Ran and the Gray World, Vol. 1

乱と灰色の世界 / Ran to haiiro no sekai #1

by Aki Irie

Even though Ran looks like an adult during her transformation, she doesn’t really know what perils the outside world holds. When she meets rich playboy Otaro Mikado, does she gain a friend or foe?

Genres: Manga, Fantasy, Comics, Seinen, Magic, Graphic Novels, Fiction

216 pages, Kindle Edition

First published November 16, 2009

About the author

Aki Irie (入江亜季, Irie Aki) is a Japanese mangaka.

Name in other languages:
入江亞季 (Chinese)
이리에 아키 (Korean)

Do not add scanlation records.

Reviews

[Harry Jahnke · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book...is problematic at best. First of all, the artwork is some of the best I think I've ever seen. Now that I've said something nice, it's time to talk about the nastiness I have to say. This book is about a 4th grader who puts on magic shoes and turns into an incredibly sexualized legal adult. Now I'm probably the farthest thing from an expert on Japanese culture but that's just weird. Like it's kind of weird how she's drawn in such a sexy way when we literally just saw her as a child and then it gets a lot weirder when the rich asshole tries to "wake her with a kiss" and asks to "bite her thighs". I don't care if she's magically legal while she's wearing shoes, that's pedophilia and it's weird. Which is really too bad because until that came up, I was really quite enjoying this. The artwork and Ran's whimsical attitude towards life is really good and then a naked guy shows up out of nowhere and he's all like "Hot high schooler passed out on my balcony, nice. Time to do weird shit." That's not ok and I wish I could recommend this but sexualizing fourth graders who magically turn into adults is where I draw the line, apparently. Never thought I'd be writing that but here we are.

UPDATE:
Ok so I did some googling because I wanted to see if anyone else shared my opinions. One person called it the sexiest manga ever (ew) and someone else called the rich character the villain. Here's my main issue with that: this character, for my money, isn't portrayed as a villain. He's portrayed like a dreamy love interest character and at no point do I really feel like the author is like "This guy is the villain and his behavior is unacceptable. Don't be like this guy." but rather it feels like a "will they, won't they" romance...with a fourth grader. Can't stress that enough, she is in fourth grade as soon as she takes off her magic shoes. Imagine it like this, Billy Batson, Shazam, right? He's a 10 year old boy who can magically transform into an adult man with super powers. Now imagine that there's another full grown man character who starts to aggressively hit on Captain Marvel to the point where it makes him visibly uncomfortable. I'm just saying, at the end of the day, Shazam is a kid in a grown up body and so is Ran so I feel like when a grown man character gets into bed with this character, rather than showing a full page of Ran in a sexy pose, the author should be like "No, bad touch" and then doesn't sooooooo there's that. Really strong first half, incredibly creepy finish. I'm only giving it two stars because the artwork really is that good.

[Dani ❤️ Perspective of a Writer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Check out more manga and graphic novel reviews @ Perspective of a Writer...

Ran is a 4th grader with a magical family that is too overprotective to the mind of this young sorceress, especially since her mom doesn't spend near the time with her that she'd like. She has a magical pair of sneakers that transforms her little body into that of a grown young woman so why not use them to go one adventures?! Well Ran sure tests her older brother, Jin, and her father's skills at keeping her safe... especially once she meets rich playboy Otaro Mikado, who takes a liking to the grown Ran...

I'm going to go there and say the art is a 10 out of 5 stars!! Yes, the art is that good, I'm not exaggerating one bit... I would plaster this art all over my wall and be only too happy to look at it all day. The details are incredible, the character designs are so expressive and showcases their subtle oddity. GAHHHHH! I would be consuming this volumes so quickly if they were all already released and not just Ran and the Gray World vol 1!! I think Ran is so gorgeous too... And I'm not even talking about the creative plot yet and how that makes the art so dynamic, which it does by the way.

Okay, okay... I can hear you asking me already... You get it that I feel like the art in Ran and the Gray World vol 1 is top notch, literally the best I've seen, but what about the plot?! I happen to really enjoy Ran and her adventures. Right now they read more as short stories that have Ran as the main protagonist. They seemed to me to be laid out in a way that shows us different sides of Ran and her adventures. One is about her mother who lives in a village outside of town (showing her vulnerability). Another is about school and how she has all these questions (showing her curiosity). In another she runs into some drunks and doesn't get what is happening (showing her naivete). In another her mother visits (showing her awe).

