By Cowhat Ninja
Hi all! I’m the new Manga/Anime/Video Game reviewer type person. You may call me the Cowhat Ninja. I’m here to tell you about Ral Omega Grad.
It’s drawn by Takeshi Obata (Death Note, Hikaru no Go), so needless to say art-wise it’s pulled off very well. This is Tsueno Takano’s first time writing a published manga, and after reading Ral Omega Grad I’m looking forward to more stories from this author.
The story centers around Ral, who has been kept in isolation for all 15 years of his life because of his bond with a dragon that possesses his shadow. He has been released so that he can fight these Shadow-creatures that have been taking over the world.
And the reason he fights? Well, for boobies, of course! He is a teenage boy, after all.
At first the over-sexualization in this comic bothered me. It didn’t take me long to get over it, however; it’s not like the thing is nothing but boobs (though boobs take up a large portion of the book). Ral is a strategic fighter, which is refreshing since I’m used to reading stuff where the main character charges into a situation head-first without thinking of the consequences.
The manga is published by Shonen Jump (a subsidiary of Viz) as a part of their Shonen Jump Advanced line. Naturally, the thing comes shrink-wrapped to avoid potential conflict with conservative parents. Also, being a Shonen Jump graphic novel, it comes at the reduced price of $7.99. I really hope that companies continue this trend; the cheaper the manga the more people are going to buy it.
All in all, I’d say it definitely worth the money.
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Lisa Fary's earliest influences are Princess Leia, Rainbow Bright, Astronaut Barbie, and her 6th grade teacher, Ms. Palmer. She's angry that it's 2011 and she still doesn't have a hovercraft, but will accept a jetpack as consolation. That jetpack had better be pink with a rhinestone monogram. 
Glad to find you here, Cowhat. I’m 56, silver-haired and a woman, so it’s hard to find anime sites where I don’t feel like freak or worry if someone’s going to report me as a pedophile. Not sure I can get into a boob-oriented manga, but I look forward to your reports about other mangas and anime! Right now I’m reading Descendants of Darkness.