Shugo Chara!

Jan 19, 2010

ChibiHime

Recommended

Preliminary (48/55 chp)

"All kids have eggs in their hearts..."

Story: 7

Shugo Chara is basically a typical magical girl manga. I knew it was but something about it draws you in. Maybe it was because of Amu's cool appearance or maybe it was the because of the eggs I'm not sure. But one thing that is for certain, Peach-Pit takes your typical magical girl manga, adds in some spice and tadaa~ a very original magical girl manga.

However something is stopping Shugo Chara from getting an 8. Though the storyline is original with the whole egg and your true self thing, Shugo Chara gets extremely tedious after the first couple ... of X-egg encounters. I was incredibly close to skipping all the chapters until the one that I was interested in but I didn't. I kept telling myself that I would read something interesting that would help me understand more of these Shugo Charas. Unfortunately I never fully understood it.

I found the story was way too long considering the plot was pretty simple however it was too short seeing how it never fully explained the concept of Shugo Charas.

Art: 8

Everything was well detailed. All the characters looked cute and individual. I loved the detail of Amu's character. A punk-goth style is annoying to draw but it was always there. The costumes were cute as well. I noticed the surroundings could be scratchy at times but no biggy. One thing though, towards the end, you can see that Amu's legs weren't drawn properly. They look as if they were bent and twisted in painful ways. Well it's not that bad but you get the point...

Character: 9

Best part of Shugo Chara. First off, to be blunt, the wide range of characters did annoy me. All the characters kept disappearing and new ones would come in. I wanted it to settle so that I could enjoy watching the characters that I liked.

Seeing how it was shown in Amu's POV, I praise Peach-Pit's splendid job. Whenever she met new characters you would feel the same as her. For example Kairi, I hated him at first. He just had that 'I'm-an-asshole-beware' sort of feeling. But after both you and Amu got to know you grow that bond between the characters. Kairi is one of my fave characters from Shugo Chara by the way.

Everyone was complicated yet so simple. Some of their reactions are the types you'd only see in this sort of manga but I let that past. The Shugo Charas themselves were just awesome. Everyone was awesome and I love all the characters.

Enjoyment + Overall: 8

I really enjoyed Shugo Chara when it was not tedious. It could've well become a fave manga of mine if it didn't drag on but that's to expect in a magical girl manga right? I sucked it up and read it all and ended up enjoying it quite a bit especially the characters. If I could I would put the whole cast on my fave characters list but that's a bit impossible ==" But yeah, I enjoyed it. Very good manga for those manga newbies and people who have seen others, it's still pretty good. Like I said, just gotta suck it up ;D

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Jun 19, 2009

AntiRealityInc

Recommended

Preliminary (26/55 chp)

A very original magical girl manga. Its whole storyline and character personality is great. And need I say, most of the pages will make you laugh and have you wishing for the next volume to come out. I think anyone who likes the cute magical side of life will fall head over heels for this manga and will soon be wish for his or hers own Guardian Characters.

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Oct 23, 2014

MOOMONSTER

Recommended

I started off reading this manga because I heard it was a fun, happy-go-lucky kind of story. It was! I laughed out loud a lot and the message was upbeat and positive. But it was more than just a good time. I finished the series feeling not just satisfied and cuddly, but inspired.

I'm a sucker for creators who take an everyday life concern and turn it into a compelling story. The concept which this manga is based on, that of having dreams or an ideal self, is something I think everyone can relate to. I know I struggled with identity when I was younger. Getting ... to see Amu initially discouraged by what she lacks and slowly begin to understand and believe in herself is a beautiful thing. Combined with her other trials of having friends move away, trying to find out what love really is, and being a responsible older sister/buddy, this really makes her a dynamic, relatable character. Throughout the story as she gains confidence she has an awesome power to change those around her for the better. This is one area I believe the story did well at.

Most of the villains in the story are fairly likable. None of them are evil "just because". They are smart in their methods as well. I was never groaning at how silly a bad guy was acting, because what they did made sense. Additionally, those who are redeemed retain their original personalities and turn to good because they remember what they have lost. I enjoyed that rather than just beating enemies down through sheer magical power, Amu also worked at their hearts.

Initially I was skeptical about the Guardian Characters. Normally when something small and cute shows up its bound to be annoying. But I ended up feeling the opposite towards them. They were all hilarious! I liked their distinct personalities and their interactions amongst themselves. As for their relation to the plot, I think they were a really good manifestation of ideals. Some of them took a distinguishable form of a future career, such as an air-hostess. Others embodied a state of being such as freedom. A few characters had more than one Guardian Character. Sometimes they would disappear or turn to darkness. They could guide and give power to those who believed in them. All of these aspects are things that can be true of dreams in real life.

