NoaIzumiManga Review: Sokora Refugees
February 2nd 2009 14:53
Volume 1 Cover
Kana Ohkami is a very ordinary girl on an extraordinary adventure. At her school, she’s constantly behind on her schoolwork, has no luck with the boys, and is “underdeveloped” compared to her friends. But when she is sucked through a portal to the magical, war-wracked world of Sokora, and finds herself sharing bodies with a powerful elf witch, school life starts looking a whole lot better!
Sokora Refugees is a seriously fun little manga in a swords and sorcery setting, with the tone of Slayers and plot elements of Inuyasha. The emphasis is heavily on the comedy, with a lot of fanservice besides. It seems that Sokora has been invaded by demons, and much of the population had to evacuate to various worlds in secret, including our own. One of them, a teenage magical prodigy, decides to go back, and winds up taking Kana with him. In Sokora, she runs into Veila, a powerful sorceress who was badly injured when she was captured by goblins. She managed to escape, but has to put herself into Kana’s body until she can heal. Kana finds this out when she is sent back to her own world without any clothes on. It seems that when she is embarrassed and blushes, she transforms into Veila, although Kana is still in control.
The body-switch part is especially interesting, and I wish they’d been able to explore it further. Veila is powerful, intelligent, and respected, with a gorgeous body; in short, she’s everything Kana wishes she was. Veila is still present and can communicate with Kana, and as she heals, she and Kana can work together more effectively, perhaps enough to drive the invaders out once and for all.
Kana also meets the Sokora Organized Resistance, which is from Sokora, but not very organized, and doesn’t offer much of a resistance, although it is definitely fun to watch. Kana’s two roommates, Tamara and Julie, are prominent as well, and by the end of the first volume, have been thrown into Sokora along with Kana, with no way to get back.
As is often the case, the bad guys in this story are even more interesting than the protagonists. The demons haven’t just invaded Sokora for the heck of it, they were actually driven off their world by someone else, and are trying to find a way to retake their home. There are also different factions among the demons vying for control, and Kana may play a role in this power struggle too. The first two volumes set up a lot of plot lines, characters, and questions to be answered that make a good start to a potentially really great series.
Volume 2 Cover
Which brings us to the main flaw in Sokora Refugees. The first two volumes aren’t the start to the series, they’re the whole series. Well, the whole series that’s available, anyway. Volumes 1 and 2 were the only ones published by Tokyopop, and while the comic continued online, the website (www.sokora.com) has been defunct since 2007. Fans still hope for a third volume to at least compile the comics that have been put up on the site, but there’s been no word of any such plans.
Great moments: The introduction of the Sokora Organized Resistance!
Summary: Excellent comedy/adventure, with intriguing plots and background, but tragically unfinished. Grade: B plus (B minus if you hate unresolved cliffhangers)
Age Rating: 13 and up. Fan service.
EDIT: This was originally accidentally posted on my political blog (Guys! Why didn't anyone tell me!). What can I say? In a word, whooops. Thanks to everyone who read and voted.
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