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電影少女 [Den'ei Shōjo] #13
電影少女 13 幸福 [Den'ei Shōjo 13: Kōfuku]
極楽ビデオ店のオヤジはアイを人間にしようと計画する。しかし、上司のロレックは、愛に自分の計画があるため、これにはあまり同意しません。一方、もえみと陽太は別れ、彼女は海外旅行の計画を彼に伝えます。陽太とアイはついに結ばれるのか？
193 pages, Paperback
First published September 4, 1992
2 people are currently reading
41 people want to read
About the author
Masakazu Katsura
397 books121 followersMasakazu Katsura (桂正和) is a Japanese manga artist.
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
August 13, 2020
Insomma...
E' un manga per ragazzi molto più che per ragazze...avrei preferito una sua diversa disposizione della trama ma non è malaccio "carino" quanto basta ma non per me.
E' un manga per ragazzi molto più che per ragazze...avrei preferito una sua diversa disposizione della trama ma non è malaccio "carino" quanto basta ma non per me.
March 21, 2018
The story of the star-crossed, sci-fi-tinged romance of Yota and Ai finally comes to an end, and after a few lackluster volumes, I feel that Ai ends on a reasonably strong note. In volume 12, we found out that Ai's creator spawned the video girls in order to seduce men and then break their hearts. Rather than facilitate love, the video girls were designed to break the hearts of incurable romantics, proving that love is a sham. Because our protagonist, Yota, played Ai's tape on a broken VCR, things don't work out as the creator planned. Ai has fallen in love with Yota, and Yota in love with Ai.
Thus begins our final volume. The real danger is that the creator can erase Ai, destroy her memory, and turn her back into a regular video girl. She'd rather die that lose the memory of her time with Yota. So Yota, Ai and the clerk at the video shop, who betrays the creator, set out to make Ai into a real girl, thus beyond the creator's reach.
The problem with the few volumes prior to this is that Katsura spent too much time recycling the same romantic triangle themes, and I got sick of the characters being so much in love that they constantly sacrifice their own happiness in some mistaken ideal of what the other person wants/needs. Ai and Yota have FINALLY gotten on the same page here, so we can do away with (most of) that nonsense and get straight to the conflict with the creator. There are some interesting twists, including one or two complete heartbreakers, but in the end, Video Girl Ai ends the only way that a story about the power of love can end - with Yota and Ai happily in each other's arms.
The epilogue, which shows how Yota and Ai have affected all the other prominent supporting cast members in a positive way, was pretty good and interesting. The means by which Yota and Ai are ultimately united is a little less fulfilling, rather deus ex machina actually, but I did like the parallel that Katsura established between Ai and the protagonist of the children's book that Yota was writing.
As always, Katsura's art is just killer.
Thus begins our final volume. The real danger is that the creator can erase Ai, destroy her memory, and turn her back into a regular video girl. She'd rather die that lose the memory of her time with Yota. So Yota, Ai and the clerk at the video shop, who betrays the creator, set out to make Ai into a real girl, thus beyond the creator's reach.
The problem with the few volumes prior to this is that Katsura spent too much time recycling the same romantic triangle themes, and I got sick of the characters being so much in love that they constantly sacrifice their own happiness in some mistaken ideal of what the other person wants/needs. Ai and Yota have FINALLY gotten on the same page here, so we can do away with (most of) that nonsense and get straight to the conflict with the creator. There are some interesting twists, including one or two complete heartbreakers, but in the end, Video Girl Ai ends the only way that a story about the power of love can end - with Yota and Ai happily in each other's arms.
The epilogue, which shows how Yota and Ai have affected all the other prominent supporting cast members in a positive way, was pretty good and interesting. The means by which Yota and Ai are ultimately united is a little less fulfilling, rather deus ex machina actually, but I did like the parallel that Katsura established between Ai and the protagonist of the children's book that Yota was writing.
As always, Katsura's art is just killer.
October 25, 2025
Review for volumes 1 - 13
A Note on Katsura Masakazu
Masakazu's works are oddly diverse and formulaic at the same time. He likes to dab in romantic comedies while also producing works about superheroes that are heavily inspired by US comics. I've only ever delved into his romantic comedies and they usually follow a very particular pattern: average guy pines for a pretty long-haired brunette until a short-haired tomboy makes her entrance. It turns into a love triangle that is soon extended to a third girl who is also a long-haired brunette. At least one of the long-haired brunettes is bound to cut their hair in an attempt to mimic the tomboy. Even though Katsura sticks to this formula, the plot outside of the love story is often refreshing and complex. And while the basic premise of his love stories is the same, you can never be sure about the outcome.
