Tenjho Tenge: Volume 1

Tenjho Tenge starts out as the story of two high school brawlers, Soichiro Nagi and Bob Makihara, but the focus of the story turns to sisters Aya and Maya Natsume even by the end of this volume. At this time, the story is thin but promising, as it does get better when the manga turns its attention to Maya's past in future volumes. This adds better context and motivation to her actions in the present as well as other important characters. But Tenjho Tenge doesn't show off its plot strengths just yet, but other... assets. Oh! Great is a talented artist, and most of it is spent on sex and violence, which initially sells this series quite well. Aya and Maya Natsume are found in various staged of undress for a variety of reasons throughout this volume. Other characters are as well, though CMX has heavily edited the nudity out of this title, as well as some profanity. The editing is noticably sub par, but it hardly detracts from the story or makes it hard to understand. The art in this manga is still wonderful though maybe slightly less perverted that Oh! Great intended it to be. That being said, I still think the 13+ suggested reading age is a bit too low. Despite the immaturity of the characters, many are horribly violent and sadistic, especially later in this series. Simply covering up the naughty bits doesn't change the fact that serious issues like rape come up. Mature situations don't become kid appropriate simply because they lack nudity, and this series probably deserves a rating of 16+ like Oh! Great's other title, Air Gear (which contains even less violence and nudity than Tenjho Tenge). Volume one sets up a plot that leaves you wanting more, but is thankfully delivered in future volumes. The original artwork is consistently great, and high school brawls and fan service are plentiful throughout. Even if you don't intend on keeping up with the series, Tenjho Tenge can deliver its (male) audience an entertaining package. High school brawls were never this intense! Hopefully you do keep up with it, because it only gets better from here.

I guarantee that, if people continue to bicker on about censorship and editing, we will never see great titles like Tenjho Tenge published in the US. The anime crowd needs to stop being so spoiled and just appreciate the book. The fight scenes are well-done, the plot and dialogue are outrageous and funny, and the manga in itself is just a great read. The problem? The average fanboy will overlook the general goodness and complain about its "sanitization", how all the sex and violence and general debauchery was edited out so that a different audience could reach it. So what? The general outline of the actual manga is still there. There's still enough fanservice to present a need to cover the children's eyes. And the book is still fun. Please. Get over yourselves. Shut up and enjoy the book. I'm sure that an unedited version will be available later, just like they did with DBZ. Because you people just can't enjoy a good read unless it's presented in its original, nigh-pornographic form.

I went to five different stores looking for this book and I can honestly say that it was worth it. This book has been slightly edited, but that doesn't detract from Oh!Great's gorgeous artwork and great storyline. For fans of mangas that deal with incredible martial arts fights interspersed with humor and romance, this book won't let you done.