Angel Densetsu
Author |
YAGI Norihiro |
Artist |
YAGI Norihiro |
Primary Genre |
|
Sub Genres |
Shounen, Comedy, Martial Arts |
Volumes |
15 |
Licensed |
No |
| Publication History | |
Japanese Publisher |
|
Serialized in |
|
Serialization Start |
0000 |
Serialization End |
0000 |
US Publisher |
|
| Scanlator(s) | Manga-Sketchbook |
| Series Summary |
Serialized in Monthly Shounen Jump from 1992 to 2000.
Angel Densetsu is the story of Kitano Seiichirou, an innocent young man with a pure heart. Unfortunately for Kitano his face is very monstrous and makes the people who see him think he is a heroin addict as well as a great and terrible fighter. The story starts when Kitano moves to a new town. He's looking for a fresh start and hopes to make many friends, but sadly he becomes the new "guardian" of the school. As the chapters go on he defeats all his enemies at Hekiku, his school, and starts to get enemies from other, tougher schools. Although this description makes Angel Densetsu sound like a serious manga, it is quite the opposite, being a very funny gag manga. While the manga does have some problems, it is a solid work that will keep you entertained. The basis of the manga is that Kitano is so hideously scary that no one will stand up to him, believing him to be the ultimate delinquent and bad-ass. However, he’s actually an extremely kind young man who unfortunately suffers from stereotyping. You’d think I’d be telling you to feel sorry for Kitano, but actually the manga is pretty lighthearted despite what could be a very depressing set up. The art of Angel Densetsu will probably shock those readers expecting CLAMP style detail -- Angel Densetsu is Norihiro’s first work, and as such you can obviously see that his art starts off very amateurish, with most of the characters possessing tall, skinny bodies. As the manga progresses, so does Norihiro’s art, so those who regard the first few chapters as ugly should stick around and see if the style turns into something agreeable. The one thing that Norihiro draws extremely well throughout, though, is backgrounds -- his park scenes and cityscapes are stunning, and really make the manga seem like it is reflecting a real place. To be honest, Norihiro’s art style reminds me of a very early form of Nishimori Hiroyuki’s (Cheeky Angel, Kyou Kara Ore Wa!). The true heart of Angel Densetsu is its comedy -- and to that extent, I have to address a problem I have with this manga before I can get into the comedy. Angel Densetsu asks a lot from its reader -- it basically asks the reader to forget common sense while reading. This is because everyone overreacts in this manga. Granted, it is for comedic purposes, but if you happen to be a reader that has a problem with motives or actions’ being ‘unrealistic,’ this probably isn’t the manga for you. Even the protagonist Kitano is not exempt from this; in actuality Kitano is one of the worst offenders, jumping to extremes or seemingly unaware of words and slang that are rather common. Still, Angel Densetsu is basically a comedy of errors, and as such the reader can’t dwell on these issues or the comedy will be spoiled. Once you accept that not everything in the world of Angel Densetsu makes perfect sense, the manga becomes a lot of fun. Kitano starts to build a small group of friends, and the manga lampoons delinquent stereotypes by having Kitano ending up in ‘fights’ with other delinquents. The fights are usually spawned from a huge misunderstanding on both sides, and end quickly -- no drawn out battles here, folks. It is worth noting that the supporting casts that Kitano befriends are all excellent fighters, making the mixture all the more bizarre, as Kitano becomes the leader of a group of people that could easily beat him to a pulp. Aside from comedy, there are some serious moments in the manga -- not a lot, but a few. Basically, Kitano is such a nice guy that you really do feel bad for him, because of the way people react to his face. Discrimination plays a large role in Angel Densetsu, and Kitano’s appearance is a springboard from which everything else occurs -- without his appearance, the manga simply would not exist. People looking for a quirky high school delinquent comedy will find Angel Densetsu to be very appealing. It is not as openly bizarre and deep as Cromartie High School, and remains firmly entrenched in the genre of comedy -- no need to break out the tissues for crying fests with this manga. If art is not a big deal to you, give the manga a try -- but for those who have hang-ups about how their manga looks as well as reads, you may want to first give the manga a quick flip through to see if this is something you’d enjoy.
Reviewed by: Andrew (Kenjimurasame) Smith Information last updated on Mar 21, 2008 |
| Title | Scanlator | BT | Released |
| Angel Densetsu v.15 ch.84 (end) | Manga-Sketchbook | Fri Mar 21 18:45:03 2008 | |
| Angel Densetsu v.15 ch.83 | Manga-Sketchbook | Thu Mar 13 19:31:13 2008 | |
| Angel Densetsu v.15 ch.82 | Manga-Sketchbook | Thu Mar 6 13:06:42 2008 | |
| Angel Densetsu v.15 ch.81 | Manga-Sketchbook | Thu Feb 7 16:41:57 2008 | |
| Angel Densetsu v.15 ch.80 | Manga-Sketchbook | Mon Jan 21 18:45:01 2008 | |
| Angel Densetsu v.15 ch.79 | Manga-Sketchbook | Mon Jan 7 16:28:44 2008 | |
| Angel Densetsu v.15 ch.78 | Manga-Sketchbook | Mon Dec 31 16:28:13 2007 | |
| Angel Densetsu v.15 ch.77 | Manga-Sketchbook | Thu Nov 22 15:29:46 2007 | |
| Angel Densetsu v.14 ch.76 | Manga-Sketchbook | Mon Sep 24 11:34:32 2007 | |
| Angel Densetsu v.14 ch.75 | Manga-Sketchbook | Mon Jun 11 13:30:40 2007 | |
| Angel Densetsu v.14 ch.74 | Manga-Sketchbook | Tue May 15 10:57:33 2007 | |
| Angel Densetsu v.14 ch.73 | Manga-Sketchbook | Mon Mar 12 16:17:55 2007 | |
| Angel Densetsu v.14 ch.72 | Manga-Sketchbook | Thu Jan 25 17:13:37 2007 | |
| Angel Densetsu v.14 ch.71 | Manga-Sketchbook | Thu Jan 25 17:13:37 2007 | |
| Angel Densetsu v.13 ch.70 | Manga-Sketchbook | Thu Jan 25 17:12:36 2007 | |
| Angel Densetsu v.13 ch.69 | Manga-Sketchbook | Sun Dec 10 18:02:30 2006 | |
| Angel Densetsu v.13 ch.68 | Manga-Sketchbook | Sat Nov 25 17:59:08 2006 | |
| Angel Densetsu v.13 ch.67 | Manga-Sketchbook | Mon Nov 20 06:42:02 2006 | |
| Angel Densetsu v.13 ch.66 | Manga-Sketchbook | Sun Nov 5 10:00:34 2006 | |
| Angel Densetsu v.13 ch.65 | Manga-Sketchbook | Sun Jul 30 06:24:02 2006 | |
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