Yota is low in confidence and luck with love. He is in love with Moemi who only seems to have eyes for his popular best friend Takashi. Wanting the best for her, Yota takes on the role of being her friend and supporting her with getting closer to Takashi. One day, a mysterious video store appears from which Yota borrows a tape starring Ai Amano. To his surprise, once he plays the videotape, Ai jumps right out of his TV screen and declares that it is her mission to support him with his love endeavours.
Video Girl Ai is not without its faults but it's a very worthy classic with multiple interesting aspects to it. Given that this story plot is based on videotapes, it can feel a little odd reading this late 80's classic in current times. The setting can feel a little dated, it's particularly obvious in the lack of modern devices (the majority of misunderstandings could have been avoided if the characters had mobile phones, oops.) and the characters clothing. This wouldn't usually bother me, and it doesn't do so here either, but the fact that it is based on media devices does make this difference feel more obvious.
Katsura has a very unique art style - it's clearly a manga but then he also tends to lean into realism which is even more evident in his later works. For this manga in particular, there is quite a nice blend of more realistic-looking moments. I especially appreciate this for his female characters. Given that this is by a male author with largely a male audience in mind, yes, there is definitely fanservice. But unlike many others, the girls are drawn beautifully and realistically. There are several nude scenes and while I am not usually one for fan service or smut (I wouldn't say there is any actual smut in this manga, though), these drawings are definitely tastefully done.
Yota as a character and his love life are complicated, to say the least. It's actually rather interesting that he is considered such an unpopular guy at school because, as far as I'm concerned, he's a perfectly nice guy and has by far the modest handsome design of all male characters in this series. Be that as it may, while I do consider him a nice guy, there are moments where I feel frustrated with him. He can be very self-centred, dense and fickle. It seems like an odd mixture - on one hand, he puts other people first and the cost of his own happiness. But then the next moment he is so oblivious and causes hurt left and right.
I've felt very sorry for both Moemi and Ai and Yota's constant swaying emotions. There was, of course, also Nobuko, the third girl that always makes an entrance in Katsura's works. She was cute in a way but I felt less sorry for her because I actually found her a little obnoxious and she constantly got angry with Yota when he didn't even do anything wrong. Ai and Moemi, on the other hand, were both very likeable and I would have been happy for either of them to end up with Yota. I didn't like some of the changes Katsura made to Moemi later in the series. Sure, she got the curve again, but somehow her behavioural changes were beneath her and didn't do her character any justice. Sadly, Takashi was also a character who didn't get his due. While he didn't seem like the nicest guy at first, through Ai we get to see his good sides as well and I wish things would have turned out differently for him.
Even though there are a lot of moments of frustration in regards to misunderstandings, characters behaving selfishly or just not being honest with each other, it is actually part of what makes this a good manga. Take Yota, his actions aren't always great and it makes it harder to sympathise with him. Yet it makes him a more realistic character who is stuck between genuinely caring for others but also getting caught up in his own desires and how to make them both align.
I should also note that this review is only for volumes 1 - 13. Video Girl Ai officially has 15 volumes, but the remaining two are about new characters and feel more like a sequel than an actual part of Ai's story. You can safely only read until volume 13 and have a perfectly complete story.
July 31, 2015
This review is for Volumes 1 thru 13.
This series is good. Only thing is that the protagonist is so cowardly & indecisive that it's very irritating. I don't find what the girls feel for such a cowardly guy. However, isn't it the very purpose of the video girl to toughen him up a bit. I love all the complications and twists the story has brought. I shed some tears and cracked up. If any book can do this, then it's okay.
You will love Ai. She shows how women are super when it comes to making sure the ones we love are taken care of before we take care of ourselves. She truly was fleshed out well.
I gave the series 3 stars because author could've given more substance to protagonist. The story needed some more 'ommpf'. Overall a good story.
This series is good. Only thing is that the protagonist is so cowardly & indecisive that it's very irritating. I don't find what the girls feel for such a cowardly guy. However, isn't it the very purpose of the video girl to toughen him up a bit. I love all the complications and twists the story has brought. I shed some tears and cracked up. If any book can do this, then it's okay.
