YMC #58: Gamma

We need more superhero comics from all regions featuring yuri protagonists. This is Jun Ogino‘s Gamma.

Genres: Action, Comedy, Drama, Yuri

Themes: Superhero, Siscon, Ecchi

Number of Volumes: 5. 20 chapters.

Plot Summary: It’s an age where aliens, monsters and other dangers threaten the Earth, and various heroes have risen to protect it. Supporting these heroes are the human defense forces, of which the sisters Kitajishi Miyuki and Yuri are a part. Specifically, their office is for hero consultation, and they help heroes solve their problems, but they also help evacuation procedures during emergencies. Yuri was formerly an immensely powerful and popular magic girl, but now she helps protect people in a more human way. In their first case, they consult with a hero who has lost his powers, and is trying to find a way to live as an ordinary human.

As mentioned in the prologue this is a superhero manga. In fact this is a manga that was heavily inspired by Western superhero media, especially Marvel and to some extent kaiju movies (Godzilla, Mothra, Ultraman etc.). There’s even a chapter featuring Power Rangers. It could easily be interpreted as a Super Sentai homage but it felt a lot more like Power Rangers. Then again I grew up with PR and not SS so maybe it let’s go with it referencing both. Basically it both pays homage and parodies Western hero media. This being a Japanese manga however, we must always remember which form of hero is the most powerful of all by law. Gamma stays true to that law.

Thumbs up for the Kitajishi Sisters not needing college degrees to open a counseling agency. Saving the world from destruction is a good enough qualification.

This is a superhero story in every sense of the word, from the manliness of the male heroes, the cute/sexy and badass combo of the superheroines, awesome and over the top action scenes, neat costumes for the most part and of course the element that accompanies a majority of modern day superhero media, super drama…OHHHHHHHH super drama. I call it SD because when it comes to heroes they have their own special kind of drama and Gamma takes full advantage of it, ranging from “What it means to be a hero”, “With great power comes great responsibility (Though that line is never used)”, “The reason one becomes a superhero/heroine”, “Why did this happen to me?”, etc. Name a super drama trope and it is in this manga. Mind you that is not a bad thing at all all but one trope is handled quite well. In fact I dare say for the kind of story Gamma wanted to tell it would have felt incomplete without the super drama.

One noticeable yet not game breaking flaw Gamma has is that it introduces many characters yet several of them are one-shots so to speak, meaning they show up once and after a certain hero/heroine’s episode is finished they are never seen again. Some of these characters make sense for obvious reasons but others come and go as if they were only there as plot devices. On the bright side this helps readers understand the heroes better though some who crave to know every nook and cranny of a story may need to hold back their expectations a bit.

One of the manga’s tags is ecchi and indeed it contains its fair share of bootylicious goodness so readers bothered by skin tight costumes, shorts and midriffs need keep this in mind. The art style is pretty good I’d say with the guys having the classic manly shounen eyes and most of the girls having big eyes though this does not mean the author lacked the ability to draw other emotions on the characters. In fact I love the serious eyes.

The time has come to talk about the yuri. This will also be the only spoiler I will mention as it is necessary. There is a siscon tag in the themes section. Think Yuru Yuri’s Akane and Akari but with Akane having no restraints and Akari being tsundere on the outside. It is true that the Kitajishi Sisters are clingy with one another, being a tsundere-hyper (Yuri and Miyuki respectively) duo in public yet snuggling indoors but this is not the story’s main pairing. In fact there is a reason given as to why the two are clingy. The actual yuri is moderately well done/built up and when revealed is worth the wait.

Overall Gamma is both a good Western hero homage and parody while also telling a pretty good story in its own right. The heroes are cool, the villains do their job as best as they can, the action scenes are nicely drawn, the men are manly enough to qualify as heroes, the ladies are cute and sexy, much badassery can be found and the super drama fulfills its purpose even though I think one particular trope is a bit overdone (Hint: Kchhh!). As long as readers are fine with ecchi content and can handle the Kitajishi Sisters’ snuggle time I’d say give it a go.