Print Review: Mai the Psychic Girl Volumes 1-2

Review Mai the Psychic Girl Volumes 1-2Written by WarpshadowRating good/ very good

A teenage girl with supernatural powers is something that is extremely common in anime but Mai the psychic girl is a very different manga from most, maybe because the main character isn't attached to either a generic anime nerd or a gaggle of angst ridden bishonen.

Mai Kuju is a normal girl other than the fact that she has the power of psychokenisis. That difference has just reached the notice of the wisdom alliance, a secret organization that controls the world. The Wisdom Alliance plans to use Mai as a weapon. Mai's father catches wind of this and flees with her to the countryside. Yet how long can they stay safe when they are hunted by a force strong enough to sway governments and their strongest weapon is the mind of a teenager?

One thing that anime fans will often tell you is that they have a hobby that is shared with adults in Japan. In the case of Mai the Psychic Girl this is more definitely true. This statement is made most obvious by the art style which has a stronger sense of maturity to it than that of most manga. the manga has a tone of a spy thriller not totally realistic but still different than that of most manga. This is a plot driven story but there are characters that are surprisingly complex given the shortness of the story. While this is an older title that may be harder to get than some manga I suggest that you take a look at Ikegami's work if you are at all interested in some art style variety in your manga.