Princess AI Volume 1

Created by Courtney Love and DJ Milky
Written by Misaho Kvjiradov and DJ Milky
Illustrated by Misaho Kvjiradov
TokyoPop

I got this one out of morbid curiosity and it very nearly killed the cat. The concept is that a princess from another world (AI Land, pronounced like Island) comes to earth and nearly gets a young guitar player killed.

Yes, it's the Courtney Love bio-manga you've all been waiting for.

Snarking aside, it's not really all that bad, but it's not really all that good, either. And the main problem is AI herself. Frankly, I can't get myself to give a damn about her, and sinc the whole manga revolves around wanting to see her escape her enemies, that's a real problem.

Put simply, she's just not likable. First off, she works for a strip club but refuses to strip (weird, coming from the brain of a woman photographed topless repeatedly). She also refuses to even consider the idea of romantic notions and generally acts obnoxious to everyone. But the whole cast around her--save a rival female singer--seem to love her! The Princess is being hunted, as I mentioned, and most of this issue is set up as a chase. But AI's new employers--possibly mobsters--will help her in this regard. Despite the fact that she steadfastly refuses to perform her job duties.

There's yet another thing in this one that bugs me and borders on the unforgivable. On this version of earth, all gay people are rotten queens. That's so jarring in a manga it's not even funny, or maybe I just read a certain kind of manga all the time.

At any rate, if you must find a new series, I guess this is okay, but I don't think I'll bother reading the rest unless someone comments here about why I should. Princess AI has nothing to offer the reader that I can see--rather like Ms. Love herself.
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