bond" and stop the seeds of chaos.
Some of the cast returns from the original series, like Mr. Glasses Man, Kazune, Himeka (mentioned), Michi, and (obviously) Karin. They've grown up a bit, but not in a good way. Karin has pretty much gone from hard times to spoiled brat with a choice of men. Kazune is his old self, switching between sexist and perv personality at the drop of a dime. There isn't much to say about Jin or Michi, other than they exist to be Karin's love interests.
That would be okay if the characters actually grew. Karin spends most of her time whining about Kazune, Jin is an idol in love with Karin and is Kazune's rival, and Michi...he doesn't get much screen time. He's usually the one left home stuck with Suzune. The characters don't really care about each other either, which makes the whole point of the series seem stupid because it's about love. It would help if they actually knew something about one another.
The art is the good point in the series. Koge-Donbo is know for her sugary, huge-eyed character designs. But even though that's great, more than half of every volume is filled with chibis. Really, if you're going to make such a mediocre series, you should put some work into the art to at least let readers have something pretty to look at to make them ignore the failing characters and story. Goodness.
Del Rey is wonderful with their publications, as always. Translation notes, a decent sturdy book, and high page count are staples for them.
Art: 2.5
Characters: 2
Quality: 4
Story:1.5
Overall: A 2.5 or D, but you were probably expecting that. Your mileage may vary with this one. I'd say if you're under 12 you'll get more enjoyment from this series than I did, But if you're older than that, it's not so great actually. So if you're looking for a better series (there are lots of them) check out the original Kamichama Karin series or the anime. It's better than this.
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