Akane-chan Overdrive

This story is quite amusing, but for those who prefer narratives with a definitive conclusion, it may not be the ideal choice. The manga lacks a proper ending; it simply stops just as things begin to get intriguing.

This manga had potential, but it didn't live up to it. It could have been decent or even mindless fun, but it fell short. Usually, I don't get emotional about media like this, except for a few exceptions like "Maou no Hajimekata," which was terrible. This manga made me angry for reasons I can't quite pinpoint. One of the main reasons is that I hate wasted potential.

This could have been an enjoyable or good manga, but by chapter two, I started having doubts. By chapter six, everything fell apart.

~~SPOILERS~~

I'll focus on the parts that annoyed me the most.

Initially, things seemed basic, but then unnecessary and silly events started happening. There were random scenes that added nothing to the plot, clichéd characters, and awkward scenes with almost-rape scenarios that would make David Cage blush. There's also a father who wants to have sex with his daughter.

But none of that compares to what happens later. The main character (MC) wants to return to his original body, which is understandable. However, he does idiotic things throughout, such as ignoring advice from a Spirit Monk helping him, acting in ways one wouldn't expect from a girl, and being a general jerk. At one point, when he has a chance to return to his own body, he decides to go back into the female body instead, all while still claiming he wants to return to his original form.

In chapter six, we encounter the worst part of the story. After telling his friend the truth about what happened, including finding her almost raped by the MC's male body possessed by another spirit, they visit the comatose body in the hospital. They manage to switch the MC's spirit back into his original body—an event that is nonsensical. Then, in a bizarre twist, the friend slips, hits his head, and ends up in the female body the MC had been occupying. This development serves no purpose and resolves the only conflict in the story poorly. We're told this kind of spirit transfer is rare and has never happened before—so why is it happening to the MC's best friend too, and why in the same body? It's absurd, and the entire development makes the story worse. The MC should have stayed in the female body because it's the only time he's likable. Otherwise, he's just a douchebag.

After this chaotic scene, the story rushes through events so quickly it's hard to follow. We're told that the MC (now in his original body) is in a relationship with his best friend (now in the female body). This comes out of nowhere, and the friend just agrees. Soon after, they get married.

I won't go into more detail because I'd be here all day, and honestly, I doubt many people will search for this manga or read this review in full.

The ending, concluding at chapter eight out of ten (the series was canceled), is completely dumb. Now, you might wonder how there can be two more chapters if it ends at eight. Well, those are a completely different story with the same plot and that annoying monk spirit. This time, it's a girl in a male body. The monk doesn't offer any help, just saying she must either die or live in the new body. In contrast, he spent a lot of time helping the first MC for no real reason. Also, this happens to someone else despite us being told it never happens. I skimmed through the rest, but the girl in the guy's body starts behaving femininely and harassing a schoolboy she had a crush on, despite being in the body of a 24 or 26-year-old.

~~Spoilers Over~~

This manga could have been good. It could have focused on a man who died and now inhabits a female body, dealing with seeing everyone around him cope with his death or coma. He could reflect on his past deeds and regrets. Instead of the Spirit Monk, the original owner's spirit could still be attached to the body, visible only to the MC, interacting verbally with him. We could see her reactions to the body doing things she wouldn't normally do. Maybe the female main character (FMC) and male main character (MMC) could switch control of the bodies randomly. The manga could explore someone dealing with their death and its effects on family members, showing how the person can't fully interact with their family despite being alive. The two stories could work together, showing how the chick learns life is fleeting while saying goodbye, and how the MMC wants to comfort and be comforted by his family but can't. It could be a bittersweet drama about how deaths affect others and ensuring you're where you want to be when you die. Add some comedy, and by the end, have the FMC in control of the body and the MMC in the FMC's last position, or something similarly bittersweet. Have the guy come to terms with his situation, have no regrets, and let him pass on.

It's been a while since I read it, so I don't recall many details that could probably affect my rating, but I'll go ahead anyway because I really want to write a review on this.

