(Series Review) Figure 17 by Genco-Olm - 4/5
Figure 17 is such a strange series because it superficially seems like a generic riff on the magical girl genre, but in only two volumes manages to rip your heart out and kick it in the ass. Apparently this manga duology was based on an anime that was released first, and was a more expansive story, but I chose to read the manga because I remembered having read it when I was maybe eight years old and being completely riveted. Figure 17 tells the story of a somewhat ineffectual girl who gets visited by aliens who clone her, but her clone is somehow also a robot, and they can combine to form a larger woman. Kind of trite, but the reason I liked it was because very little of this mattered. Instead of the alien invasion, the focus was on the character development and their tragic inner lives. The clone is exactly like the protagonist in every way, except she is more confident, and the main arc of the manga was not defeating alien invaders, but learning how to be more self-assured. It’s probably not very good, but I am thankful for having read this story when I was a kid, because even if I didn’t remember the details, I remembered it as having been very relatable and impactful back then, an assessment that is true still. The alien fighting scenes are tedious, and a lot of the manga is probably not very well-thought out, but I nevertheless found myself flying through the last few pages for fear of getting completely emotionally overwhelmed. Definitely something very formative to be revisited. (less)
