Volume 1: Go! Go! Loser Ranger!
Forget everything you thought you knew.
Hey look, another new little feature! I go through a lot of first volumes. Call it a byproduct of working above a bookstore with the biggest manga section, which I literally browse everyday. Naturally, I don’t follow through on all those series, and I figured it might well be worth finding out why I don’t, and why I do.
First up, Go! Go! Loser Ranger! Here are the five questions.
What drew me to this series? I mean… Power Rangers. If Mashle can spoof Harry Potter so well, then let’s see more satire.
How’d Volume 1 go? Really well, thanks for asking. I’m impressed by how the story keeps “spilling the beans," so to say. Every time I think they’re setting up a secret, or the primary plot drive, that aspect gets resolved, and a bigger secret takes its place. It’s a constant upheaval of the plot. Every chapter, something major happens and upturns what you thought you knew. It sets a really high standard, so I’m curious to see how they keep that fever pace up, or what replaces it when it slows.
Also, this whole notion of “who are the real monsters” is compelling, but I suspected it would be more black and white. I am quite happy to know that it’s not that at all, it’s morally grey, and I’m excited to see how that develops.
Most compelling character? Suzukiri, for sure. I really enjoyed the commitment to having all her sinister panels slightly darker than her bubbly ones. This bright and cheery ranger is perhaps the most dastardly character in the series, and I’m hooked to see what role she will play in the rest of it.
Anything unexpected? Oddly enough, the humor is not as much of a feature as I expected. When it hits, it gets a chuckle, but nothing outrageous like the premise led me to expect, and certainly nothing like Mashle. That’s not a bad thing, I actually settled into the story really well after realizing that comedy was not going to be a primary driver.
Will I keep reading? Absolutely.
