PRINCESS AI, VOLUME 3 (OF 3)
TOKYOPOP
WRITERS: D.J. Milky and Misaho Kujirodou
ARTIST: Misaho Kujirodou
ISBN: 1591826713; soft cover; Fantasy/Romance; Teen-Age 13+
228 pp., B&W interiors with some color pages, $9.99
Created by rock musician Courtney Love (widow of grunge rock legend Kurt Cobain) and manga writer D.J. Milky, Princess Ai comes to an end (at least as a manga) with the third volume – subtitled Evolution. It’s the story of Princess Ai, a beguiling young woman who sings with a mesmerizing voice. Although she becomes a tremendous rock star in our world (in the second volume), she’s a half-breed from another dimension, Ai-Land, where humans and Dougen (angels) are at war.
While Ai is trying to put the pieces of her past back together, she’s also dealing with much intrigue here. Assassins from her homeland, the Three Furies, have tried and are trying to kill her. She’s signed a long term contract to make records and videos for a shadowy record company, H.T.A., whose nefarious president, Hayabusa, is a member of the Yakuza (Japanese mob), and Hayabusa thinks that in the tradition of Elvis Presley, Tupac Shakur, and other deceased recording artists, Ai would be less trouble and worth more money dead. Meanwhile, her loyal boyfriend, Kent, a librarian at Shinjuku University, is by her side, simultaneously protecting her and helping her figure out who she is. Meanwhile, the second of the Three Furies, Meggi, has arrived from Ai-Land, on a mission to capture or kill Ai.
The creators and writers of Princess Ai mired the character and narrative in both a heavy back story and a large ensemble cast. There are enough material and ideas to easily fill at least twice as many volumes as have been published. Sometimes, it gets to be a bit much to follow it all, and sometimes keeping up with the whole thing seems like a bother. However, Misaho Kujiradou’s art is so beautiful, it makes reading this manga worth it. It should please young readers who like romance, music, and cool clothes. In fact, the clothes and gear will make this a favorite of readers who are also into cosplay (dressing up like an anime or manga character).
6 of 10
