Welcome to the first round of the Manga Moveable Feast, a week when a bunch of manga bloggers have decided to focus our attention on a particular book. We’re lauching with Iou Kuroda’s Sexy Voice and Robo (Viz). I thought it might be useful to provide some basic introduction of the book and its creator, so here’s the publisher’s take:
About the book:
“Working part-time as a telephone-dating operator, Nico Hayashi has plenty of clients eager to engage her in titillating conversation. But what her customers don’t know is this: the person they’re flirting with is really a 14-year-old junior high school girl with a secret agenda.
“On the phone she’s known as Sexy Voice. But, really, she’s more than a professional flirt. Secretly, she wants to change the world and maybe become a spy and fortuneteller, too.
“Along for the ride is her friend Iichiro Sudo. He’s an underemployed twentysomething hipster with an obsession for collecting toy robots. Together they are Sexy Voice and Robo… two people doing their best to bring some hope into this crazy world.”
The series was originally published in Shogakukan’s IKKI anthology. It was published in Spanish by Ponent Mon, though I don’t think it’s in print. It was adapted into a live-action drama by Nippon TV.
About the author:
“Iou Kuroda, one of Japan’s premier young manga talents, combines expressive artwork with reflective, poetic storytelling. Earning the Grand Prize for manga from Japan’s Agency for Cultural Affairs’ Media Arts Festival in 2002, Sexy Voice and Robo exists as a testament to the creator’s dynamic artistry.”
Other series by Kuroda include the as-yet-unlicensed Nasu (three volumes, originally published in Kodansha’s Afternoon) and Japan Tengu Party Illustrated (four volumes, originally published in Kodansha’s Morning).
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