MJ Review: Pumpkin Scissors Volume One

[Eric]

Title: Pumpkin Scissors:
Volume: 1
Mangaka: Ryotaro Iwanaga
Serialized in: Magazine GREAT, & Monthly Shonen, (Kodansha)
Genre: Shounen, Action
Publisher: Del Rey
Price: $10.95 USD

Pumpkin Scissors tells the story of a military squad by the same name, organized after a war's cease-fire in order to aid relief efforts around the area. The setting greatly resembles Western Europe around the early-to-mid 20th century, and sure enough, nearly every military squad has a name that's German in origin. In any case, the brave men and women of Pumpkin Scissors exist to bring help to a country that has been devastated by war, with each chapter of the manga focusing on a different assignment the group must complete.

While watching a group simply tend to the downtrodden could conceivably get pretty dull, fortunately the soldiers of Pumpkin Scissors are anything but, and provide plenty of entertainment in every chapter. Our main focus is on the leader of the group, 2nd Lieutenant Alice Malvin, a noble-born young woman with enough spirit for the entire squad combined, and newcomer Corporal Randel Oland, a giant of a man who is early on revealed to be one of the "901 ATT," a powerful, almost superhuman anti-tank division.

As for the story itself, so far Pumpkin Scissors lends itself well to the episodic anime format, as every chapter has been self-contained, providing a distinct lack of any real continuity along the way, but providing short stories that one can enjoy without sitting through the whole book at once.

A rather striking feature of the story is the odd juxtaposition between the grim reality of war and human nature, and random slapstick comedy ranging from telling someone they look like a horse to a dog chewing on a high ranking officer's head in every other panel. Even with the humor, the story is obviously not for younger readers, as the violence can be fairly graphic at times, and certain situations are, while not outright disturbing in terms of art, still plenty twisted just in their concept. [Keep in mind, though, that PS ran in a shounen magazine nevertheless. -Ed.]

Despite this oddity, Pumpkin Scissors was still a pretty enjoyable book. Neither action nor comedy were the absolute best you could find, but it's a light read that you could breeze through quickly without having to worry about deep philosophical ramblings or any other needlessly dramatic moments. I'd certainly recommend picking it up if one has the cash to spare. The fact that Del Rey does their usual stellar printing and translation job just makes this all the more worth your purchase. As long as you're not looking for a deep, thought-provoking tale, I doubt you'll be disappointed.

Reviewer: Kia Smalara
Proofer: Eduardo Menendez
Editor: Eric Turner