Marionette Generation, Volume 1: Entrances

An over looked but great comic. Marionette Generation isn't the best comic out there but it's a nice read. Created and illustrated by the character designer of Robotech , Marionette is the story of illustrator Izumi, junior high students, and the living rag doll Lunch. Yes, Lunch is alive and she's a rag doll. There's an explanation to this oddness, I promise. This comic is featured in Animerica Extra but with about four pages an issues you don't really get a good impression or understanding of anything. A graphic novel view would be better. The artwork in this manga is gorgeous and the story is fun. Marionette Generation isn't for everyone but it's enough for some of us.

Izumi Morino is an out of work illustrator with a limited creative palette. One morning, his assistant Kinoko arrives at his home/studio to find him in bed with a doll. As if that wasn't strange enough, the doll walks and talks like a person. Morino doesn't know where she came from, and neither of them is sure what to do with her. This doll, which he names Lunch, has no memory of her past. Most of the story focuses on Izumi's and Kinoko's relationship: she's got a crush on him, but she's too young for him to pursue (legally, at least.) The mystery of the dolls -- as we discover there is more than one -- almost seems relegated to the background. To be honest, I didn't really mind, as I found the human characters and issues more interesting anyway. It just feels unbalanced. Mikimoto is an excellent artist and he has a great sense of humor, but his storytelling skills leave something to be desired. There were many sequences I found somewhat confusing. It's not a major problem, but it is somewhat distracting.

I'm a big fan of humorous manga, so after reading the first ten pages or so I decided to buy it. I have to say that I'm disappointed. Marionette Generations is a great graphic novel. The art is crisp and pleasing to the eye, and the humor is top-notch. The author, Haruhiko Mikimoto, does a great job of drawing the reader into the book, while breaking down the "fourth wall" between the characters and readers. His dialogue is very good, if not first class, and he gets a lot of laughs from poking fun at himself. For example, we are led to believe that Izumi, the protaganist who has a hentai collection, has an obsession with a J-Pop diva, and sleeps with rag dolls, is based on the author. The downside to this book is in its plot. Don't get me wrong, it's very creative and has a lot of potential, but it's very convulated and difficult to understand. Often, I had to read sections of the book three or four times to understand it. Aside from this one quibble, however, I would recommend Marionette Generation whole-heartedly to any manga fan looking for some laughs.