You will love Ai. She shows how women are super when it comes to making sure the ones we love are taken care of before we take care of ourselves. She truly was fleshed out well.
I gave the series 3 stars because author could've given more substance to protagonist. The story needed some more 'ommpf'. Overall a good story.
September 11, 2021
(For those unaware that this is the end of the initial story, the next two volumes are a side story/sequel. They had a different name in Japanese but they went ahead and just published them under the same one for the U.S. release)
Volume score: 5
Series score 4.5
The story wrapped up in a very satisfactory way, equal parts heartbreaking and heartwarming. The ending is something of a deus ex machina, but it's also foreshadowed, so it doesn't feel cheap. And last volume they gave us a literal God in the machine. Without spoiling the end, I say this is both heartwarming and heartbreaking, because unlike most harems I've seen, Yota genuinely did have fantastic chemistry with all three of the women he has a relationship with over the course of the series, even if the relationships themselves could be a bit rocky. I was disappointed with the break-up in the middle of the series, as well as the one near the end, even though neither are dead stops to the relationships, and there are attempts to mend. I'll be honest, I do wish he had been with someone else at the end, but my cynical ass is always overly critical of a "love conquers all" theme, but here it's pulled off as well as it can be. Frankly, I can't think of a manga or anime that does it better. Every character in this volumes does a damn good job of playing their role, and these are some of the most grounded, human portrayals I've seen in manga. The fact this series is turning thirty next year and it's not regarded as an unskippable classic is nothing short of a travesty. Despite some hiccups at the beginning once, this series hits its stride, it is a wholly unique, and one of the best.
Volume score: 5
Series score 4.5
The story wrapped up in a very satisfactory way, equal parts heartbreaking and heartwarming. The ending is something of a deus ex machina, but it's also foreshadowed, so it doesn't feel cheap. And last volume they gave us a literal God in the machine. Without spoiling the end, I say this is both heartwarming and heartbreaking, because unlike most harems I've seen, Yota genuinely did have fantastic chemistry with all three of the women he has a relationship with over the course of the series, even if the relationships themselves could be a bit rocky. I was disappointed with the break-up in the middle of the series, as well as the one near the end, even though neither are dead stops to the relationships, and there are attempts to mend. I'll be honest, I do wish he had been with someone else at the end, but my cynical ass is always overly critical of a "love conquers all" theme, but here it's pulled off as well as it can be. Frankly, I can't think of a manga or anime that does it better. Every character in this volumes does a damn good job of playing their role, and these are some of the most grounded, human portrayals I've seen in manga. The fact this series is turning thirty next year and it's not regarded as an unskippable classic is nothing short of a travesty. Despite some hiccups at the beginning once, this series hits its stride, it is a wholly unique, and one of the best.
September 8, 2025
Une jolie conclusion.
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Review série complète :
C'est une série pour adolescents très représentative des années 80-90. Les gens ne savent pas communiquer, les ados sont livrés à eux-mêmes et les filles sont sexualisées tout du long. Yota est un héros indécis, qui sort avec plusieurs filles, sans vraiment comprendre ses sentiments et en étant toujours impliqué dans des relations qui ne fonctionnent pas par manque de communication. Les filles sont globalement gentilles et ont tendance à offrir leur corps par amour, même si ça n'aboutit pas forcément (c'était assez pénible à lire). Aï est un personnage réussi, avec une belle évolution tout au long de la série, de l'humour et de la gentillesse.
Les histoires d'amour sont assez moyennes d'un point de vue adulte, mais elles fonctionnaient bien quand j'étais ado. Plusieurs thèmes secondaires sont abordés de manière intéressante (la maladie, les traumatismes, l'échec, la dépression, etc) et complètent bien l'ensemble. Par contre, pour une série sur cette tranche d'âge, l'amitié est vraiment très peu développée, ça rend la lecture un peu étrange. On ne s'étendra pas sur le "vidéo club" qui offre des adolescentes à des garçons, pour les "consoler"... on nage en plein délire masculin toxique. Côté dessins, le mangaka est vraiment très bon, avec une belle évolution tout au long de la série, c'est un peu dommage que les filles soient autant dénudées mais ça m'a moins gênée que sur des séries plus récentes.