So yeah I really enjoyed getting to know Ran through her first set of adventures! It was pretty satisfying despite my not really understanding the point at first. As I read I realized that this is literally about little 4th grade Ran and the different perspective she has on life. It's almost slice of life in nature and yet is so pumped full of magic and young curiosity that it doesn't have that dragging feeling that some slice of life stories have. I was quite fascinated to know what was going to happen next and see what it would show us about Ran but also understand what we may see in the future for her...

And we come to the slightly sketchy part, because I was fully involved and compelled by Ran's story... but there was one slightly odd part of the story that I don't understand reading just Ran and the Gray World vol 1. And that is rich playboy Otaro Mikado. We meet him as he enters a hotel naked and we see his bare butt. He comes onto Ran later but she doesn't really understand and Jin rescues her. He's obviously a character we will see again, but why include him? To me he felt like an antagonist character who will become a problem for Ran running around as an adult. In the end I concluded that if that is the case in future I think its a super smart way to add a villain type character in a slice of life story that generally don't have those.

The world is slightly odd feeling, but in a fascinating and compelling way that is totally explained by some facts of Ran's life. This family grew up with magic, Jin is way older than Ran and right now their family is split because of her mother's duties in this village quite a distance away. Ran and the Gray World vol 1 simply put enchanted me! I will look forward to vol 2 with much anticipation and seeing how the relationship with playboy Otaro plays out... A fascinating seinen manga!


⋆ ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Authenticity
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Tension
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Plot
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Art

Thanks to Edelweiss and VIZ Media for providing me with a copy in exchange for an honest review. It has not influenced my opinions.

______________________
You can find this review and many others on my book blog @ Perspective of a Writer. See my manga and graphic novel reviews in a special feature called Saturday Morning Cartoons...

Please like this review if you enjoyed it! *bow* *bow* It helps me out a ton!!

[Amber · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a whimsical read. The magical elements in here are super fun and visually appealing. The art itself is stunning, I could just sit there and look at the art and be happy. There was a weird romantic element to it but overall I really liked the story. I am looking forward to reading the next volume!

[Rod Brown · Rating 3 out of 5]

Oh, manga, how you vex me! Why do you have so many titles that simultaneous delight and skeeve me out?

Take this book, a wonderfully illustrated and humorous tale set in an interesting world of sorceresses and shapeshifters. Our heroine is a fourth grader named Ran who bursts through life at full throttle. But part of that involves transforming into an 18-year-old version of herself that still has her nine-year-old brain and innocence. Throw in fan service art and a bunch of grown males trying to get with her and the daddy in me is sickened and angered.

I'm going to keep reading for now, but I don't know if I'll be able to stick it out.

[Valentina · Rating 4 out of 5]

Voto effettivo: 3.5 stelle

[AnaBells · Rating 3 out of 5]

El dibujo es brutal, pero la historia, al menos, en este primer tomo es un poco confusa (para mí).
Espero, que en el segundo se aclare 😬.

[Teeny · Rating 2 out of 5]

This...was different.

Ran's kind of bratty at times but overall, looks interesting enough for me to pick up a second volume. The art reminds me a little of Jojo's Bizarre Adventure...

Basically:Little Ran's the daughter of a sorceress who has these special sneakers that make her turn into a big boobed adult. Hijinks ensue...especially later in this volume where she winds up literally flying into Otaro's penthouse and Otaro does some things that I found a bit problematic. I mean, she looks like an adult...but Ran's a kid in reality. Otaro creeping on her in her adult form was effing WRONG.

[alexis · Rating 3 out of 5]

[volumes 1-7, chapters 1-48] The art in this is SO good. It’s SOOOOOOOO fucking good. UNBELIEVABLYYYYYY fucking good. I did Not like the writing.

