Koff Koff . . . Kon Kon Kokon is Saved by a Last Minute Change

Kon Kon Kokon

Volume 1

Koge Donbo

What makes the very cute Kon Kon Kokon work best in tongue-twister titler Koge-Donbo's (Yoki Koto Kiku) latest is revealed in the single page of author notes: "At first Ren-kun was going to just be a normal boy, but he wasn't very interesting, so I made him a yokai fanatic...".

This is the rub on what could have been a rather plain opener for what turns out to be sticky-sweet, but well-done first volume.

Transferred to a new school in Tokyo (boy, these manga kids get transferred a lot), Ren Hinonishi is living on his own and rising to the top of his class in his new city. A funny fox-eared girl shows up and declares that she is there to "repay him" (a phrase which is repeated probably 20+ times). Ren doesn't know who she is or what she wants, but a later an obake hunt with another class cutie reveals to Ren that this girl is no simple stalker. She is a yokai named Kokon with a debt to repay to the single youngster. Specifically she is a fox-spirit, and she has no intention of letting Ren-kun out of her sight.

What makes this title work, and not just become a Yurusei Yatsura rip-off, is the angle that Ren-kun is a yokai-otaku. Yokai are a uniquely Japanese collection of ghosts, demons and monsters. (Think Dracula, Frankenstein, the Mummy, and the Wolf Man, and multiply by about 100). They aren't necessarily scary or deadly, but are definitely evidence of another dimension. Apparently Ren-kun is a yokai-otaku with volumes of books and dictionaries on Japan's ghosts and goblins.

The fun comes in as Ren has grown his hair out and purchased glasses (?!?) to fit in in the big city, but any mention of yokai gets his heart pumping and he often thinks back to his hometown friends' advice: "Act cool, and don't let them know your secret".

Yokai are supposedly more prevalent in the mountains, where Ren-kun is from, but he isn't in Tokyo more than a few days before Kokon, the fox-girl, is demanding to move in and repay him. This is only the beginning of this cute and entertaining tale, as we expect the yokai to begin and end with title character, Kokon, but, thankfully, that isn't the case. Ren's little apartment turns into "Big Love" in a funny series of chapters.

Our hero, Ren, is probably the hardest character to put a thumb on, and as I said in the beginning, author Koge-Donbo originally wanted him to be just a normal kid, but switched him to a yokai otaku. This switch was a wise call, and the excuse to introduce readers to a rich handful of Japanese yokai makes this title all the more valuable. However, Ren is probably the least developed charactor... or maybe too developed. He's a nerd, but everyone thinks he is cool. He is on the top of his class, but also is an expert swimmer and climber. (Though his first swim in the ocean is not so successful). I wasn't sure if Ren's low self-esteem was justified or not, and the fact that all these yokai, as well as female classmates, are fawning over him makes that gray-zone a little uncomfortable. So far the only enemy is Ren-kun's desire to have a normal life (though he loves being surrounded by yokai), so that alone isn't going to cut it in the long run. This is a first volume, and this ambiguity is forgivable so far, because we know some secrets are yet to be revealed. But it will be hard for the readers to identify with Ren if he remains so ambiguiously cool and dorky.

The preview hints toward some more major characters, so we can hope that we see some more concrete conflict in future episodes.

What I enjoyed most about Kon Kon Kokon was the smooth introduction of a handful of Japanese yokai, which I hopes expands into future volumes. A handy Yokai Encyclopedia at the end was a nice addition as well.

As cute as its cover, Kon Kon Kokon doesn't disappoint, but is also rated E for a reason. Kawaii, fun, and safe.