Customer Reviews

Karakuri Odette Volume 1

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Odette is a beautiful android created by the young and brilliant Professor Yoshizawa. Whenever she notices a difference between herself and humans, Odette asks Yoshizawa to alter her. The professor reluctantly agrees whenever he can accommodate Odette's requests. Sometimes the requests are obvious things, like the ability to eat. Other times, she asks for the ability to do certain things humans wish they never had to, such as crying.

Out of the blue, Odette sees some school girls on television and asks Yoshizawa to enroll her in school so that she may engage in a more realistic human lifestyle and quickly makes friends with anyone who crosses paths with this special girl. Her best friend Yoko has no idea that she's a robot yet finds that Odette is the easiest person to confide in. Odette faces her first experience with true fear when the pair fall into a well and Yoko is overcome by her medical condition.

Her enigmatic charm wins over the lone wolf Asao and even another android that has been programmed to murder Yoshizawa, despite both of them figuring out that she is a mere robot. Odette is very swift at recognizing human emotions, noting that Asao is infatuated with Yoko, but she doesn't seem to notice his unexpected feelings of fondness toward her as well.

Unlike most androids found in pop culture, Odette exudes traces of emotions, most especially fear. When faced with a frightening situation, that is when she has the most human reaction of fight or flight. This take on androids makes the robots in Karakuri Odette a bit unorthodox, but it allows the reader to engage with Odette on a level unobtainable with other emotionless androids.

Karakuri Odette is truly a charming and comforting read that is suitable for young and teen girls, but will also appeal to readers searching for the kind of manga that tugs lightly at the heartstrings as it makes them start to appreciate the little things we take for granted as Odette discovers them. Is this manga likely to turn into an epic drama? Not really. This series is more of a "slice of life" comedy that happens to be about a very different kind of teenage girl.

-- Courtney Kraft

The premise for "Karakuri Odette" is somewhat of a cliché in Japanese comics. Can an artificial person learn to experience human emotions? I can't count how many times this premise has been done, and was surprised to see it being done yet again.

The artificial person in this instance is named Odette (the "Karakuri" part of the name refers to the Karakuri Ningyo clockwork toys from popular in 18th century to 19th century Japan). Odette is the creation of the dashing young Professor Yoshizawa, who has arranged to send Odette to a local high school to see if his creation can pass as a normal human girl, ala Alan Turnin's famous Turing Test used to determine the success of machine intelligence.

At first, Odette struggles in her new environment. She returns home and requests alterations from Professor Yoshizawa, noticing that the other girls have functions that she does not, such as being able to eat and cry. (If the premise sounds familiar, it is the exact same set-up as used in the fantastic Dr. Slump, but while that comic is played for comedy this one is a serious shojo manga. I don't see Odette requesting the same "parts" from Yoshizawa that Akane requested from Dr. Norimaki!). Slowly, Odette integrates herself into school life, gaining friends and learning more about what it will take for her to be "human."

The first two chapters were pretty dull, as I have read this kind of story too many times. I don't mind it when an author does variations on a theme, but you need really strong characterization to pull that off, and the unemotional point-of-view of Odette makes for a slow-paced and boring story. Odette would go to school, muss about how different she was, then come home and request an alteration. Repeat.

However, slowly the characters grew on me, although more the supporting cast than Odette herself. The introduction of another android character, Asia (named and after actress Asia Argento, the author tells us), brings some much needed drama and comedy to the mix. A small boy Hisataro, who can only been seen by Odette, was also an interesting addition. Unfortunately, the boy positioned to be Odette's love interest, Kurose, was a bit flat character-wise.

By the time I got to the end, I was really enjoying "Karakuri Odette" and I am looking forward to the next volume. The series does have promise. Hopefully author Julietta Suzuki ("Julietta" is just a pen-name, by the way. The author is Japanese.), will continue building out the story and focus less on Odette's internal musings.

Suzuki's art is nice, if not stunning. She seems to struggle with giving characters an identifiable personal appearance and style, and I found myself lost a few times on who was who. The translation seemed well-done, but I haven't read the original so I don't have much to compare it too. This is the first of Suzuki's series to get an official English translation, and her other contributions to the shojo magazine "Hana to Yume" haven't made the leap. This leads to an ironic back-cover, where Suzuki is listed as "The creator of "Akuma to Dolce"" even thought that series is only available in unauthorized fan-translations.

Odette is a robot, made by an incredibly brilliant professor. He's so brilliant, in fact, that Odette is human in almost every way. So human that she wants to go to high school like other girls her age (or at least the age she appears). Odette, though admittedly odd, makes some good friends, has fun adventures and has to avert some evil deeds plotted by mad robot scientists (not like her awesome professor).

Robot plots, especially in a genre with romance at the core, are not my favorite by any means. I read Chobits a couple of years ago, one of many manga by CLAMP. In that one, the robot relationships are by no means pure. The story wasn't bad exactly, but it was creepy as all get out. Karakuri Odette is not the same at all, thankfully.

Although a lot of time is spent discussing romance and in some ways most of the plot lines did resolve around it, there is actually very little romance in this manga series. Ultimately, friendship and what it means to be human are the central subjects. Odette constantly has to make requests of her maker for enhancements or changes, so that she can be more human and function better with others.

There are also some delightful comedic moments, generally caused by Odette, who is delightfully deadpan. She says and does the most outlandish things with a straight face. Her friendship with a delinquent also makes for amusing times.

I did not love this series, but there was something pleasant about it that made me keep reading to the end. The series definitely went downhill as it went along, though, culminating in an indecisive and lame conclusion.

Karakuri Odette reads similar to most any shoujo comedy, but where it lacks in originality it makes up for in thematic devices. Odette is an android trying to live as a human girl going to high school. She is concerned with making friends, helping others and having fun. Obviously pretty universal. However, the author uses Odette to comment on: sticking up for your friends and the way people treat each other; emotional maturity; depression and dealing with life's tragedies; embracing what you don't understand; keeping your friend's secrets; the list goes on. Speaking as a librarian, Karakuri Odette makes for a wonderful addition to any young adult collection.

Speaking as a manga reviewer, the art is not fabulous (this is Julietta Suzuki's first series) and is somewhat experimental between the story arcs. Naturally, being TokyoPop, I take issue with the translation at times. The worst insult being the inclusion of a direct translation Japanese idiom, "Chickens shouldn't cluck in their sleep," with no explanatory note. Boy that's very meaningful, thanks TokyoPop. If anyone has the original tankoubon, I'd be interested in knowing what that phrase is in Japanese.