
Manga
Nickelodeon
Manga
Yaoi ghosts, vampire property laws, frog princesses and more blended into a hella weird, hella fun one-shot collection
63I rate series relative to each other, with 5 being average, 6 being slightly above, etc. My score is not a knock on the series, I quite enjoyed it for what it was.
Dowman Sayman is known for works that blend elements of ecchi, a unique sense of humor, and bizarre supernatural situations, and Nickelodeon is no exception. The series consists of short one-shots, typically 7-10 pages, most of which are entirely self-contained and end with either a plot twist or punchline. It provides an extremely unique reading experience, with the chapters being quick reads that go from yaoi ghosts to fighting eldritch horrors with a badminton racket to whatever else Dowman Sayman felt like writing that day.
The works are, as you'd expect from the mangaka, uniquely and deeply weird. Some of them seem to be based on fairytales and mythology, there's a couple that seem to be parodies of other works, there's a chapter that crosses over with Oddman 11, and lots of fever dream-esque one-shots. Unlike a lot of one-shot collections, they all feel like they were made more for fun than anything else- not trying to have some deeper meaning, not trying to launch a new series, just pure entertainment. It's refreshing to read one-shots like that, and if you're reading for a couple minutes on your break or something Nickelodeon is probably one of the best experiences you can have.
Also unlike many other one-shot collections, there's not much variance in quality. Considering that there're 39 one-shots, the fact that there're only a couple of weak stories is remarkable. In yet another point in Nickelodeon's favor over other one-shot collections, some of the stories actually reference and build off each other while still serving as standalone stories (as paradoxical as that sounds). The result? Back-to-back-to-back-to-back and so on quick, light fun.
That's not to say Nickelodeon is by any means a perfect work. Due to being so short, some of the one-shots feel like they're incomplete or lack buildup to the twist or punchline, some of the jokes are definitely to taste, and there comes a point where the plot twists have less impact because, well, you've been hit with a plot twist so many times that they're kind of expected. Oh well. They're still largely really fun, it just is a small issue.
The art is pretty cool, really unique and the style works well with the overall weirdness. Dowman Sayman is really good at changing their style slightly depending on what they want to convey, and some of the more monster-oriented stories in Nickelodeon showcase that.
In conclusion: a fun, unique read, not flawless but certainly entertaining. Well worth the (relatively quick) read.
