Gal to Cthulhu
a review by Essbee
a review by Essbee
So... Gyaru and Cthulhu or Gal to Cthullhu by some. (I know it as the first rather than the latter).
I liked this manga. Or light novel. Whichever correct terminology is appropriate here. (I don't know anything other than big badonkers and how to read from right to left). I liked the story for the most part. I really enjoyed this manga for what it was. I really liked the comedy. I really loved the concept and I really like the art.
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Story and the Funny:__ But that leaves the question of why I like all of this cool stuff... Well... let me explain. First off the premise being that a teenage girl who wants to be an idol using the power of Cthulhu. All while being oblivious to any Eldritch phenomena is such a fun concept to play with. And it perfectly fits into the comedic angle this manga has got going for it.
I will confess by around the third angle where the plot became more serious and the comedy was more uncommon I was losing a bit of interest. Things felt a bit cluttered with all of these moving pieces which the tone, premise and writing couldn't handle 100% perfectly. But that's okay. I would never expect a whole lot out of this manga other than just a fun time. Like for me personally it felt like it was trying to play itself straight when it didn't need to. It was already a pretty comedic story on its own merits. And it felt like it forsake its own identity during certain parts, but luckily it wasn't too drastic of a tone shift.
So that's all well and good. But now that we've discussed the meat to this delicious roasted ham of a manga how about we discuss the presentation?
Art: It's fucking amazing. Not just the cover art, not just the character designs, but every single panel is amazing looking. The artist is able to perfectly utilize tonal dissonance to great success in making an Eldritch Deity a silly little guy in one panel and then leaning hard into a horror aesthetic in the next.
Speaking of said comedy. It is silly. I already mentioned how the premise and art style leans so hard into the comedy. But it really is something else. The jokes do not get lost in translation. Which in it of itself is great. Sure some words could've came out better, but the translator(s) did their homework and ensured every joke is given to the reader on a silver platter. All the characters are also really strong and their well defined personalities also aid the comedy.
Conclusion:
I really want more media in general innovating on Eldritch horror stuff and messing with it and having fun. And not just manga, games, anime, movies whatever. Something this manga does remind me with it's approach in Eldritch Horror is Sucker for Love which is a parody of a dating sim where you date Eldritch deities. It's really neat and a fun time all around. Anyways with all that said and done I think it's time for this review to end.
8.0/10, Goodnight Necropolis.
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