I waver about whether relationships among characters were handled well. On one hand, the romance aspect of the manga is amazing. I normally shun romances, but this one made my heart skip a few beats. Amu's innocence and tendency to blush made her adorable! Her quest to understand love and her uncertain feelings towards various characters remind me of many young people and myself at times. Growth in her romantic relationships is clearly shown and really cute! You can tell what Amu is feeling in all of these interactions. I know some people don't think the romance went far enough or ended satisfactorily, but I feel the consideration Amu's love interests have for her (and the grace they have for each other) is what's really important. And that is there in spades.

On the other hand, I think friendships could have been fleshed out a bit more. Particularly between Amu and Nadeshiko, there wasn't a lot of development. The first season of the anime does a better job of this with episodes that show them hanging out together. As a group the Guardians are pretty cohesive. Individually, however, there wasn't a lot of time for clear, deep bonds to form. Towards the end of the manga was kind of weird. I felt that hints of romance forming between side characters were unnecessary and a bit at odds with individual personalities. It seemed like a rushed "as long as everyone has someone" kind of resolution.

Pacing of the story moved right along. There weren't a lot of uninteresting side stories or filler chapters. Powers and transformations stayed fairly tame and weren't blown out of proportion or continually upgraded in an attempt to keep things interesting. In a world where most series resort to such tactics, this was refreshing.

Overall, I found Shugo Chara! to be a feel-good series with a surprising amount of depth and relation to life. I'm not about to say it's world-class writing and that it opened my eyes or anything like that, but there are many insightful moments in this story. It's a wonderful series to pick up if you're ever feeling down about life.

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Nov 5, 2020

abeinha

Recommended

First of all, I'd like to say that the score I gave is clearly biased, but this manga doesn't deserve anything less than 8.

Shugo Chara! may look like a typical shoujo, but its peculiarities make it unique in my opinion; the main character, Amu, has doubts and insecurities normally present at her age, the classic love indecision seen in any lead in the genre, and a will for being the best she can be that seems innovative to me in this category. There is the everlasting love triangle, but it doesn't maintain itself as the primary aspect of her life. The little 10, 12 and ...

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Apr 15, 2009

yuchan

Recommended

Preliminary (1/55 chp)

Every person Hinamori Amu knows thinks she's the coolest girl they know. Except the fact that behind everyone she hides her true feelings. One morning when she wakes up, she comes across three eggs called "Guardian Characters." These Guardian Characters help her find out that her true personality isn't that bad, and that her real personality is cool too.

Everyone at Seiyo Elementary thinks Hinamori Amu is the coolest girl in class. But, she's nothing like that. Amu's actually a very shy girl who wishes to have courage to truly be herself. One morning, she found three mysterious, little eggs in her bed. Each egg ...

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Apr 30, 2015

yuucchanXO

Recommended

I like the art - clean, straightforward, and very pleasing to the eyes. I thought the character's emotions were also clearly reflected in the art.

The story was okay. It was fast-paced which is good. I love Ikuto's character very much. Hehe. There was too much idealism which isn't much too my taste. And at the end, there was a confusing all-fantasy arc that surpassed space and time which I didn't really like. But overall, I thought the manga was good and I definitely enjoyed it. I liked best the dokidoki moments of Ikuto and Amu. Hehe. I also liked how Ikuto was portrayed and those ...

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May 26, 2009

IkutoFanGirl

Recommended

Preliminary (40/55 chp)

Loads of people say this manga/ anime is for total kids cos of the story, this may lead to people not wanting to read this. Plus, it's a magical girl manga too... which can really annoy people... but don't let that put you off! This story is not for little kids! It has a perverted cat boy (Ikuto) (loads of fangirls including myself!) and the source of the magical girl (or boy) powers are from eggs! Totally original, way to go Peach-Pit! PS There is major shock at chapter 40! It's like OMG, you need to read this the whole way through!
It has amazing art ...

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Feb 28, 2017

PopAnime123

Mixed Feelings

The idea for the story was good, and it had plenty of humor and kept me hooked... at first. But as I got more into the story, I noticed that it just didn't have the right... appeal, or feeling, so to speak. The concept was creative, but the story overall could be better. And the ending was confusing and a lot went unanswered. Overall, this manga was alright, but could have been better. I was hoping for a better story, and a better understanding. It is also considered a "children's manga", but I highly disagree. With a few strong curse words and a couple of ...

