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16 of 17 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The wonderful world of Iou Kuroda, September 23, 2005
This review is from: Sexy Voice and Robo (Paperback)
Sexy Voice and Robo is a grand celebration of the possibilities of Japanese graphic fiction. Released to virtually no fanfare during a time when titles like Fruits Basket and Fullmetal Alchemist were breaking sales records, Sexy Voice is a breath of fresh air to say the least.
The initial premise is hardly original: Nico, a crafty teenager with ambitions of changing the lives of people around her, is taken under the wing of an aging yakuza to solve mysteries with her bumbling henchman Robo. Under this deceivingly simple guise Iou Kuroda has crafted one an unforgettable portrait of modern Japan. Each of the thirteen stories is a masterful exploration of modern day Japan, with characters ranging from a disillusioned businessman to a manipulative lover to an amnesiac assassin. The world in which the characters inhabit comes off completely natural, yet has a sort of modern mysticism to it due in large part to Kuroda's wonderfully organic art.
Just as important as the world of Sexy Voice and Robo are the central characters. Nico is a fascinating protagonist, equal parts sly and heroic. Her relationship with Robo is also a high point, with its playful twist on the standard manga romance. It's almost impossible not to root for Nico as she attempts to touch the lives of the people around her. Her development throughout the story reads like a natural maturation of a girl her age.
To put it bluntly, Sexy Voice is unlike anything you've ever read and while it may not be selling anywhere near the top of the charts, it's probobly the best manga of 2005. FAns of more conventional series may want to steer clear, but anyone interested in brilliant, award-winning (the Media Arts Award)needs to look no further. Do yourself a favor and let Iou Kuroda take you on a ride into his imagination.
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Mixed emotions, December 24, 2007
This review is from: Sexy Voice and Robo (Paperback)
I have mixed feelings about Sexy Voice and Robo. It didn't pull me in, but at the same time it kept me reading (without cliffhangers) and it has its moments.
The story follows 14 year old Nico. Her part time job is doing phone companionship. It's not so much phone sex, as phone chat with women, but lonely men tend to call in and the subject of panties comes up frequently. She sees the job as training to be a spy, and tries to recognize voices which she's gotten quite good at. Her skill of recognizing voices and meddling in the world around her soon lands her another job running errands to a mysterious older man. Meanwhile, she gets 25 year old "Robo" who collects toy robots (her nickname for him much to his chagrin) to run errands for her by telling him what to do via phone and then meeting him in real life as his phone girlie's kid sister. He's lonely and a tad socially awkward so he's easy to string along.
The graphics were OK. The quality of drawing varies widely from frame to frame, but characters can be distinguished, and that's what matters in telling a story.
The story lines for each chapter were self contained and had very little overlap. Main characters reappear, but each chapter has Nico going off on a new mission. Her missions have a playful quality in that she's practicing to be a spy and wants to do good deeds for everyone she meets. They range from serious missions like preventing the assassination of a soccer player, to lighter self-assigned missions like reuniting her boss with his 1940's girlfriend. From story to story we learn a little bit more about Nico and Robo.
Overall, this is worth looking at. It didn't pull me in, but some of the stories and mood linger.
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
One of the freshest mangas I've read in quite a while, August 22, 2006
This review is from: Sexy Voice and Robo (Paperback)
Lately, I've been despairing of reading anything good, and after reading glowing reviews for manga that I later purchased and then set aside, I was growing increasingly frustrated.
At some point, I kept on seeig this pop up in my recommendations, and on Listmania!, so I decided to give it a go. It helped that the hook was original, and the writer is just skilled enough to pull it off too :). Apparently, our heroine is just a little bit based off a friend of his (unnamed) that claimed to pretend to be a dating service at the age of 14.
The other characters are a hopeless otaku by the name of Robo, and a mysterious old man that hires hre. She solves cases, but the plot thickens near the middle, and her actions start to have consequences.
It's a good read, pick it up sometimes. If you're like me, it might take you a couple tries to look past the art, but it's well worth it. Also, his art improves later in the book.
Beware, though, it ends with a cliffhanfer ... and he doesn't appear to have written the second volume in the series yet. (Or, possibly, it just hasn't made it overseas.)
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