Don’t let the cover fool you. Mad Love Chase volume 1 from Tokyopop is not some dreamy boy, questionable nature manga. It’s a story of arranged marriage, demons and a prince wanting to make his own choices. What’s the chase all about, let’s take a look …
Kujou Yamato make look normal but under his teenage exterior lies the should of the demon realm prince Kaito. Being part of royalty has its perks and downfalls and it’s his arranged marriage that has forced Kaito to seek refuge and freedom in the human world. With Rebun, his cat, also transformed into human at his side, disguised as the school nurse, Kujou is just trying to blend in and enjoy himself but his father has other plans. Sending three servants, also disguised as students and school workers to retrieve his son life gets very interesting for Kujou especially since the markings on his back identify him as the missing prince. Trying to see his back, get his shirt off leads to many … interesting encounters and when a very domineering fiancé shows up, well this is not the normal life Kaito wished for. The chase is on and it is indeed a mad type of love being pursued.
My comment about the cover really focuses on Kujou having a loose short and the soft colors. The black demon wings are missed when first looking so it’s easy to mistake this manga for something other than the adventure it is. Story is the real driving force for Mad Love Chase as you’ve got Kujou and Rebun trying to blend in, stay hidden, three soldiers from the king trying to blend in while discovering the identity of the missing prince, even if he happens to be one of their best friends, and then you’ve got a crazy sexy fiancé from the arranged marriage showing up with her body guards. The encounters offer up plenty of funny and awkward situations and leads to a strong and fun story, nuff said. The art contains basic school settings, minimal background work and character models that are cookie cutter, not very memorable or details. Sound bad, not really as each character shows personality, humor and anger in a manner that comes off the page perfectly. Again, Mad Love Chase is about the story and it contains art that gets the job done, nothing more.
Overall Mad Love Chase may not look super compelling from its cover but inside it’s a humorous story of an other-worldly prince who just wants a chance to be normal. Like many similar stories before the clock is ticking on when the prince will be discovered but until then sit back and enjoy the humorous hiding while the chase continues.
