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[Review] Usagi Drop

Posted by OminousCloud in Anime / Manga October 01, 2009 at 09:56:26 AM

Usagi Drop (Bunny Drop), an ongoing manga series by Yumi Unita, is easily my favourite Josei manga. Drawn in a clean and simple manner, it follows the struggles of Daikichi, a 30 year old bachelor who, after the death of his grandfather, becomes the guardian of his illegitimate six year old daughter, Rin.

This manga really does have a slice of life feel to it. The plot line is simple and could easily happen in the real world and so too, could you find character types such as those depicted in the manga, in the real world.

Daikichi is represented as being a typical single, male and is quite clueless on the protocols involved in raising a young child. What's refreshing, is the straightforward manner in which Daikichi associates with Rin. He gives a lot of thought to his actions and expressions towards her, all of which are void of any hints of patronisation. It's also interesting that a man of his age can still retain a sense of balanced innocence and experience, especially in the way he deals with women.

Rin herself is a character one can easily grow affectionate towards, just like Daikichi does. Her actions and speech are thought out in her own logical and accommodating way and it's a relief that Unita chose to portray her as a normal child rather than an oppressed victim of a deceased parent and of a mother whose whereabouts are unknown (at first). Rin is naive and innocent, yet also very mature especially in contrast with her classmate and friend Kouki, who exhibits parallelisms with Daikichi's own childhood self.

The manga is light hearted and comical in its approach to the daily lives of Daikichi and Rin and the relationships and bonds they form with Kouki and his mother, and the others around them. However, the simplicity is merely a facade as every situation is layered with varying degrees of depth, all of which have equal weight on how Rin will develop through childhood and adolescence. Whether it's the issue of the difference between her surname and Daikichi's, or the significance of losing her first tooth.

Overall, Usagi Drop is a very cute and enjoyable series, the art and content elements work well together to produce a manga that is well rounded in it's humor, events, encounters and depth of thought.

Usagi Drop (Bunny Drop) is licensed in English by Yen Press and is scheduled for a North American release in March, 2010.

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