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Feb 5, 2016

Willowtry

Not Recommended

In one line : // If you're into fanservice before anything else, this manga is for you. //

I've never been into Shoujo. Works targeting females very often present the same overused tropes with little to no variation ; therefore, I've never been too fond of them. If I do feel like reading one from time to time, I easily enter the "overdose" zone when it comes to them. To some extent, it can be argued it just isn't my thing, that Shounen, Seinen, etc. also lack variations overall and yes, I couldn't deny it is partly true.

That settled, how come I started Shugo Chara so ...

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Oct 27, 2009

ikutokun90

Recommended

Preliminary (Unknown/55 chp)

I ABSOLUTELY LOVE THIS MANGA!!! and i don't say that very much it has such a great story and let me say this isn't so much for kids there will be allllllooooottttt of moments for adults ^_^ which i love all of them the romance is perfect, the story is perfect, the characters are perfect and let me say i'm a huge ikuto fan I LOVE HIM!!!!!! but really a great manga the anime tends to not follow the story lots of the time so i recommend if you want to know more about shugo chara read the manga first than watch the anime but ...

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Jun 8, 2022

SomeoneRandooum

Recommended

I have got mixed feelings about this one.

The start was way too boring. Nothing that was happening made sense to me. The characters felt boring and one-dimensional. I felt as if this would be a 6/10 manga. But something changed. Halfway through the series, the characters grew on me, the story started to make sense and everything that felt a little off started to click.

This series is more focused on emotions and drama and the process of solving it rather than the technicalities. There are so many plot holes and plot points that don't make any sense. Even though it had so many problems, I ...

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Jan 1, 2018

Freakazoiid

Mixed Feelings

Alright, I'll be honest. This was an interesting series, though I have my reservations.

I'll be quick with a review because others have already gone into depth about the ups and downs of this story.

Pros:
The story concept is good; unique and wholesome.
It's cute.

*Slight spoilers ahead?*

...

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Feb 8, 2024

Animelover875

Recommended

Shugo Chara's manga fixes a lot of the problems that I found were present in the anime; mainly, that the manga is much more streamlined and cuts out a large presence of filler, though not to the point that it actively distracts from the plot. In my personal opinion, Shugo Chara, beyond its first season, suffered from its anime adaptation (which should be noted, is the version I watched first), and that a lot of elements that were heavily distracting, such as forgotten or abandoned plot points, were drastically toned down. This gives the manga the likely feel that the anime was going for as ... well: that of a cheerful, light-hearted magical girl series. The series is simple enough to become invested rather easily, although some of the plot points could have done with being somewhat more nuanced.

As always, the actual story and message Shugo Chara wishes to tell is one of growing up and acceptance of change and the concept of idealization of one's self. The series has an extremely interesting nuance in the concept of what it considers to be superficial versus an actual part of someone's core personality, and this is likely the main draw of the story. Shugo Chara has several main characters with different layers of nuance and backstory that are slowly explained and contribute to who they are, standing strong as characters that are given realistic motives for their behavior. While the motives behind the development of Easter and how things got to this point are left somewhat vague for the majority of the story, I believe it was explained well and gives a nice subversion of the standard archetype of a main villain. It also serves perfectly as an antithesis to the series' core message, with Ikuto standing initially very strongly as the personal antithesis to Amu, whose core message relies on being the apparent emblematic representation of misfortune within the series.

While there were a few characters who particularly shone once they received character development, I believe that Utau was the ideal character to show the full range of what this series was capable of; Utau arguably went through the widest range of development, constantly changing in realistic, believable ways that would be relatable to most readers. In my opinion, the execution of the "road of stars" arc was only alright; it left a great deal of confusion as I felt that it was poorly depicted, which made it difficult to follow along with the path that the story intended to take, unless this was intentional.

The ending of the manga states that a Chara will always be within their owner, never disappearing; this one sentiment is a great way to showcase exactly why Shugo Chara's manga is worth a read. This implies that a Shugo Chara is part of the person's core personality, and that while a person may change, they'll never permanently "lose" their true self, even if it's lost or no longer visible. The ending also treated all of the characters excellently, giving them all true happiness that they would deserve. While the manga isn't perfect, as it can veer into the childish aspect and not fully explore the above concepts all of the time, I believe that it was a very enlightening read and would recommend it for those looking for a light entry into the magical girl genre. 7/10.

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