This manga has a bit of a reputation, but I was still surprised by how much I immediately didn’t like it. The premise of a magic kid who can turn into a teen/adult is a popular trope with middle-schoolers for obvious reasons - imagine instantly skipping the most awkward parts of puberty and now you’re got Muscle Arms And You’re A JERK And Everybody Loves You!!!! Now learn this life lesson about accepting yourself where you’re at because you only get to be a kid once. When I was twelve, I, too, loved Full Moon Wo Sagashite, Pixie Pop, basically 50% of all early Sailor Moon filler, and 13 Going on 30. Ran and the Gray World makes CLAMP’s age gap relationships seem genuinely pure of heart in comparison, though. I was physically grimacing through a lot of this.

Everyone survives basically unscathed by the end, but Aki Irie never came even remotely close to selling me on the idea of a 29yo man trying to date a 10yo girl who becomes physically 16yo whenever she puts on magic shoes. I can’t believe how many “BOING” panels there were of bouncing braless boobs in tank tops. It started to overshadow plot and themes in a way where I’m not even sure it was a matter of personal taste - some of the writing choices seemed straight up….bad! A lot of the weirdness stemmed from how much Ran’s transformation is observed/commented on by older characters doing cartoon wolf eyes and trying to grab her butt, but even her inner monologue tended to have shit like “ugh my underwear is all stretched out now by my HUGE ass :/“ with a closeup of her tiny denim shorts??

Again: the art is SOOOOOO beautiful, and I don’t even necessarily think the author is a Freaqué - but I DO wish the writing had been better. I AM interested in her current series, “Go with the Clouds, North by Northwest”, and will probably check that out at some point

[Teresa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Received from VIZ Media through Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review.

Wasn't sure what to expect from this book, really, but it was excellent and adorable! Ran, a fourth grade girl, has a special pair of shoes that physically transforms her into a hot older young woman. Her mom is a sorceress, and her brother is some kind of wolf creature. What an odd family, but they just try to find their place in the world. All Ran wants to do is fly, but when flying leads her to a man that wants more than friendship, she has no idea how to handle the situation!

Super fun, fast-paced story. I'd buy for myself or a friend, and look forward to the second volume!

[Boujee · Rating 5 out of 5]

this book is gorgeous, and has a lot of Miyazaki heart to it. I'm curious how they're going to continue handling Ran's predicaments that come with transforming into a person older than she actually is, though, if also a little nervous about it as well.

[alunia · Rating 3 out of 5]

kupiłam sobie ta mange jak były warszawskie targi książki (dawno) bo na okładce była dziewczyna z truskawką (tak to wystarczający powód) ale w sumie to taka średnia jest. tzn. wcale nie interesowała mnie ta historia aż tak, uważam też że zbędne jest wydawanie dwóch tomików w jednej książce, ale może to kwestia tego, że męczyło mnie czytanie takiej grubej mangi

nie wiem, czy sięgnę po kolejne tomy. jak skończyłam pierwszy to byłam pewna. że nie, ale zakończenie drugiego tomiku było całkiem słodkie i może kiedyś. ale na pewno nie kupię (tzn tak mi się wydaje)

[Anna C · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ini adalah seinen manga tentang sekeluarga penyihir. Ran yg masih berumur 10 tahun bisa berubah wujud menjadi wanita dewasa jika sedang memakai sepatu kets ajaibnya, tapi ia blm bisa mengontrol kemampuannya dgn baik. Krn ia sangat merindukan ibunya yg dinas di luar kota, maka ia selalu mencari cara utk menemui ibunya. Tapi usahanya selalu gagal, hahaha. Setiap ia kabur, abangnya Jin akan bisa dgn segera 'mengendus' keberadaannya dan membawanya pulang ke rumah sblm ia sempat pergi jauh.
Ibu mrk adalah penyihir yg sangat kuat, dan ia ditugaskan utk menjaga sebuah pintu raksasa agar selalu tertutup. Di sini masih blm jelas apa sbnrnya yg ada di balik pintu raksasa itu.
Sementara itu, Outarou si playboy kaya yg lagi bosan, tertarik dgn kekuatan ajaib Ran dan mulai mendekati Ran...tanpa mengetahui kalau Ran masih berumur 10 tahun, hahaha....