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Review série complète :
C'est une série pour adolescents très représentative des années 80-90. Les gens ne savent pas communiquer, les ados sont livrés à eux-mêmes et les filles sont sexualisées tout du long. Yota est un héros indécis, qui sort avec plusieurs filles, sans vraiment comprendre ses sentiments et en étant toujours impliqué dans des relations qui ne fonctionnent pas par manque de communication. Les filles sont globalement gentilles et ont tendance à offrir leur corps par amour, même si ça n'aboutit pas forcément (c'était assez pénible à lire). Aï est un personnage réussi, avec une belle évolution tout au long de la série, de l'humour et de la gentillesse.
Les histoires d'amour sont assez moyennes d'un point de vue adulte, mais elles fonctionnaient bien quand j'étais ado. Plusieurs thèmes secondaires sont abordés de manière intéressante (la maladie, les traumatismes, l'échec, la dépression, etc) et complètent bien l'ensemble. Par contre, pour une série sur cette tranche d'âge, l'amitié est vraiment très peu développée, ça rend la lecture un peu étrange. On ne s'étendra pas sur le "vidéo club" qui offre des adolescentes à des garçons, pour les "consoler"... on nage en plein délire masculin toxique. Côté dessins, le mangaka est vraiment très bon, avec une belle évolution tout au long de la série, c'est un peu dommage que les filles soient autant dénudées mais ça m'a moins gênée que sur des séries plus récentes.
October 12, 2023
"Why? Why is everybody so bad at relationships?" - Ai
At last, I've reached the end of the saga of Video Girl Ai. This is a series of contradictions. The manga's creator focuses strongly on the emotions of all of the main characters, especially the trio of female leads (Ai, Moemi, Nobuko), humanizing their individual feelings and complexities in a real way - yet when it comes to the (beautiful) artwork, the girls are all depicted as objects. Volume 13 is the first time I can recall the main male protagonist being unclothed - with a magically placed waft of steam covering his bare butt! But the girls are quite sexualized throughout, often disrobing, losing a shirt, wearing impossibly tight jeans that leave nothing to the imagination. I get it, it's a hetero male series, and it may not be for everyone.
Also - for a story about a video girl magically coming to life, that sci-fi element takes a backseat to all the teenage drama and emotions throughout much of the series. I wish this had been balanced out more. It meanders so much in the love triangles that the video world and Ai's creators, while cool and mysterious, remain underdeveloped until the very end.
But... it's ok somehow. The series' strength is its slick artwork and its irrepressible and spontaneous main character, Ai herself. Yo.
At last, I've reached the end of the saga of Video Girl Ai. This is a series of contradictions. The manga's creator focuses strongly on the emotions of all of the main characters, especially the trio of female leads (Ai, Moemi, Nobuko), humanizing their individual feelings and complexities in a real way - yet when it comes to the (beautiful) artwork, the girls are all depicted as objects. Volume 13 is the first time I can recall the main male protagonist being unclothed - with a magically placed waft of steam covering his bare butt! But the girls are quite sexualized throughout, often disrobing, losing a shirt, wearing impossibly tight jeans that leave nothing to the imagination. I get it, it's a hetero male series, and it may not be for everyone.
Also - for a story about a video girl magically coming to life, that sci-fi element takes a backseat to all the teenage drama and emotions throughout much of the series. I wish this had been balanced out more. It meanders so much in the love triangles that the video world and Ai's creators, while cool and mysterious, remain underdeveloped until the very end.
But... it's ok somehow. The series' strength is its slick artwork and its irrepressible and spontaneous main character, Ai herself. Yo.
February 26, 2023
El emotivo tomo final de Ai.
July 19, 2016
Creo que el nivel promedio de esta serie es mayor al de I"s pero Video Girl me gustó menos. Quizás porque lo leí de más grande, quizás porque el dibujo de I"s al ser posterior es mejor, quizás porque me la habían inflado mucho. Después veo si en algún momento me lo releo y/o escribo reviews individuales. Por ahora copypasteo más o menos lo mismo en todas por los motivos de siempre...
Podrían haberle puesto un final un poco más maduro a la historia de Ai, pero bueh. Al menos el dibujo sigue siendo impresionante.
Podrían haberle puesto un final un poco más maduro a la historia de Ai, pero bueh. Al menos el dibujo sigue siendo impresionante.
March 26, 2015
Antepenúltimo tomo, donde se cierra la historia de Ai y se prepara el terreno para la de Len.
April 15, 2019
Edición argentina. Último tomo de La historia de Ai, antepenúltimo de la colección.
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