Video Girl Ai, Vol. 02: Mix Down

電影少女 [Den'ei Shōjo] #2

by Masakazu Katsura

When Ai starts to have feelings for Yota- feelings that are forbidden to video girls-Ai's creator steps in to either fix her or erase her. If she gives Yota the cold shoulder, they'll both be disappointed. But if she confesses her growing love for him, she'll disappear forever.

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

192 pages, Paperback

First published September 10, 1990

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.

[Vittorio Rainone · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ai diventa una ragazza in carne ed ossa ma perde la memoria di tutto quello che è successo fra lei e Yota. Peccato che non succeda lo stesso al ragazzo, che rivedendola capisce sempre più di essere attratto da lei più che da tutte le altre ragazze, compresa una simpatica new entry che lo corteggia e ottiene di far coppia con lui. Continua bene VGAi, anche se la carica romantica a tratti si fa forse un po' troppo marcata. I disegni si mantengono molto belli (e molto ammiccanti).

[Bonnie · Rating 2 out of 5]

While reading this I just kept yelling can we please get this girl a shirt. I just don't understand why we need to see the girls chest; I find the artist to be creepy for that. The story also doesn't make up for it; its just a plain highschool love triangle and unrequited love, no drama there. It all feels like an "appropriate" way to see a teen girl topless. The main dude still isn't a total perv, so a plus.

[Olivia Thames · Rating 3 out of 5]

A little more intriguing than the first volume, but still early enough in the series to approach the rest with a grain of salt, Mix Down showed that with enough time and reflection feelings can change as much as the heroes of any tale.

However, the way this volume ends is enough to ensure readers return for the third, and most likely the fourth book in the series!

[T.J. · Rating 4 out of 5]

"A video girl can't fall in love!" Ai is the best and continues to grow as a character. I'm cheering her on.

[Lili Torres · Rating 5 out of 5]

💖🙌🏼

[Nate · Rating 5 out of 5]

Even better than the first volume. The pacing has improved, I still love that this doesn't feel like a typical harem formula and the characters continue to feel very realistic. One of the things I most appreciate about Katsura is his willingness to be put honest-to-god VILLAINS in his romance manga. The one in the later volumes of I''s is exceptional, but the one introduced in this volume made me hate him (VGAI villain) even more. I can think of no type of person that enrages me more than the guy faking sincerity to take advantage of a woman, and this character gets that treatment in a very realistic way. I don't expect he'll remain a problem, but what a problem he was.

edit: Piggybacking off my last edited review of volume 1, this was a clear improvement over that volume. I'm really starting to enjoy manga that don't have "typical shonen manga energy" where a problem crops up, the protagonist says "I'm going to try my best (despite being TOTALLY out of my depth)" and then they try their best and it works. It reeks of artificiality. There's a beautifully simple description of the 3 act structure of storytelling "Act 1, send your main characters up a tree, Act 2, throw rocks at them, Act 3, they get down, either by climbing, getting knocked out of it, or falling off." We are thoroughly in act 2, and oh how the rocks flew. (Act 2 is frequently the longest act, yes I know how much series is left.) Despite the obviously fictional premise, the rocks thrown feel so natural to the story. Sigh, and this is where I noticed that my ratings for the rest of what I read in the series only go down from here...

[Ruth · Rating 3 out of 5]

Volume 2 of Video Girl Ai tones down the ecchi comedy and instead takes a more calm approach mixing hints of comedy with a romantic drama. The artstyle used for the female characters continues to shine, and Yota's personality is improving quickly--almost too quickly given that there are still 13 volumes left in the series.

While the first volume made me think that I wouldn't mesh with the series, I'm certainly finding more to like about it.

[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...

[Kim · Rating 4 out of 5]

Story line moves along and continues into next volume. So far, I'm liking it.

[Dony Grayman · Rating 3 out of 5]

Edición argentina, tomo 2 de 15.