Were it not for all the gratitious ecchi moments (heck, there’s even a li’l yuri action), this prolly would pass as mediocre shoujo mainly because of the mush content. Like DNA2, Katsura puts a lot of pervyness in here, in fact, a whole lot more I believe. I”s is anything but repulsively vulgar though; in fact everything ecchi in it helps to make the manga more interesting, since there will be times when the mush can get frustratingly redundant and pointless.

Those who’ve seen/read DNA2 and were not impressed by how needlessly mushy it got or how the plot dragged on for too long would see much more of the same in I”s. I”s doesn’t have a sci-fi subplot like DNA2 has so there’s less diversion and variety to the story as a whole. This means the reader is treated to nothing but absolute teen mush with lots (lots more since like I said there’s no other confounding subplot to fill up space) of complementary breast-groping (rarely intentional) and breasts/panty shots.

Like DNA2, some may find and argue that the story can actually end midway through the manga, since Katsura again introduces more characters to complicate an otherwise fairly routine love story. But one of I”s more remarkable points (the other is the artwork which I’ll get to talk of later) is its endearing main characters. One of them is Itsuki, Ichitaka’s childhood friend who actually gets more character development and personality exposure in the manga rather than Iori herself. And likewise Ichitaka’s insecurities and his struggle to overcome them basically makes up half the manga’s plot. So while there may be nothing really new in the story, there’s a lot to be admired in I”s cast of characters.

Katsura’s rather unique style of anime realism and panelling is still top-notch, and Iori would arguably be his prettiest creation yet. His artwork is very detailed but it won’t confuse and overwhelm the reader. On a whole I”s is a more relaxing, less complex and generally, a more heartfelt read compared to DNA2.

Individual Rating: Art: 9; Story & Plot: 7; Characters: 9

This entry was posted on Thursday, December 12th, 2002 at 4:43 pm and is filed under I"s (Iori and Ichitaka), Manga. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.