Hyper Rune

    (Tokyopop, 2004-2005)
™ and © 1996 Tamayo Akiyama
Reads right to left; b&w

Tamayo Akiyama, formerly of the Clamp Collective, has produced a wonky take on the magical girl genre. Classifying this one as a fantasy does it a disservice because, when it does work, it’s as a comedy, and the plot’s a hodgepodge of overripe SF clichés.

Rune is a typical teenager unlucky enough to have a self–declared mad scientist grandfather who creates increasingly garish “Space Queen” costumes for her so she can battle aliens intent on world domination. Her understandable reaction to this is abject humiliation though she does like her blob–like little critter named “Chat” that can turn into a space ship (and looks like it was separated at birth with videogame character Kirby).

Rune gets a crush on an androgynous alien stuck in a female body—and they all end up in the same high school where the aliens have infiltrated the student council. There’s also a pair of cute boys who pilot a giant robot only because they’re been bribed by their father who’s also a mad scientist.

— S.A. Bennett
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#1

November, 2004
Cover Price: $9.99
1 copy available for $9.99 		Tamayo AkiyamaTamayo Akiyama