Fudo Aikawa and Desumi Magahara are madly in love with each other. There’s only one minor problem: they’re mortal enemies, which means they can’t work together. Fudo is the red ranger and the leader of the fighting group Gelato 5, whilst Desumi is the reaper princess of the evil organisation Gekko and Fudo is the leader of the fighting force Gelato 5. To make matters even more complicated, neither of them has ever been in a committed relationship.
What will they do if they have to keep their developing romance a secret as they learn how to be in a relationship and balance it with their real-life duties along the way? Takahiro Wakamatsu illustrates the storey of Love After World Domination, which is written by Hiroshi Noda. Steven LeCroy is responsible for the translation, while Kyle Ziolko is responsible for the lettering and Sarah Tilson is responsible for the editing. Kodansha is the publisher of the novel Love After World Domination.
What an amazing pleasure it is to read this manga. I’ll admit that I chose this book from the review pile on the spur of the moment. I only had the title to go on, and I figured I’d give it a shot when I was in the downtime between seasonal book reviews. The premise of this book was intriguing enough that I would have jumped at the chance to cover it; yet, after reading the book, I am even more enthralled with it.
There are a variety of reasons that contribute to Love After World Domination being such a fantastic little book, but the most important is that it delivers on its central idea. In this romantic comedy, which is both truly humorous and charmingly romantic, the characters fall in love with each other. A variety of humorous beats are employed, ranging from the standard fare of miscommunication and exaggeration to more intricate scenarios, but the primary source of amusement is derived from the fact that the Gelato Force and the Gekko Organization are both still engaged in combat with one another.
As a result, anytime anyone else comes upon them, Fudo and Desumi must maintain the appearance of “fighting” one another. This is complicated by the fact that they are rarely able to spend time alone with each other, save for during these superpowered battles. A very satisfying comedy loop is created as a result of this: a zany battle breaks out every week, Fudo and Desumi pretend to solo-duel one another so that they can be alone, their lovey-dovey scenes are interrupted by others walking in on them, and they are forced to separate until the next battle breaks out.
Likewise, the romantic part of the equation is executed admirably. Fudo and Desumi are both high school students who are embarking on their very first romantic engagement together. As you might expect, they are both clumsy and awkward as they attempt to learn the fundamentals of something they dearly want—a committed relationship—but have no idea how to actually traverse the process of learning it.
When Fudo decides to combine his fixation with physical training into a themed first date, and when Desumi is split between how she is perceived and how she perceives herself, it’s a fantastic blend of character-specific peculiarities in relatable moulds that makes for a terrific watch. The fact that there is so little in the way of supporting characters in this first volume makes it imperative that the main characters are adequately entertaining, and Love After World Domination hits the ball out of park with these two characters.
Finally, but certainly not least, the superhero aspect of the plot is not only original, but it is also well-executed. Tokusatsu superhero television shows are, without a doubt, the most significant inspirations on this work. It is possible that Gelato 5 is a not-so-subtle homage to Super Sentai, with the numbered rangers arrayed according to colour. The Gekko Organization takes a lot of inspiration from the original Kamen Rider villain gang Shocker in their designs.
These, however, are more than just gimmicks; they possess a genuine allure all their own, and they should not be overlooked. I particularly like elements such as the Gelato 5 helmets, which are reminiscent of Koji Kabuto’s helmet from Mazinger, the Gekko organisation suit designs, which have a very Shotaro Ishinomori-esque flair to them, and an evil bear with shoulder cannons, which is just a fantastic design for a kaijin.
Moreover, the major plot alludes to the relationship between Zonnette and Kyosuke in Gekisou Sentai Carranger, which was itself a season of sentai that was heavily focused on comedy. However, I believe that even if the storyline does not appeal to you, the film will still win you over because of its outstanding ensemble.
The artwork is also excellent throughout the book. Characters in this film show a wide spectrum of expressive abilities, ranging from overdone comedic beats to more sombre moments of teenage melancholy and longing. I believe that the more intense moments between Fudo and Desumi have a tremendous amount of energy and a strong sense of devotion, and that the attention to detail truly shows through. Aside from being visually spectacular in general, the book also contains some hilarious humorous framing, like as Fudo’s close-up examination of his first cup of bubble tea in the first chapter.
Really, I can’t think of anything I’d like to complain about other than the fact that there isn’t anything else to read at the time. I can’t suggest this release highly enough, and it’s one that I’m looking forward to adding to my own personal collection.