If you’ve been intensely curious about the inner life of a virtual idol, this manga might provide some insight. Or not.
Creative Staff
Story/Art: Kei
Translation/Adaptation: Michael Gombos
Lettering: John Clark
Designer: Sandy Tanaka
What They Say
Who’s that girl with the long green ponytails you’ve been seeing everywhere? It’s Hatsune Miku, the Vocaloid—the synthesizer superstar who’s singing your song! She’s a global cyber celebrity and a cosplay favorite at conventions. Now Miku’s original illustrator, KEI, brings you Hatsune Miku: Unofficial Hatsune Mix—an omnibus manga of the musical adventures (and misadventures!) of Miku and her fellow Vocaloids Rin, Len, Luka, and more—in both beautiful black-and-white and charming color!
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers):
NOTE: This review is based upon a digital preview of the work, not a physical copy.
Technical/Artwork
This is an omnibus version of the three volumes of Kei’s manga Unofficial Hatsune Mix, originally serialized in Jive’s shounen manga magazine Comic Rush between 2008 and 2010. Each part of the volume opens with about a dozen full-page color pieces of standalone artwork featuring all of the major Vocaloid characters. A few of the chapters also have a few color pages at the start, but the main body and all the rest of the chapter beginnings are in monochrome. After the completion of the work, there are a series of full-color advertisements for other Dark Horse offerings (including for Oh My Goddess! which brings to mind the horror that must face the latecomer to that series. At 46 volumes, catching up to the current release at this point could set you back at least several hundred dollars).
Kei, the original artist who designed the characters for the Vocaloid 2 software, shows us his ability to do more than just the static promotional art we’re all used to for Vocaloids, as now Hatsune Miku and friends move about and gain personalities. There is a polish to his artwork which improves over time (the first chapter’s art felt slightly crowded in terms of composition, though as an action piece, it might have been unavoidable; the spacing and layout of characters and objects feels better organized as the work progresses).
In terms of the localization, the lettering and touch up is clear and clean. Sounds effects are kept in their original kana forms, with English translations in smaller letters close by, positioned well to avoid blocking the art as much as possible. The translation reads smoothly with no noticeable awkward phrases or typos jumping out during my reading of the work.
Story
Unless you’ve been hiding under a rock for some time, even those who are not into anime and manga are somewhat aware of the Vocaloid phenomenon, the outgrowth of Crypton Future Media’s computer singing synthesizer program of that name. Here, Kei has gone beyond the original static images to give us a series of stories involving the various Vocaloid voice mascots. Each chapter is entirely self-contained; there is no continuous or connected plotline. There is a rough adherence to the time characters were introduced, but nothing more. Keep in mind, this is the “unofficial” Hatsune mix, so none of the stories here are “canon” information about the Vocaloid idols…though there really isn’t much of a canon to begin with.
To give a rough idea of what this involves, the first chapter introduces us to the twins Kagamine Len and Rin (both age 14, apparently) and Hatsune Miku (16). After finishing a singing performance, there suddenly appears through the ceiling a giant Hachune Miku, one of the various derivative forms created from Hatsune Miku, who attacks the group with a leek (for those lost at this point, some basic internet searching about Miku and leeks will answer your questions…but may not remove the quizzical looks from your faces). The real Miku herself suddenly grows into a giant and arms herself with a leek (thanks to Rin) to fight back. Before you think this has all devolved into some strange, surreal mess, we then cut back to see a TV screen and the director from earlier on asking the artists what they think of Miku’s new music video. The artists’ producer, named only as “Big Sister” (Onee-san) says it’s “a little over the top.” So ends the first chapter.
All of the action allegedly takes place in Sapporo (where Crypton Future Media is based), not that that really makes a difference. Many of the stories feature slice-of-life situations all too familiar from anime and manga…and a few that are a little more out there: chocolate on Valentine’s Day; cherry blossom viewing; a trip through cyberspace; poverty leading to part-time jobs; a warped version of The Little Mermaid; the origins of mini-Mikus; Miku’s favored ride; the birth of the twins; the trials and travails of an idol; playing cupid; the introduction of new idols; fake engagement rings; finding your enjoyment of singing again; treasured items; hinamatsuri (the Doll Festival); going to an outdoor festival; school sports festival; Christmas wishes; Hatsune Mi-ko; the incredible shrinking Miku; a magical diary; old game consoles; the power of friendship; Miku the game (Project Diva); wardrobe jealousy; the difficulties of duets.
The stories also have some recurring minor characters, including “Wat,” who plays various roles and appears at various ages, depending on his persona for the individual story. As well as “Onee-san” and “Onii-san,” familiar faces who get formally introduced early on. And cameos by rival song synthesizer UTAU’s mascot Kasane Teto.
After the third chapter, we get a short introduction to Miku herself, who’s not too well pleased with the fact that her personality and behavior change based upon the song she has to sing. A little bit of self-aware humor from a non-existent being. The other characters are also fleshed out, so to speak, with Rin trying out many different personalities (including yandere) and Len being a gamer. The intros continue with “Onee-san” and “Onii-san,” who look quite a lot like first-generation Vocaloids Kaito and Meiko (since, well…). Later in the second part, Megurine Luka is inserted into the mix with only a brief introduction.
The stories vary quite a bit in terms of sentiment, humor, and quality. Perhaps one of the more touching, but strange, stories is No. 7 “Future Mix,” where Miku dies (yes, dies) but then “lives” again as Onii-san uses the Vocaloid software (so it is assumed when we see him at a computer, though this is just an assumption on my part, not something explicitly shown) to “bring her back to life.” Many of the situations, briefly noted above, are for the most part the same old drivel we get from manga, with the same cliches focusing on school life. Some are infomercials masquerading as content (the chapter focusing on Miku’s wardrobes from Project Diva 2 obviously feels like an advert for the game). There is largely formulaic humor interspersed all over the place, especially focusing on Onee-san being the drunken woman nearing the age where she’s not likely to be married anymore and Onii-san’s incredible denseness. A recurring theme is Rin’s jealousy towards Miku, since Len appears to be more interested in his big sis than his twin. There’s also the usual flat humor about breast size, as Miku feels inadequate when compared against Onee-san and Luka.
This will not be a work that will be of great interest to those manga readers who want a gripping story or complex character development, since there is no continuing story and the characters’ personalities change with the situation. As a collection of slice-of-life vignettes, there are also better works out there on the market. That’s not the audience this will be aimed at, of course. If you are a Vocaloid fan, having been brought under their spell by any number of music videos created by various composers and artists uploaded onto Niconico, this work by the original character artist may well be of some interest, especially for the numerous color illustrations included with the manga.
In Summary
Hatsune Miku and the other Vocaloids come to life in artist Kei’s manga showing them in a number of situations. There is no continuous storyline, just a collection of different vignettes involving the virtual idols made famous by the music videos that have appeared on the internet for many years. If you are a Vocaloid fan, this collection might be of interest for the large number of color illustrations of the characters and possibly for the fun of seeing them come to life in more than just a music video. It does not, however, have enough to stand on its own otherwise and non-fans may well feel unimpressed by what is on offer.
Content Grade: B (Miku fans)/C (non-fans)
Art Grade: A-
Packaging Grade: N/A (digital copy)
Text/Translation Grade: B+
Age Rating: N/A
Released By: Dark Horse
Release Date: August 27th, 2014
MSRP: $19.99
