Request: Mahou Shoujo Risuka

[lailahuk]

Nagasaki prefecture, in Japan, is a magical kingdom. While the wizards that live there are unable to cross the ocean, and are trapped in Kyuushu, they still pose enough of a threat that Americans dropped the bomb on them during WWII. The residents are worried that this will happen again, especially if the regular humans decide magicians are a threat.

Daughter of the most powerful wizard alive, Mizukura Risuka is ten years old, and living outside Nagasaki, searching for her father and killing evil wizards. Her blood contains spells that control time, and allow her to fast-forward her own life. Her ultimate technique kicks in only when she dies bloodily -- her blood will reform into herself at 27, at the height of her powers, for one minute.

Her guide through the world of normal humans is Kugi Kizutaka, also aged ten. Kizutaka is a genius, and a sociopath. He believes the only way for people to be happy is to be ruled by him and views everyone he meets as a potential pawn, or slave. Including Risuka.

Not at all funny the way NisiOisin's best-selling Zaregoto series was, but the dizzyingly amoral narrator, and the author's clear intent to explode everything dark about magical girls without any of the nauseating sugar that usually coats them make it alternately horrifying and gripping.

http://easternstandard.pbworks.com/w/pa ... ujo-Risuka


The first chapter was published in faust vol.2 which doesn't look likely it will recieve any future releases (faust bombed and del ray is no more). There is also a scan available of the first chapter but that cannot be posted here. With the success of Madoka, i thought people might be interested in Magical Girl series that is slightly different. Unfortunately i cannot translate so I am just putting it out there.

Here is the link to the book it was published in.
http://www.amazon.com/Faust-2-Tatsuhiko ... 367&sr=8-2

[Cosmic Eagle]

2004-7 and 3 volumes....art and everything else seems pretty gritty

But it's Nishio Ishin...how's the language?

[Doraneko]

2004-7 and 3 volumes....art and everything else seems pretty gritty

But it's Nishio Ishin...how's the language?

The writing is normal Nishio, with long-winded sentences and elaborated descriptions. Having no wordplay is a saving grace, making it much easier to translate than Bakemonogatari.

Any English speaker with some basic knowledge in Japanese should know what the word Risuka implies. It is also a fitting word to describe both the content and the atmosphere of the story.

One problem of the story is the male protagonist. He is one of the most unlikeable protagonist I have ever seen, having always a holier-than-thou attitude despite being just an elementary school kid. But if you can get over that it is a pretty entertaining story.

As for the art, it is ordinary moe stuff which probably suits the taste of most of us here. Don't be trolled by the cover art that has almost made the two kids 10 years older than what they should be.

Spoiler! :

[Cosmic Eagle]

well the way it's described isn't the guy meant to be an asshole?

[Doraneko]

well the way it's described isn't the guy meant to be an asshole?

Every reader knows that he is an asshole from page 1, but that doesn't stop him from being unlikeable (at least to me).

The same way Shinji in Evangelion is meant to be a wimp and a whiner, but he still gets lots of hate. For Eva, people sometimes justify that it is a realistic portrayal of what you will get by putting a teenager inside mecha and let him defend the world. But I can't really justify the attitude of Kugi Kizutaka the same way except concluding that he is a genuine natural-born asshole.