With more people reading manga and Webtoons (aka vertical scroll comics) than ever before, Beat’s Bizarre Adventure gives three writers an opportunity each week to recommend some of their favorite books and series from Japan, Korea, and elsewhere. This week we have Mesoamerican magical girls, more dragons, and, of course, short distance running.
Necahual
Writer/Artist: 2Heroes
Platform: WEBTOON
I love modern retellings of history and folklore. This week’s webtoon rec, 2Heroes’s Necahual, blends magical girls and Mesoamerican culture. To which I say: inject that into my veins!!
The comic follows Necahual, a kind and soft-spoken young woman living in a vast Mesoamerican empire. When villages on the outer edges are attacked by otherworldly demons, the main temple summons the public for a ritual. Necahual, rowdy daughter Quetzalli, and the warrior Guatemoc’s daughter Anacoana are bestowed with great magical power by the gods. They are tasked not only with fighting the demons but also with helping the people of this vast land.
The art can be described as cute. Designs are manga inspired down to the use of mostly black and white with screentones to fill in the grays. The art is not solely in black and white, though. 2Heroes use magenta, cyan and yellow to highlight the main trio’s magical powers. These are contrasted with the harsh purples of demon magic. It reminds me of how I used to color my older comics.
Every character has such a unique silhouette that compliments their character type and personality. Necahual has soft, round features. Anacoana’s design is more angular to symbolize her upbringing as a warrior. Warriors tower over the other characters with their large and imposing frames, reflecting their immense strength.
A lot of love also went into representing this culture in regards to outfit designs. Most are period accurate with liberties taken for the sake of streamlining designs to save time on drawing. Others, like the magical girl outfits, are entirely fictional, but take influence from real world inspirations so that they look as if they could be real pieces worn at that time. There is also this waviness in regards to how the lineart flows in tandem with the characters and their expressive poses. Even static poses imply motion and character.
Necahual is a visually refreshing webtoon which transports readers to a fantastical alternate reality based on our past. It acts as a gateway into Mesoamerican culture and myth, which does not get nearly enough attention in my opinion. Plus, as I mentioned earlier: Mesoamerican magical girls! It’s a concept that I have never seen anywhere else, and that alone earns it a spot in Beat’s Bizarre Adventure.
You can read the series on WEBTOON CANVAS where it is available for free. As always with most webtoons, if you wish to support Crystal and Sergio a.k.a 2Heroes, you can always become a patron of their Patreon. Until next time, my adorable birb nerds! — Justin Guerrero
The Skull Dragon’s Precious Daughter
Writer/Artist: Ichi Yukishiro
Translator: Bérénice Vourdon
Letterer: Toppy
Publisher: J-Novel Club (digital), Seven Seas Entertainment (digital & print)
The old dragon of the Forest of Scraps is used to all kinds of trash and unwanted objects falling from the sky. He spends what little remains of his life by sleeping and conserving his energy. But then one day a tiny baby girl named Eve appears. Uncharacteristically, the dragon spends his last years with her before passing away for good—or so he thinks. Eve summons the old dragon’s soul back from the dead. Together, they go on a journey to train Eve so she can realize her potential!
Ichi Yukishiro‘s The Skull Dragon’s Precious Daughter has been the pleasant surprise of my weekend. I assumed the fantasy and the world-building side of the story would be more prominent from the summary provided. However, the series turned out to be laid-back and humorous. It’s easy to get lost in the sweet daughter-parent relationship between the dragon and Eve. He trains the young witch to be conscientious of money, health and love, which results in funny interactions with other characters.
Very quickly, they form a business relationship with a cunning young man called Yul. Yul takes care of the chores at the inn while connecting Eve with people seeking the help of a witch. As this is simply the first volume, the stakes are low and there isn’t a lot of exposition. As a result, The Skull Dragon’s Precious Daughter makes for a comforting and fun read.
While the character and creature designs are lovely, the page layouts are a bit too dense. The excessive number of panels get in the way of the fine details and work against moments the series wants to highlight. Some panels could have been better off as a full page or even a spread; more room to breathe would’ve been nice. Still, I appreciate the thought and care that went into the art, and I’m looking forward to what lies ahead. — Merve Giray
Suzuka
Writer/Artist: Kouji Seo
Translator: David Ury
Letterer: Janice Chiang
Publisher: Kodansha
This is another one of those series that was formative for me when I was younger. The story follows Yamato, who moves to Tokyo in order to attend school there. He lives in an apartment provided for him by his aunt with the surprise twist being that it’s an all-girls boarding house. So he’s surrounded by pretty girls! That’s hardly original; Love Hina had almost the same set-up. But as Suzuka progresses, Yamato grows up and gets into real serious relationships rather than awkward fantasies.
Yamato has a massive crush on the titular character, Suzuka, who is a track and field star at school. He also joins the team and launches into his own journey of self-discovery and success as a short distance runner. Perhaps I started reading this series because I was a short distance runner myself in high school.
What I remember the most about this series is the second and superior half, which was not adapted by the anime. At this point in the series, Yamato and his friends are adults dealing with adult pressures. The fantasies of childhood have been stripped away. Feelings still last, but the choice to move on is ever present.
I could see the ending being divisive, especially when it comes to Yamato as a character. But I remember thinking it was interesting how the story explores pent up frustrations in young men. It certainly made an impression on me at the time, whether or not it reads the same way in 2025.
I love when manga tells a long story that shows us characters at two different times in their lives. We see them change, grow or sometimes even falter and be messy. That’s Suzuka in a nutshell and I recommend it. — Derrick Crow
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