AKAZUKIN ELIZA

One word : Weird. It's not bad, it's not especially good, but it's weird.

Akazukin Eliza is about a girl named Eliza who fell in love with Wolf, a boy accompagned by his pet worm who can eat poison (yes). Eliza bring soup to her bodybuilt grandma everyday. Grandma who by the way doesn't want any man to come near her beloved grand daughter.

Even if the setting is kinda special, the art style is very cute (except for the gigantic worm). With its pretty heroine and considering it is an ecchi, the fanservice is obviously very present. After realizing it, the presence of this huge phallic-looking worm takes all its meaning. Or maybe I just have the brain deformed by too much hentai.

The story is some kind of rewrite of the tale of the Red Riding Hood. We can find some elements of the tale, like the fact that Eliza have to bring food to her grandmother or that the boy is called Wolf as a reference to the Big Bad Wolf, with just a massive worm of several meters added to the story. Yes, it's been several times that I criticize this particular "character", but I think it's time that we talk about it. What's he doing here ? Its function is to detect poison, which is very useful for the advancement of the story, yes, but why a worm ? It could have been any animal of whatever creature related to the original tale, but no, the author said to himself : "What if I used one of the most disgusting animal of this planet and who has, by pure chance, the same shape as a male genitalia ?" I know that his goal was probably to use an uncommon animal to add originality to his manga. But I don't know, I guess worms aren't my thing.

I'm probably a little too harsh with this manga. After all, this is only a cute little comedy. It is stupid, yes, but it can be funny. Maybe if the story had been longer, I could have become more attached to the characters. If it didn't please me more than that, it could still please someone else with different tastes and a different sense of humor.

So, if you like comedies who leans toward the absurd and you're not disgusted by worms, go read Akazukin Eliza. It won't become the manga of your life, but it is still enjoyable.

I gave this a 2, but then I feel bad so I switched to a 3. -___-

I don't have the right to say a manga is bad since I know someone made an effort to do this. But you know the story is just plain wrong and messed up everywhere.

It's like if someone would ask me what kind of manga this is, I'd be like.

"Well, there's a big worm. It's uhh, one of the weirdest manga I've read perhaps."

I guess you know what I mean, yeah? If you just needed something to read, then don't pick this! But if somehow you got intrigued by how I am being so skeptical about this, then go. But I'm telling you, it's not worth it. Well -___- Uhh.

This one-shot was a nice, cute, light read. It is a parody of Little Red Ridinghood, with a different setting (e.g., there is no "big, bad wolf" and the main character is an older, more attractive girl), that I actually like more than the childish original story. Eliza's grandmother is very strong compared to the one in the kids' version, which is my only complaint of this manga, as she has the body of a buffed man who will not let any boy go near her granddaughter, though the reason for that is explained in the end, which gives the author props. Eliza lives with her mother and brings soup to her grandma, who lives in the woods, everyday. Come to think of it, that makes me wonder why she cannot date guys at her place or when going out. Oh, well, it has been a while since I read it anyway.

The specific features of Akazukin Eliza: most of the characters are drawn well, with the heroine being easy on the eyes; the story has a nice conclusion with no cliffhangers; I would read more chapters, which is a good sign of any title, for their readers to want more, despite having a nice ending; the characters' personalities remain consistent and lovable, with them having good interaction with one another, as well as logical reactions to situations; a healthy amount of fan-service is present, though I would not complain if there were more.

All in all, this a wonderful manga to keep in your collection, and it is short, so even if you end up hating it, not much of your time will be taken. Personally, it is one of my favorites. I do not judge a title by its length, but by its content, and I hope you do the same. If you are looking for a fun, light-weight, high-quality little read, then this one-shot, Akazukin Eliza, is the right manga for you.