Pochi & Kuro, review: a miniseries from the creator of Kaiju # 8
Pochi & Kuro, review
Summer has arrived, the heat has arrived, and the long-awaited and well-deserved holidays will soon begin for most Italians. Fortunately, under an umbrella or in a mountain hut, or simply at home on the sofa, one of the most popular activities is reading. There are many works that could be read during an intense day of sultry heat, but the high temperatures, the distractions and the possible alternative activities, often lead to the choice of something simple, fun and maybe even short. The Pochi & Kuro manga, a Naoya Matsumoto miniseries, certainly responds to these characteristics. The mangaka has achieved international success thanks to the author of Kaiju No.8, published in Italy by Star Comics, a story starring Kafka Hibino and the world of kaiju (read our review of the first volume). Pochi & Kuro is the second story made by Naoya Matsumoto, made between 2014 and 2015. Before this, he had made his debut story, Nekowappa! (2009-2010).Pochi & Kuro, the plot
The story of Pochi & Kuro is simple and often thrives on clichés. The plot is this: a young human, who will be called Pochi, falls into the realm of demons in mysterious circumstances, suddenly, and is found by Kuro and Leo, two demons. In the world where Kuro lives, humans are a rare and delicious dish and a legend has it that whoever eats a human being will be able to live forever. Between Kuro and the girl, Pochi, however, something snaps, especially from the demon towards the human, but the other demons do not have this sense of protection and Kuro will try to protect Pochi from his hungry contenders.| ); }Pochi & Kuro, a pleasant non-novelty
Of course it cannot be said that the plot of Pochi & Kuro is something original or never seen, on the contrary it often brings to life de-jà vù to the most voracious and attentive readers. Naoya Matsumoto takes with both hands from most of the manga gags that speak of different ethnicities or races: misunderstandings, changes, languages, habits. Humans and demons are similar, but very different from each other and the author, thanks to the very simple and in some circumstances not perfect trait, shows it to us in the most direct way possible.The characters of Pochi & Kuro
In this story Naoya Matsumoto has created main characters without a strong characterization almost as if to give more importance to the story itself, to the events, underlining that the nerve center of Pochi & Kuro are the relationships and not the elements of the relationships themselves. Matsumoto is good at letting us identify with the difficulties of communication between the characters, as if Few of us were in another nation, bewildered, without knowing the language, without having reference points.Kuro and Leo, the inseparable friend and demon colleague, they are a fun couple, with recognizable characteristics. Few, however, is an ordinary girl. In a world where human beings are rare and precious ingredients for a gourmet dish, Pochi is shown as a normal, standard element, without peculiarities. A choice, that of the author, which places the idea, the story and, as I said, the relationship at the center and not the characteristics of the characters who often cover, obstruct, encumber, the continuation of the story.