Story 8/10
It's innovative, though not the first of its kind, but still pretty different from the rest of the mangas, especially considering when it was written. There were twists and unexpected ones—at least for me they were. Being a sucker for romantic moments, this manga always surprises you; just when you think something is going to happen, it does—but not what you expected. I found it funny at some points, if I remember correctly. Maybe not laugh-out-loud hilarious for hours, but it definitely has its moments. The ending was totally unexpected and a bit disappointing, but upon reflection, you might find it funny and memorable, which is always good. Still, it left me wanting more.

Art 9/10
I really enjoy the art of this mangaka. She draws her characters in her own recognizable style. The girls are just plain cute, like in Hatsukoi Limited.

Character 7/10
Now, I don't remember the characters that well, so I might be wrong here. I'm not sure whether there was character development or not, but the characters were nice. I doubt there was anyone annoying the hell out of me, so you'll probably be fine with them. Although I couldn't relate much, most likely because the manga was short.

Enjoyment 9/10
Personally, I enjoyed it a lot. I don't know about you, but I did because of the story, funny situations, ecchiness, and possibly because I was still pretty new to manga when I read it.

Overall 8/10
Again, I enjoyed it. I enjoyed the story, the art, the characters. I'm actually sure this is pretty underrated compared to other ecchi or harem mangas out there who all follow the same boring storyline: boy-meets-girl and falls in love with her BUT only her (now that's what loyalty means).

A must-read for fans of gender-bender stories and potentially enjoyable for those who appreciate high school comedies. However, it's not a particularly memorable tale. Unlike works such as Power! (Girl Got Game) or Pretty Face, this story lacks standout, laugh-out-loud funny situations. Character development is notably weak. While Akane is indeed a cute girl, the excessive focus on various males' obsession with her feels overdone. The ending was also unsatisfactory; the mangaka chose to leave any real resolution up to the readers' imagination. Given how inherently humorous gender-bender stories can be, the mangaka didn't fully capitalize on the material. Nevertheless, it remains an entertaining and worthwhile read.

I stumbled upon a manga that instantly grabbed my attention while browsing through random titles. It was a short shoujo, evident from the "Margaret Comics" banner, yet the artwork seemed eerily familiar. The reason became clear when I realized it was penned by Mizuki Kawashita, an author I've admired for years due to her exceptional romcom harem series like Ichigo 100%, Ane Doki, and Hatsukoi Limited. These Shounen Jump titles are filled with ecchi elements but remain incredibly fun and enjoyable. Discovering that this artist had previously worked on a shoujo magazine piqued my curiosity about what kind of story she would craft for a female audience, leading me to start reading Akane-Chan Overdrive.

The plot of Akane-Chan Overdrive revolves around Takashi Amamiya, who, after tripping over a bottle, finds himself outside his body and thrust into the body of the titular Akane-chan. He now lives as this girl until her spirit returns to her body, which he hopes happens soon since his original body is slowly dying. It's a straightforward premise, not particularly original, as I've seen many stories involving people switching lives. However, most such narratives typically convey the clichéd message that "everyone's life is hard and you shouldn't judge them." While I'm uncertain about the exact message here, it certainly isn't that. Instead, we mostly explore how Amamiya reacts to living as a beautiful girl.

Knowing that Kawashita wrote this manga before her time at Shounen Jump, I expected it to be a fairly conventional shoujo manga. Despite not being an expert in shoujo manga, I found this to be the most shounen-like shoujo manga I've read so far. It makes sense that people might have suggested moving Kawashita to Shueisha's Shounen branch because of this work. This observation isn't solely based on the predominance of male characters (even if one is in a girl's body); there are only two recurring female characters, with one appearing for just two chapters and the other serving mainly as a target for Amamiya's flirtations. What stands out more is that this is the first time I remember seeing an ecchi shoujo. There are various panels featuring the girl naked or wearing questionable clothing, and panty-shots appear in every single chapter.

Moreover, the first chapter includes a very uncomfortable joke about her father trying to bathe with his grown-up daughter. Although the perverted dad joke recurs a few times throughout the manga, it's handled more tamely later, but this initial instance sets off all sorts of alarms. Regardless, I don't believe such jokes belong in any manga, especially not as humor. Particularly in a manga aimed at young girls, depicting a father attempting to see his daughter naked with clear sexual intent is inappropriate and sends the wrong message.

