from the creator Lost property in heaven Another story about a young man who encounters an angelic being! However, with Lost property in heavenwe seem to have dialed back fan service In exchange for more comedy and potentially more dramatic moments. This is by no means a bad approach, and if we are talking strictly about comedy, then Excellent property It’s actually a pretty strong read.
Much of the comedy in this volume comes from dialogue and panel framing, particularly between our two protagonists, Yuugo and Hamniel. Their interactions are a great example of the stupid loser and smart ass dynamic. Hamnir is a loser angel who wants to do a good job but is forever stuck in a lose-lose situation in a settlement where everyone can barely survive on their own. I love her exchanges with Yuugo because he acknowledges her as being funny, often deflecting her very reasonable questions with morally righteous speeches that seem to convince her at first glance. But when you think about what he said, it’s all just thinly veiled bullshit. One of my favorite points in the manga is when Yonggo tries to hide that he doesn’t want to share his food by continuing to say that eating other living things is a sin, but then eats behind Haniel’s back when she isn’t looking. The comedy has a rhythm where we get some great dialogue like this and then a bit of silent slapstick to follow it up.
The manga switches between a more natural anime style and a simplified chibi style to great effect. I love Hamniel’s design, you can tell she got the most attention during the painting process. Everyone else’s designs are more generic. But things get much better when we get to the more interesting part, where everyone is in chibi form. Whether they’re mature adults, quiet schemers, or bumbling fools, everyone fits into their role seamlessly.
The problem is, based on the first volume, the comedy and drama of the story don’t always mix well together. I’m not always a fan of stories that often have characters do rude things for the sake of being funny, only to try to establish that same character as a kind and understanding person in subsequent scenes. There are many attempts to portray Yugo as a tragic character who is tired of realism. While I thought his dialogue was well-written, and I have no doubt he had a reason to be so jaded, I still wish there had been more scenes where he showed more genuine kindness toward Hanil. You could argue that he has no reason to be nice to her since he still has to look after himself, and by the nature of the story she’s more or less benefiting from him. But if that were the case, I wouldn’t need this book to use Hamnir as a sounding board to understand what Yuugo is like. I think things would have felt more natural if Hamnir hadn’t been so quick to see Yugo as a good guy until the first volume or later in the story.
The book tries to have it both ways, by creating a specific comedic dynamic based on the rudeness and cruelty between our two protagonists, while also trying to make the story deeper. Perhaps in later volumes it will be handled more gracefully, but for now, it’s undeniably clunky. The artwork is good and the comedy is strong, so I hope it leans more towards that. I’m sure the ball will drop at some point, but the journey there needs to be built on better foundations. If I were to judge this series outside of its pedigree, then I’d say you don’t need to rush to the bookstore immediately to check it out. Maybe wait and hear if things get more interesting.
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