Karakuri Odette

By Julietta Suzuki, published by Hakusensha in Japan. Published in English by Tokyopop

    In Manga we have seen plenty of series deal with the story of a robot trying to become or fit in as a human. From the original Astro Boy all the way to Chobit’s the classic sci fi story has seen plenty of pages and ink. So it’s a pleasant surprise to find that the 6 volume shoujo Manga Karakuri Odette is a great, refreshing read in the genre.

    Our lead is Odette Yoshizawa, who wants to go to school to see why she is different from other humans. Her creator, Dr. Yoshizawa, relents and enrols her but on the condition that she poses as a human. So none of her other classmates know she is an android. Well except for Asao Kurose, the school delinquent who finds out that Odette is an android and reluctantly helps her out and keeps her secret.

    What makes this series click though is the mixture of shoujo and sci-fi themes creating a unique story. Odette trying to fit is very much like a teenager trying to growing up and find their way in the world, and in this way it’s clear that she is very much human from the first story on. It makes her attempts to fit and be like others all the more funny and charming. This is best shown in Volume 5 where she refuses to use her strength so she doesn’t appear to be a gorilla girl, much to Asao’s chagrin as he’s locked in the storage shed with her.
   
    And when we get to the romance, which starts in Volume 3, Odette is as blissfully naïve as almost any teenager is. How she ignores the fact another android Chris and a human Yukimura Akihasa have a crush on her, while also not admitting that she is developing a crush on Asao is amusing. Asao’s and Odette’s interactions really shine here as they are great together, even if Asao doesn’t openly admit it.

    Suzuki’s also managed to balance the comedy and drama bits perfectly for the series, making for a enjoyably quick read. The short length helps, as the plot never has a chance to drag and the ending comes at just the right moment in the series. The bits of drama are all great and do not go overboard like some shoujo does. And the ending with Asao graduating and leaving Odette behind, but Odette wanting him to stay is funny and heart-warming at the same time.

    This and the Secret Notes of Lady Kanoko (and indeed early series like Marmalade Boy) are some of the shoujo series that Tokyopop really specialised at getting out. Yes they published a lot of bad series as well and Stu Levy made quite a few publishing errors. But it’s clear they had editors that had a keen eye for good, short shoujo comics. Here’s hoping they find work elsewhere in the industry as we can use more series like Odette in English.

    But for now you can do your best to track down Odette before it goes out of print. If you like good shoujo comedy with a hint of drama and sci-fi than Karakuri Odette is a great series to pick up and read.