But let's move on; this is just one page, and the rest of the chapter is alright. It's funny, has some enjoyable moments, and features good artwork, though not as polished as Kawashita's later works, it remains very good. Chapters two and three continue the story, exploring Amamiya and Akane's lives, followed by chapter four, a completely unrelated one-shot. One-shots at the end of a volume aren't unusual, either related or unrelated to the main story, as authors often write new content or include previous work to fill space. However, this one-shot appears in the middle of the volume, disrupting the flow. Chapter five, the last chapter of volume one, brings us back to Akane-Chan. While this isn't necessarily a negative point, it's a strange structure. Why place it in the middle? Just... why?

Anyway, let's jump to volume two. By this point, we're dealing with a love triangle among what is essentially three guys, all clearly heterosexual. For some reason, whenever they inhabit Akane's body (yes, they switch), they feel weaker towards the opposite gender, specifically towards the attractive guy desperately trying to get into Akane's pants. Considering that two of the three are fully aware that the girl is actually a guy, this introduces slight BL tones, leading into the final chapters. Honestly, this development is quite interesting, and I would have loved to read more about it. At the end of chapter eight, the three of them fall down some stairs and completely switch bodies, leaving the oblivious guy in Akane's body this time, making it full circle with three dudes fighting for a girl who's one of them.

Chapter nine is a short side story reversing this situation, where a teenage girl dies and switches to a male body, trying to win back her boyfriend. It's a fun story, but placing it as the second-to-last chapter feels odd. Let's see how the manga ends.

LAST CHAPTER IS AN UNRELATED ONE-SHOT.

Last chapter... What.

WHAT ABOUT THE ACTUAL MANGA?! EH! EH! KAWASHITA! I trusted you. I've recommended your work to others. And you give me this? This is how you repay loyalty?

We ended on a cliffhanger. They all switched bodies. The real Akane didn't even appear, none returned to their original bodies. We just stopped the manga at a random chapter and filled the volume with two unrelated stories. Because why would anyone need a conclusion?

Conclusions are unnecessary. Burn the manga when you're near the end. Just go read an unrelated one-shot. If it's good enough for Akane-Chan Overdrive's editors, it's good enough for me.

Okay.

Okay... So... final thoughts.

I didn't hate this. It was fun, and if I hated it, I wouldn't be mad about the lack of conclusion. There are funny and interesting parts in this manga, aside from the perverted dad, enough that I don't want to give it a negative score. But I can't recommend it to anyone because the story lacks more than just an ending. It lacks a middle. It's the start of a potentially good manga that never was. I'd suggest checking out Kawashita's older works instead.

Akane-chan Overdrive is a two-volume manga by Mizuki Kawashita, perfect for fans of gender bender stories.

Story- (77/100) The narrative presents an unprecedented experience. Nineteen-year-old Takashi Amamiya dies after tripping over a bottle but finds himself in the body of a cute girl named Akane Hagiwara. Amamiya navigates numerous challenges related to being a girl, reclaiming his original body, and handling relationships with both old and new friends.

Art- (87/100) The artwork is excellent. While there aren't many background images, the characters are drawn exceptionally well.

Character- (70/100) This aspect might be the weakest part of the manga. Some characters are hard to understand. Takashi Amamiya's personality seems to shift without clear reasons, and other characters don't help much. The only character I genuinely empathize with is Satoru Murai, as I can personally relate to him the most.

Enjoyment- (73/100) The manga was enjoyable overall. It has various elements that many readers would appreciate, aside from the controversial rape scene.

Overall- (77/100) This is a good ecchi gender bender manga. The art kept me engaged throughout, and the story contributed significantly. What might turn off some readers is the character development. Despite this, it remains quite enjoyable and is a must-read for all gender bender enthusiasts.

This manga could be quite awkward and bizarre at times, yet it was amusing.
If you're into boys switching into girls' bodies or body swapping in general, you might enjoy this one. Honestly, it was rather confusing – maybe it was just me! :D But it was very funny and enjoyable. Give it a read!(: