 | | ▪ | RELEASED BY: | | TOKYOPOP | | | ▪ | AUTHOR / ART: | | SUSUGI SAKURAI | | | ▪ | FORMAT: | | JAPANESE / B&W | | | ▪ | PAGES: | | 192 | | | ▪ | RATING: | | OT | | | ▪ | RELEASE DATE: | | 05/13/2008 | | | ▪ | REVIEW DATE: | | 05/13/2008 | | | ▪ | REVIEWED BY: | | HOLLY ELLINGWOOD |
Sgt Frog is a really well-drawn, really funny manga that is totally worth picking up. Everything about it just “pops” – it pops off the page in both visual hilarity and a story that will knock your socks off just as well. It’s already hugely popular in Japan in both print and in anime formats, so it should be interesting to see how well it will take off once the Sgt Frog anime hits our shores. As Captain of the space invasion force’s special advance team of the 58th planet of the gamma storm cloud system, Sgt. Keroro entered the Hinata family when his pre-attack preparation for the invasion of earth ran afoul via his easy capture by the Hinata children, Fuyuki and Natsumi. Thanks to Fuyuki’s kindness, or rather his curiosity, Sgt. Keroro soon became a ward of the Hinata home, with free room and board in exchange for housework. From this unlikely base, he and his four subordinates continue to devise their strategy for the impending invasion of Pokopen… or not. In this, the fifteenth volume of Sgt Frog, a new member hops onto the invasion as it reaches its threshold, and our planet and everyone on it has thirty seconds before complete and utter annihilation. She looks like a mere human to you and me, and she might be one of Keroro's dear, childhood friends - but she has exactly what the Keroro platoon needs. On a recent summer day, Fuyuki’s research led him to another boy, whose situation was eerily like Fuyuki and Keroro’s. As our tale becomes more and more mysterious, another day with Keroro dawns. The main question on everyone’s mind is this: Can you keep a straight face through it all? Although the numerous odd plot points and humor-ridden story is fantastic, the art of Sgt Frog is where this manga really shines and catches people’s eyes. It’s just very unique in its proficiency, and yet cartoon-like appearance. It’s such a good visual mix of what is “serious” and yet “non-serious,” if that makes any sense. Everything is so funny and bouncy and goofy – explosions riddle many a page, but it’s all in good fun as the invasion fails again and again in its many forms. The cast of characters is well-drawn and the alien frogs themselves are a pretty entertaining bunch as simple as they all are. The facial expressions and character designs really are to die for half the time- the visuals really are chock-full of laughs on any given page. And the art is detailed to boot – there are no short cuts when it comes to making the art in this series fun and flowing. There are also some funny little extras scattered here and there at the beginning of the book and at the end of it, including a visual tree of character relationships and non-relationships (as some seem to hate other character’s guts for whatever completely understandable reasons they have). All in all, the series is highly entertaining and should appeal to a wide audience of children and adults alike – it’s a true showing of a good piece of entertainment.
IN SUMMARY:
Sgt Frog is laugh out loud funny and features some of the most fun visuals going in manga these days. If you’re looking for some light entertainment with awesome visuals to bring it all to life, Sgt Frog is your ticket! |
