Comics / Manga

Saving Life Volume 1

By Chris Zimmerman
November 22, 2010 - 08:37

Mario Kaneda’s newest series hits stateside courtesy of Tokyopop and fans of the writer/artist’s previous works should know exactly what to expect. Keeping in line with his breakout hit Girls Bravo, Kaneda knows exactly what to feed his audience; Humor and an over abundance of fan service.

Saving Life focuses on Haruhiko, a poor young man on the bottom end of the totem pole. With hardly any money in his pockets, he struggles to pinch pennies and cut costs by any means including starving. This wouldn’t be quite as surprising given the state of the economy except that he was actually born into a wealthy family. Rather than live them however, he’s determined to make it on his own.

Strangely enough, Haruhiko begins attracting women left and right. While working at a part-time job, Haruhiko meets Jun-Chan. She has a volatile temper and an odd contempt for the opposite sex. Later on, his family’s super cute maid Nanako, stops by to live with and help him out in day-to-day chores. Luckily he still has a branch of sanity to cling to in the form of his childhood friend Yoriko, who is also hinted at having a crush on him.

From there it becomes a typical harem manga, going by the numbers and sticking the girls in revealing clothes, as-well-as undressing them, with Haruhiko reacting uncomfortably to the provocative situations placed before him. Sure, it’s a premise that is used excessively in the medium but it works none-the-less. Saving Life wasn’t all that original to begin with, considering Kaneda stuck to his strengths and delivered yet another harem comedy. Aside from its relatively sparse use fan service, the title really doesn’t differentiate itself from the rest of the pack.

If harem comedies are your cup of tea, Saving Life will fit right up your alley. That said, the title isn’t at all unique and the characters all come off as Tenchi clones, giving the series a redundant feel.

Rating: 7.5 /10

Last Updated: August 31, 2023 - 08:12