Video Girl Ai, Vol. 10: Rough Cut

電影少女 [Den'ei Shōjo] #10

by Masakazu Katsura

High-school student Yota Moteuchi is so unpopular that his classmates have given him the nickname "Dateless." So it's no surprise when the love of his life, Moemi, is not interested in Yota but instead is in love with Yota's best friend, Takashi. Yota turns to a video rental shop for comfort, but little did he suspect that the shop was magical and that the cute girl on his rented tape would pop out of the television and try to fix his ruined love life!

Rough Cut

Moemi is still on a rough road to recovery after nearly being raped, but she believes she must overcome her fears and use physical passion to drive Ai from Yota's mind. Meanwhile, the running time for Ai's tape is almost up, and she is perversely intent on cutting herself out of Yota's life completely. But when Yota says he needs her, will her determination crumble?

Genres: Manga, Comics, Romance, Graphic Novels, Shonen, Fiction

192 pages, Paperback

First published February 10, 1992

About the author

Masakazu Katsura (桂正和) is a Japanese manga artist.

Reviews

[Bibliothecat · Rating 4 out of 5]

Review for volumes 1 - 13



A Note on Katsura Masakazu
Masakazu's works are oddly diverse and formulaic at the same time. He likes to dab in romantic comedies while also producing works about superheroes that are heavily inspired by US comics. I've only ever delved into his romantic comedies and they usually follow a very particular pattern: average guy pines for a pretty long-haired brunette until a short-haired tomboy makes her entrance. It turns into a love triangle that is soon extended to a third girl who is also a long-haired brunette. At least one of the long-haired brunettes is bound to cut their hair in an attempt to mimic the tomboy. Even though Katsura sticks to this formula, the plot outside of the love story is often refreshing and complex. And while the basic premise of his love stories is the same, you can never be sure about the outcome.



Yota is low in confidence and luck with love. He is in love with Moemi who only seems to have eyes for his popular best friend Takashi. Wanting the best for her, Yota takes on the role of being her friend and supporting her with getting closer to Takashi. One day, a mysterious video store appears from which Yota borrows a tape starring Ai Amano. To his surprise, once he plays the videotape, Ai jumps right out of his TV screen and declares that it is her mission to support him with his love endeavours.

Video Girl Ai is not without its faults but it's a very worthy classic with multiple interesting aspects to it. Given that this story plot is based on videotapes, it can feel a little odd reading this late 80's classic in current times. The setting can feel a little dated, it's particularly obvious in the lack of modern devices (the majority of misunderstandings could have been avoided if the characters had mobile phones, oops.) and the characters clothing. This wouldn't usually bother me, and it doesn't do so here either, but the fact that it is based on media devices does make this difference feel more obvious.

Katsura has a very unique art style - it's clearly a manga but then he also tends to lean into realism which is even more evident in his later works. For this manga in particular, there is quite a nice blend of more realistic-looking moments. I especially appreciate this for his female characters. Given that this is by a male author with largely a male audience in mind, yes, there is definitely fanservice. But unlike many others, the girls are drawn beautifully and realistically. There are several nude scenes and while I am not usually one for fan service or smut (I wouldn't say there is any actual smut in this manga, though), these drawings are definitely tastefully done.

Yota as a character and his love life are complicated, to say the least. It's actually rather interesting that he is considered such an unpopular guy at school because, as far as I'm concerned, he's a perfectly nice guy and has by far the modest handsome design of all male characters in this series. Be that as it may, while I do consider him a nice guy, there are moments where I feel frustrated with him. He can be very self-centred, dense and fickle. It seems like an odd mixture - on one hand, he puts other people first and the cost of his own happiness. But then the next moment he is so oblivious and causes hurt left and right.

I've felt very sorry for both Moemi and Ai and Yota's constant swaying emotions. There was, of course, also Nobuko, the third girl that always makes an entrance in Katsura's works. She was cute in a way but I felt less sorry for her because I actually found her a little obnoxious and she constantly got angry with Yota when he didn't even do anything wrong. Ai and Moemi, on the other hand, were both very likeable and I would have been happy for either of them to end up with Yota. I didn't like some of the changes Katsura made to Moemi later in the series. Sure, she got the curve again, but somehow her behavioural changes were beneath her and didn't do her character any justice. Sadly, Takashi was also a character who didn't get his due. While he didn't seem like the nicest guy at first, through Ai we get to see his good sides as well and I wish things would have turned out differently for him.

Even though there are a lot of moments of frustration in regards to misunderstandings, characters behaving selfishly or just not being honest with each other, it is actually part of what makes this a good manga. Take Yota, his actions aren't always great and it makes it harder to sympathise with him. Yet it makes him a more realistic character who is stuck between genuinely caring for others but also getting caught up in his own desires and how to make them both align.

I should also note that this review is only for volumes 1 - 13. Video Girl Ai officially has 15 volumes, but the remaining two are about new characters and feel more like a sequel than an actual part of Ai's story. You can safely only read until volume 13 and have a perfectly complete story.

[Nate · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a nice breather volume, there weren't any huge events, but there also wasn't any stagnation. I'm still incredibly happy with how the prior trauma is being dealt with, and Moemi has become a favorite love interest character for me, not just in this manga, but in the romcom/ecchi genre. Getting a bigger chunk of her inner monologue than we do from most others is also a big help, but she just comes across so earnest. I can't stress enough how happy I am with the two of them. I've also liked Takashi's arc too. You can't really call it a redemption arc, but I guess it's something of a self-discovery arc, and it's coming across well. This manga is in desperate need of modern attention, it's the very definition of a hidden gem.

[T.J. · Rating 3 out of 5]

"This guy is suffering from a terminal lack of tact." I love Ai! Her personality is the best.

I feel bad for what happened to Moemi, but her back and forth with Yota is exhausting. Ai is a breath of fresh air all the time. She's dangerously close to being human now.

[Fugo Feedback · Rating 3 out of 5]

Creo que el nivel promedio de esta serie es mayor al de I"s pero Video Girl me gustó menos. Quizás porque lo leí de más grande, quizás porque el dibujo de I"s al ser posterior es mejor, quizás porque me la habían inflado mucho. Después veo si en algún momento me lo releo y/o escribo reviews individuales. Por ahora copypasteo más o menos lo mismo en todas por los motivos de siempre...

[Dony Grayman · Rating 3 out of 5]

Edición argentina, tomo 10 de 15.