Masih blm tau ceritanya mau dibawa ke mana, tapi aku berharap lebih dari yg satu ini. :) Secara ga cuma artwork-nya yg bgs dan detil bgt, plotnya unik, imajinatif dan unpredictable, gaya berceritanya juga enak dan ringan dan terasa seperti sedang membaca fairy tale Jepang gitu.

[L. Luck · Rating 2 out of 5]

It's such a pretty series with any interesting premise! I couldn't remember why I stopped reading it, and then I see a grown man flirting and requesting a sexual relationship with an 8/9-year-old who is just currently in a teenager's/young woman's body, and I'm just like, "Oh, right." It'd be 5☆ if they didn't sexualize a shape-shifting 4th grader. Ugh...

2.5☆ because the premise is cool and maybe there's a chance that they don't follow through on that romance. A chance that they made it a teaching moment instead, but I have my doubts...

[Nore · Rating 3 out of 5]

Loved the art (for the most part), found the plot intriguing, had sooooome issues with the way Ran was presented as this super-hot high school girl. I did read her potential love interest as a creepy weirdo/anti-hero at best, so maybe it won't go in a terribly disturbing direction, but that remains to be seen!

I did like it enough to keep an eye on it - I want to know what the giant door is about.

[Alicia · Rating 2 out of 5]

Okay, I checked out the first two volumes because I liked the cover art, and the art is fantastic. I had an issue with the character Otaro, who is introduced naked and his chapter is titled Prince in the Penthouse. He's a bored Playboy who becomes interested in adult Ran. I get he doesn't know she's 10ish, but still, he's an adult and thinks she's a teen, then holds her hostage and is inappropriate towards her. Ran's brother doesn't like him and neither do I.

[Rebecca · Rating 3 out of 5]

How many of these references can you spot in here?

1) Pippi Longstocking
2) Ronja the Robber's Daughter
3) Selkie or Celestial Maiden tales
4) Seven League Boots tales
5) Bewitched
6) Cinderella A tales
7) Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs (picture book, not god-awful film)
8) Brothers who were Changed into Birds tales

[Sirene · Rating 5 out of 5]

Was für ein schöner Zeichenstil! Und die Story...bin gespannt, wie sich das entwickelt...

[DonutKnow · Rating 5 out of 5]

The art is soo good- Ran is so pretty!! ❤️❤️❤️❤️

[Sharon · Rating 2 out of 5]

Actual rating: 2.5 stars
CW: pedophilia by accident

On one hand, it's sooo pretty and funny and cute, and the romance could be one I would be so invested in!!!
.....if she wasn't 11.

Might read further but don't plan on buying more volumes for now.

[laau · Rating 2 out of 5]

Estoy muy enfadada con este manga.

Para empezar, el dibujo es precioso y el diseño de personajes más aún. Los colores usados en la portada me encantan, y la edición también. Pero, señores de Tomodomo, ¿no creen que había algo IMPORTANTE que añadir a su maravillosa edición? Una sinopsis en la parte de atrás, o incluso en una de las solapas. ALGO.
Me compré el tomo pensando que iba a ser el típico manga costumbrista, "slice of life", pero de una brujita de pelo morado. Como tampoco ponía ningún tipo de sinopsis en el tomo, pues pa'lante, me lo compré. Imaginaos mi cara cuando veo de qué va realmente el manga.
Ran es una niña de diez años que, al ser hija de una bruja muy poderosa, tiene poderes. Hasta ahí bien, suena interesante y gracioso. El problema está en que uno de los poderes de Ran es cambiar su cuerpo por el de una muchachita de unos 20 años (el doble de su edad) al ponerse unas zapatillas. Una muchachita bastante sexualizada, por cierto. Al menos para mi gusto.
Pero ahí no se acaba el drama. Hay un señor en el manga que quiere tener una relación de "más allá de amistad" (literalmente se dice esto en el último capítulo del tomo). Este señor tendrá sus veintipico-treinta años, y claro, él piensa que Ran tiene veinte. PERO ES UNA NIÑA DE DIEZ AÑOS. ESTO ESTÁ MUY MAL.
Además, he de decir que este personaje masculino dice algunas cosas que, para mí, suenan a apología a la violación. Y cito textualmente "No voy a excederme con esta cría", como implicando que con otras "crías" sí que se ha excedido. O sea, un poquitín violador, a parte del acoso que recibe Ran de su parte (le espía y le sigue hasta su casa) y de lo manipulador que es.

