Category: Hipster Hotline

Here’s a good one you probably never heard of. Chichi Kogusa hits you in the heart but thankfully doesn’t get melodramatic.

Chichi Kogusa is the story of Torakichi, a traveling medicine seller forced to take care for his young son, Shirou, after his wife dies.

First things first, the art is good. Really good! It’s not hyper realistic or anything like that but it’s well drawn and expressive and…cute. It fits the tone of the story perfectly. I can’t get over how much I love the art.

Back to the story, Chichi Kogusa deals with the struggle of a working father connecting with a son he barely got to know due to his job. We see father and son slowly grow closer while both still dealing with the lost of their wife and mother respectively. An emotional tale but hopeful at the same time.

When you think shonen, what comes to mind? Young protagonist. Spiky hair. Loud. Fighter.  Training to be the best. A female love interest?

Majin Tantei Nōgami Neuro doesn’t have any of that. Well, it has bits of certain parts but not how you expect.

Neuro Nōgami is a powerful demon who feeds on mysteries. After solving all Demon World’s mysteries, he goes to Earth, a blue and green KFC full of mysteries waiting to be found, solved, and consumed. It’s basically, Supernatural Detective Conan but funnier and had an ending we’ll live long enough to read.

Neuro, wanting to keep a low profile, offers a high school girl, Yako Katsuragi, an offer to solve her father’s murder in exchange of being the “leader” of his detective agency. Their relationship is the cornerstone of the series. Completely messed up but eventually the two develop a mutual respect for each other. Let me say, Yako is one of my favorite female shonen characters. She’s not there to be a love interest or sex symbol. She’s her own funny, developed character who could’ve easily been a boy if the mangaka desired. This is as much her story as Neuro’s. 

From the creator of A Silent Voice (Oima Yoshitoki), comes To You, The Immortal. The story of an immortal…that’s meant for you?

To You, The Immortal is about a being able to take the form of anything, most notably those who die.

This is a character driven story. It’s not about saving the world, at least, not yet. This is the Immortal’s story as he/she/it learns about the world and its inhabitants. It’s mostly told through the people around the immortal until we reach a point where the immortal understands the world enough to follow along in its POV, but we still get to see the goings on with certain people connected to the immortal. Like I said, this is a character driven story.

Kingdom isn’t exactly a hidden gem but it deserves to be as popular as Naruto or any other high profile shounen series, even if its officially a seinen series.

Kingdom is a retelling of the Warring States period that lead to the formation of China. It has all the good trappings of a battle shounen but in a historical setting with interesting heroes and villains. Oh! And, it’s a bit more violent, and by “bit” I mean a lot of dismembering. LOTS! This is a war manga that doesn’t shy away from war. It’s not overly gratuitous but, again, dismembering.

Another slice-of-life manga done right.

Gakuen Babysitters is about Ryuuichi and Kotarou, two brothers orphaned after the death of their parents in a plane crash. Taken in by the principle of Ryuuichi’s high school, her only condition is for Ryuuichi to work at the school day care center for faculty kids, and now Kotarou.

What makes Gakuen Babysitters work are the different characters and variety of stories. Like Baby & me, we start things on a serious note but slowly Ryuuichi and Kotarou rebuild their lives, seeing them interact with a ever growing cast of characters. We do get callbacks to their tragedy and some sad moments here and there but this is generally a lite series dealing with personal issues and conflicts but nothing too intense.

Ryuuichi is a bit bland but he’s mostly used as the straight man to the antics of the daycare kids and the more eccentric older characters. Every character in the series so far has been enjoyable. From the serious Hayato to the ever lazy Usaida, characters come in all shapes and personalities. And once again, like Baby & Me, the manga isn’t afraid to focus on other characters if there’s a story to tell, keeping the series fresh and interesting. Special shout out to Saikawa, the best butler since Bruce Wayne’s Alfred.

If you’re looking for an adorable slice-of-life series that’ll put a smile on your face, give Gakuen Babysitters a read. Here’s hoping the anime adaptation premiering this month is just as good.