Tuxedo Gin Vol. 7
Before I get too far into this review, I have to ask a simple question.
How can you not enjoy a story about a penguin?
Sure, Evangelion was a great series with a complex plot, excellent music, and fantastic action, but would it have become the classic that it is today without the inclusion of PenPen, Misaki’s mysteriously intelligent alcohol-imbibing live-in penguin?
I seriously doubt it.
Now there are some who would claim that Evangelion isn’t the hot stuff that hoards of anime fans believe it is, but they obviously haven’t noticed that it’s a series that has stayed in the collective consciousness of fandom for more than ten years. Perhaps they also haven’t noticed that it’s still selling. Obviously, GAINAX did something right when they produced Evangelion, for something isn’t truly exceptional unless it incites even those who don’t like it to fill pages upon pages of material concerning it.
And what does this all have to do with Tuxedo Gin? Nothing. I just like Evangelion.
The only reason why I’m only giving this series a score of 3.5 is because I don’t feel the story is as fresh as it was in the first few books. This tale stars seventeen-year-old Ginji Kusanagi, a talented boxer who meets the woman of his dreams -- Minako Sasebo -- and then is murdered before they can even have their first date.
The end.
Well, the end for Ginji as a human -- for a while, at least. As his spirit leaves his body, he runs into a messenger from the afterlife who informs him that Ginji has suffered a premature death. The powers that be are keen on allowing Ginji to return to his life using a loophole in the rules of reality.
Therein lies the rub. In order to re-enter his human body, Ginji has to live a natural life as another creature (non-human, but more complex than an insect or small reptile) to prepare his spirit for the process. The most significant condition on the spiritual reboot of Ginji’s body is that he is not allowed to take his own life. Likewise, he’ll lose his chance at reincarnation into his own body if he willfully goes into a situation expecting death. For example, if Minako’s house is on fire and he enters with the intention of saving her, if he dies in the process, his death would then be final.
Even with all of the complex requirements and the trouble that Ginji knows that he must go through in order to re-attain residence in his own body, his love for Minako is strong, so much so that he’d do anything to live his life with her.
Knowing Minako’s predilection for penguins, Ginji chose to be reborn as one of the slick little flightless animals. Born in captivity, Ginji used his natural gang-leading instincts to convince his fellow penguins to help him escape from the aquarium. He made his way to Minako’s house, and he’s been living with her essentially from book one. Occasionally, he receives visits from acquaintances from the water park –- such as Mike, the “genius” penguin (he understands language) and Nana-chan, a gigantic walrus. Her children have also been known to show up whenever Ginji’s in a tight spot.
Minako is a very trusting and loving person, and when Ginji shows up at her house, she doesn’t think twice about taking him in. She names him Gin-chan, which is a pleasant surprise for Ginji, until he learns her justification for the choice. According to her, “Gin” comes from the second syllable in penguin, though it is remarkably similar to the name of her lost love, Ginji.
By the time that the seventh volume comes along, he’s already discovered to his dismay that penguins have a rather long natural lifespan -- roughly two decades, in fact. Yet since he’s a penguin, he gets to share a room, bed, and bath with Minako, and typically, this is enough to keep him happy. Occasionally, another guy attempts to pick up Ginji’s girl, but she remains convinced that he’ll return to her again one day.
However long it takes, she’s determined to wait for him to come back to her.
The setup has been firmly established by now, though as I stated above, the story has settled into somewhat of a routine. Many of the best manga series are guilty of this. They often begin with a unique premise, explore the possibilities, toss in an especially harrowing moment here and there, and go on as long as possible. From what I can tell, this is barely the halfway point for Tuxedo Gin, so if it’s beginning to wear thin, only true fans of the series will hang on.
The artwork is just a bit better than average -- which isn’t meant to imply that it is not worth looking at. Minako is an appropriately lovely lady, and Ginji is undeniably cute in penguin form, but just as the plot doesn’t go too far, the manga-ka seems to be more comfortable than experimental.
For many people, this is not a bad way to present a series. With Tuxedo Gin, readers might know what they’re in store for, but so long as it remains enjoyable, it’s worth reading.
Viz’s adaptation is smoothly penned, as can be expected from the veteran manga publisher. There are occasional scenes of innocuous nudity which appear to be untouched, which is fantastic. It’s not that the scenes are pivotal to the story, or that they’re especially well-illustrated, but this sort of simple fan service reminds me that this is a work from another culture, which is a significant part of the fun of reading manga in the first place.
Seeing a naked butt every once in a while is no big deal, but you’d never see it in an American romantic comic book. Then again, you’d be hard pressed to FIND an American romantic comic book coming from one of the mainstream domestic publishing houses.
As I mentioned above, fans still into Tuxedo Gin probably cannot wait to see what’s coming next. There’s a chance that some people who gave the series a look in the beginning are finding it hard to maintain an interest as the story slows down a little bit, but I have to admit that I’m still keen on the story. Perhaps it has begun to stray down the path of predictability, but I’m interested to see how it ends up.
After all, for Ginji to get his life back, he’s going to have to die as a penguin. So either the story will carry on (like Ranma) or it will eventually wrap things up. Perhaps I’ll reevaluate my position on the tale after another seven books have gone by, but for now, I’ll stick with this charming story about a penguin and his true love.
I mean, c’mon – how could I abandon a story about a sentient penguin?