Princess Ai: Encounters

August 30, 2004
A petulant, doll-faced amnesiac named Ai finds herself on the streets of Tokyo, wondering why she is on Earth at all. She meets Kent, a long-haired young rocker, who helps her discover she has vocal talent. Along the way, Ai unearths some clues to her past, grows a pair of wings and destroys various characters' clothes in the name of fashion. Although rocker Love's name is on this modern fairy tale series, it's not clear what role she had in its making. The story, appropriate for older manga audiences, bears some resemblance to Love's life, as Ai undergoes some existential angst and complains, "It sucks being homeless!" Ai's story isn't convincing, though, and the book's creators can't seem to decide if this series is a fantasy, a mystery, a thriller or a romance. In what must be a strategy to stretch the plot out over several books, no story line is developed enough to hold readers' attention (and Ai's antics—kicking and punching her way out of most scrapes—don't make a good substitute). It's a shame Kujiradou's excellent art doesn't have a more interesting subject. Kujiradou gives Ai a gentle, childish air, and her action sequences are terrific. This series may attract fans of Love and her former band, Hole, but it probably won't draw a devoted readership.

March 24, 2008
This one is for the fans of the original Princess Ai concept created by musician Courtney Love and DJ Milky. Rumors
is a compilation of short stories by various manga-inspired creators—many of whom are winners in the various Tokyopop Rising Stars of Manga competitions. The book is double formatted with some stories reading from left-to-right, others right-to-left. Princess Ai
’s original artist, Misaho Kujiradou, has a chapter as does Korean manhwa creator Mi-Kyung Kim (11th Cat
). Other featured creators include T Campbell, Irene Flores, Erica Reis and Pauro Izaki who gives a boys’ love narrative. For the most part, Rumors
is a vehicle to exhibit Tokyopop’s Rising Stars of Manga—and keep Princess Ai on the shelves. (Fans, take note: the clothes/outfits are not as spectacular as in the original.) The stories in Rumors
require familiarity with the story line and characters. Most focus on the romantic aspects of the original Princess Ai story and capitalize on the strip-club setting, where Ai got her first gig. Overall, contributors try to expand and develop supporting characters in Ai’s world, but the short, 20-page length impairs any substantial narrative.