Free Collars Kingdom, I have been meaning to read for a fair while now. However, I finally got around to reading it and I must admit, I was rather pleased with it. Here is my opinion on it.
Artwork: Out of all the manga I have read in a fair while, Free Collars Kingdom has some of the best artwork. First of all, the backgrounds are surprisingly detailed most of the time, whilst there are some occasions that the background is plain and ordinary, most of the time it is very well drawn, from the basement to the city, time and effort has evidently been put into it. Second of all, the character designs are very well done, with all character designs looking unique, each in appearance, clothes and equipment. I honestly cannot say anything negative about the graphics at all.
Characters: There are also a wide variety of character personalities in the series. The main character, Cyan, being the newest member of the “Free Collars” which is the group he becomes a member of, is much more childlike in behaviours and cannot grasp the fact that he will never see his master again, often refusing to do things out of loyalty to Kokoro. Whilst other personalities include the otaku cat Scottie to the older member Amesho. Each character gets a good amount of time in the manga, allowing them to be properly introduced to the reader, and allowing them to be easily used in future volumes.
Storyline: The storyline starts out as being tragic, Cyan lives with his master Kokoro, who ends up becoming ill. His mother abandons him in the basement of their apartment building as “She reminds her of Kokoro”. Therefore, he makes his way on his own, eventually becomings free of his collar and joining the “Free Collars”. The storyline basically introduces each character and does not offer much on the whole in my honest opinion, but is rather good for a first volume.
Extras:
- Honorifics Explained
- Artwork before each chapter
- Free Collars Love Theater
- Translation Notes
- Preview of Volume 2
- Advertisements
Overall Score:
Artwork: 5 (A)
Characters: 4 (A)
Storyline: 3.5 (B)
Extras: 4 (A)
Overall: 4.125 (A)
Final Impression: I really enjoyed reading this manga. Simple as that.
Description: It’s hard to resist Cyan: he’s an adorable catboy, whose cute ears and tail have made him a beloved pet. But then his family abandons him, leaving the innocent Cyan to fend for himself. Just when Cyan thinks he’s all alone in the world, he meets the Free Collars, a cool gang of stray cats who believe that no feline should allow a human to imprison his Wild Spirit. They invite Cyan to join them, and the reluctant housecat has to decide fast, because a rival gang of cats is threatening the Free Collars’ territory! Can Cyan learn to free his Wild Spirit – and help his new friends save their home?
Manga Information:
Price I bought it for: $AU21.95
Total # of Chapters: 5
Total # of pages: 240
English Publisher: Del Ray Manga
Publisher Website: www.randomhouse.com/delrey/manga/
Producer: Takuya Fujima
Rating: Teen – 16+
