Once again we’ve reached the ‘2spooky’ month of October and I have another awesome excuse to break out my horror manga and share it with you guys!
As much as I love gore, possessions, and stuff like that, today’s manga has more to do with spirits rather than straight-up scares. Adorable spirits.
Kon Kon Kokon is one of the many series penned by the lovely Koge-Donbo, who works for the Broccoli company. You may know her from earlier series such as the popular Di-Gi Charat, and even if you don’t know her series directly, you’re probably familiar with her distinct art style. As such, every single character in this manga looks like they’re about ten and have huge, shiny eyes. Kon Kon Kokon focuses on the young cool kid, Ren, who just recently moved from the country to the big city. Embarrassed at his nerdy persona, he makes a point of changing his image from a bumpkin to an aloof ikemen (good looking dude)—or as ikemen as a ten year old can get. To be expected, this is to gain the favor of classroom cutie, Himeka. His resolve is tested, however, when Kokon arrives.
No one understands how Kokon comes to be at their school—nor do they seem to question why she’s wearing shrine maiden garb—but she has a mission: to repay Ren for something that he doesn’t seem to remember. He tries to send her back home, but after he finds out her secret he is stuck between keeping his façade or fully taking advantage of the opportunity he is presented with. You see, Kokon is a fox spirit and Ren is a paranormal otaku. And what did Ren do to earn attention from such a being? When they were younger he saved her life, so Kokon promised herself to Ren as his bride. Hijinks ensue.
I really adore this series for its simple and accessible explanations of some Japanese spirits. However, I don’t exactly believe the conflict of main character, Ren. If there was any indication that he may be unfairly treated for his hobby, then I may be more willing to be invested in his plight, but everyone’s so nice that I have a hard time believing that anyone would turn on him if he showed to be strangely passionate about something. Hell, even Himeka, when faced with chasing down a potential spirit, seems excited by the prospect and even says she looks forward to searching for one with Ren at a later date. The stakes are virtually non-existent, so I can’t say it’s exactly an exciting read. Hopefully it gets better in the later volumes (I haven’t been able to find any, nor have I felt particularly inclined to look). If you want something cute to read or are interested in Japanese mythos, I would say give it a shot.
Lady Geek Girl and Friends 