A review of Soul Chaser Betty
by Kajamir the Giant
Here we have an instance of american manga drawn a bit above the norm. Soul Chaser Betty is a rather nice looking webcomic of black and white art in a style that usually doesn't come off too well. Soul Chaser is a pretty thing, rather professional looking once one gets past the start, and probably good enough to be published. I found the story decent too, but there's a few rough spots.
Concerning conceptual design, characters are generally well off, while monsters get the real treatment. I think it would be a nice touch if the basic characters were maybe more expressive. I recall how often most characters beyond Betty have the same visage time and time again, Rolf and the Grandmother most notably. Still, if you can get past that, and occasional bit of strange proportioning (most early on), you'll probably find the style looks nice as a whole.
The story was decent. Like the art, it's a little rough early on. I just wasn't compelled to care about the Soul Chasers or their limited characterization. However, when the cast shrunk and it didn't seem like a Power Ranger festival in a dreamscape, things got better. I was even won over by the Kayan monologue, which touches upon a tired religious origin bent. Once it gets past the traditional old bible babble, it enters something more creative. Actually, I found a lot of things in Soul Chaser were like that. Not the strongest first impression, but more fine tuned as time goes on. I think that's a good sign.
Manga-wise, it doesn't drown itself in the usual parameters of that theme (asian culture and mysticism). For Soul Chaser, it's really more of an art style. Well, except the gratuitous panty shots of Betty. Your personal politics will determine if that's a good or bad thing but I'm sure there's a certain drooling fanboy factor to brings male readers to Betty.
I found Soul Chaser to have a lot of cute moments. Most of them come from Betty herself, who's something of a tomboy, but occasionally you'll see other things where the strip breaks the fourth wall a bit more, refusing to take itself seriously. I thought Jim the Vagrant talking like Gollum, while a bit tired nowadays was sort of kitchsy, not to mention the cat who complains aloud that Betty took her bed. I think Betty as a webcomic is just playful enough without seeming saccharhine or numbingly serious.
For a new reader, Soul Chaser is fairly short at this time. I was able to polish off the archive reading it at a fair pace over two hours. As such, it's at a good place to jump into.
Maybe the weakest bit of SCB, is the characterization. Beyond Betty herself, it doesn't exist much in other characters. Grandmother is Grandmother, Rolf is unreactive, the Weaver is thoroughly esoteric, etc. Many of the side characters are also a bit too accepting of the weirdness manifesting around them, not to mention willing to get involved. I fear the webcomic might enter the realm of becoming a typical young hero(ine) grows immensely strong sort of thing later on. SCB as it stands now might not be entirely gripping to read. But SCB shows promise of being able to improve in other areas thus far, so it's worth keeping the hope for.
SCB is a quirky lil action/light intrigue based webcomic. It's not a flawless gem, but not a crude stone either. I think I'll keep following this comic, should it update some more. I give Soul Chaser Betty a 7 out of 10 stars. It's a fun read. |