Me compraré el tomo dos, pero como siga de esta guisa, el tomo tres nanai de la china. Y que sepáis que las dos estrellas es por el dibujo. Lo demás ha sido terrible para mí.

[Nelson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very charming first volume. Ran is a ball of joy on the page. The magic is whimsical and over the top in all the best ways. And the art is joy to look at.

*I see some people seem to have issues with the fact that men fawn over Ran when she's in adult mode, but I never found it to be egregious or in poor taste given that nothing happens, and the mangaka is never self-indulgent with fanservice (there were only two very tame instances of nudity, none of them Ran, and they both fit the characters and story). I guess people are bothered that Ran's adult mode is drawn with short shorts and a small shirt? Idk, I guess I don't find that type of thing sexual in itself, especially since she's never drawn suggestively; and it makes sense that her clothes would be small on her since she just grew to twice her size. In addition, none of the characters who hit on her know she's a kid, and she never reciprocates in any fashion since she doesn't even get what they're doing. I just thought it was all pretty innocent, especially given how egregious manga can be about these things.

[Jenni · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing manga! I love it so much, and the art work were so beautiful and the plot was creative with lots of humor from Ran :D You can literally feel the magic all the time when you read it. The many closeup shots of Ran when she became a collage girl were very beautifully drawn, as Ohtaroh, I'm stunned xD
The real world setting highlights the ethereal beauty of the sorceresses, and the otherworldliness of their actions, which is one of the reason you should read this manga!

I highly recommend this! :D Can't wait for volume 2!

[Hcdragoncat · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love the story- the artwork, the concept, all of it. The author and artist make this manga stunning to read and behold. Oh and how the magic is Truly chaotic in a sense that it just happens. It has a whim and sense of its own that has me thinking of Howls moving castle in both book form and Movie format. The author doesn’t try and explain the magic either which is actually refreshing in this because most of the time the magic is either explained away or broken down. I love this and I’m charmed. Absolutely charmed.

[Loz · Rating 1 out of 5]

Holding final judgement until I read the second volume soon. Atm I am... torn. Will report back.

Art is stunning.

Update 5/18/19: dropping this series middle of book 2. I did not like the sexualizing of a little kid. Not handled well at all. Now rating it a 1 star.

[Tar Buendía · Rating 2 out of 5]

Es muy cuco pero me molesta mucho la sexualización. Es muy incómodo verla con el cuerpo más adulto, que ni siquiera es de mujer adulta, y la manera en la que se trata. Hace que escenas que deberían ser, supongo, graciosas se conviertan más bien en terror.

[Met · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ma che sorpresa deliziosa! Una storia semplice, arricchita con tavole morbide e dense di dettagli. Character design dei personaggi eccezionale. Il primo volume è stato delicato, divertente ma non sciocco. Bello, bello!

[mae · Rating 4 out of 5]

😭😭😭💕💕💕

[Zala]

Placeholder for volumes 1-7

[Alendi · Rating 2 out of 5]

Qué decepción de manga. La portada y la sinopsis me sugerían una historia de magia costumbrista y bonita, y al final la parte costumbrista es más bien simple, la historia sosa y tiene una cantidad de flirteo/sensualidad femenina que ni me esperaba ni me interesan. Es como los cómics rancios de los años 80: una niña bruja cuyo superpoder es convertirse en adolescente buenorra, flirtear y hacer posturitas, madre ausente buenorra con escena de baño incluída y demasiado brillibrilli para mi gusto. Para estar escrito por una autora en la década del 2000 deja mucho que desear.

[Raquel Laforet]

El imaginario es cuco, pero a día de hoy necesito algo más para que un libro, serie o cómic me guste.

El recurso de magia que te transforma en tía buena es uno de los que menos me gusta, y aunque la Ran-niña me ha caído bien, que el elenco femenino conste prácticamente de primeros planos de su pechamen me tira mucho para atrás.

Y lo más importante: para ser historias cortas pasan sin pena ni gloria, sin aportarme nada por sí solas y sin sembrar la más mínima curiosidad para crear una historia más larga, aunque sean, como digo "cucas".