[Manga Review] Who Says Warriors Can’t Be Babes? Vol. 1

Volume 1 Synopsis

Warrior Woman doesn’t want much out of life, other than to get Hero to fall in love with her. But no matter how hard she tries to show off her feminine side, he only sees her as a fellow adventurer. Maybe that’s because she’s the strongest fighter alive — strong enough to slay a dragon with a single blow! Does Warrior Woman have what it takes to win Hero’s heart without accidentally killing him in the process?

Information

Title: Who Says Warriors Can’t Be Babes? (Onna Senshi tte Motenai desu ne!)
Author: Taijiro
Publisher: Seven Seas Entertainment
Genre: Comedy
Volume(s): 1 of 3

Review

One trend that I’m starting to notice as of late is that many manga entries in the comedy arena have begun gravitating toward RPG elements or RPG themed settings for their stories. From works like The Brave-Tuber to The Knight Cartoonist and her Orc Editor, it is more of a fad than a trend for anything penned between 2017-2019, but one that oddly works and gives these pieces a certain innate charm they would otherwise have or found in more natural settings. While not necessarily better or worst than most titles that tend to avoid the fuss of sticking random RPG stats here or generic fantasy nonsense there, said titles are still immensely enjoyable whether the audience is familiar with the genre or not. A premier work from manga author Taijirou entitled “Who Says Warriors Can’t Be Babes?” or Onna Senshi tte Motenai desu ne! is a good example as it stars a strong female knight trying too hard (and failing) to get the hero of her affection and party to treat her as a love interest.

After being saved years ago as a young girl by “Hero” and taking on a One Punch Man style training regiment to join him, Warrior Woman’s immense strength ends up creating a ton of amusing situations that she, Hero, and their two companions (named Mage and Priest) usually have to deal with. Believing in sheer quantity over quality, the first volume takes readers through 10 chapters of antics never seem to go Warrior Woman’s way. Seeming more like short vignettes than full-length segments, each chapter only lasts for 2 or 3 minutes making the pacing breezy and deliver of the gags snappy. Of course, where character interactions and type of gags work, this is one of those comedy pieces that does live or die by the delivery since some of the jokes are hit or miss and character personality (aside from what the gags bring to the table) almost nonexistence.. Thankfully, for the most part, all elements working as a cohesive unit manages to provide a fair bit of comedy where it counts the most.

In terms of art style, Taijirou doesn’t stray too far from the beaten path that the aforementioned works or comedy series in general. Bubbly, and highly energetic motion and facial panels If the front cover isn’t immediately apparent, the thematic character designs are reminiscent of many RPG’s (Dragon Quest is one that sticks out the most), but almost feels somewhat generic and bland compared to other titles that go the same direction. Given the fact that Taijirou did have different and more explicit designs for Warrior Woman (as pictured in the afterword and struck down by the editor) as well as plays around for those for the others characters in an extra chapter, I believe his editor had the right and fits in more the spirit of the manga despite the light amount of fanservice that this contains.

---

Final Verdict: Not expecting anything in particular from it, Who Says Warriors Can’t Be Babes is a rather light and quick comedic read that is simple both in both concept and execution. Where it probably won’t send most into immediate hysterics, there are a few small moments that will do the job. With much better options out there and release still left for this year, it makes for adequate and entertaining filler if nothing else.