Zettai Karen Children - MangaUpdates

Zettai Karen Children

Description

It's the 21st century, and the number of ESPers continues to increase. They are active in the military, diplomacy, politics, and in other places. They hold the key for global competition. A country that controls ESP can control the world! However individuals who posses higher than Level 4 are less than 3% of the population. There are only three Level 7 people who have government contracts. These three are Kaoru, Aoi, and Shiho, ten-year old girls, who work for B.A.B.E.L. With the guidance of Kouichi, a twenty-year old genius, they catch criminals and evil ESPers.

Type

Manga

The Unlimited - Hyoubu Kyousuke (Side Story)

Hourousha (Side Story)

Associated Names

Absolutely Lovely Children

Cute Children

Lovely Children

Psychic Squad

Totally Lovely Children

ZKC

สามพลังป่วนพิทักษ์โลก

楚楚可怜超能少女组

楚楚可憐超能少女組

絶対可憐チルドレン

绝对可怜Children

绝对可爱Children

Groups Scanlating

Latest Release(s)

v.54 c.524 by Easy Going Scans 2 years ago

v.54 c.523 by Easy Going Scans 2 years ago

v.54 c.522 by Easy Going Scans 2 years ago

Search for all releases of this series

Status in Country of Origin

63 Volumes (Complete)

Completely Scanlated?

Anime Start/End Chapter

Starts at Vol 1, Chap 1

Ends at Vol 16, Chap 139

User Reviews

N/A

Forum

6 topics, 15 posts

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User Rating

Average: 8.2 / 10.0 (398 votes)

Bayesian Average: 8.07 / 10.0

31%

20%

22%

12%

Last Updated

June 3rd, 2023 2:17pm PDT - 1 year ago

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Genre

Action Comedy Drama Ecchi Harem Romance Sci-fi Shounen Supernatural
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Categories

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Category Recommendations

Silent Mobius

Kotoura-san

Saiki Kusuo no Ψ Nan

Choushinri Genshou Nouryokusha Nanaki

Dragon Ball

Recommendations

Hoshi no Samidare

Hagane no Renkinjutsushi

Author(s)

Artist(s)

Year

2005

Original Publisher

Shogakukan

Serialized In (magazine)

Shuukan Shounen Sunday (Shogakukan)

Licensed (in English)

English Publisher

N/A

Activity Stats (vs. other series)

Weekly Pos #686

(+2)

Monthly Pos #1536 (No change)

3 Month Pos #2544

(-338)

6 Month Pos #3679

(+340)

Year Pos #3990

(+168)

List Stats

On 2433 reading lists

On 1185 wish lists

On 64 completed lists

On 101 unfinished lists

On 444 custom lists

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Forum Posts Click to view the forum

Zettai Karen Children Enters Final Arc in Summer

3 years ago

watch the anime or read the manga

12 years ago

Zettai Karen Children's New Anime Is Hyoubu Spinoff

12 years ago

Does the anime follow closely to the manga (alternative ending)?

12 years ago

Zettai Karen Children question (spoiler)

13 years ago

User Comments [ Order by usefulness ]

I wasn't expecting to love it!

by Sapphiresky
5 years ago

Rating: 7.0 / 10.0

I started reading this series, thinking I'd probably hate it, as it appeared to be a lolicon harem series, (two genres I want no part of) and while I can't say it isn't, somehow, I'm hooked.

It's easy to misjudge this series because it's so many things. It attempts romance, action, drama, historical and IMHO none of these elements are particularly great.

What I stuck around for is the moronic and O.P. characters endlessly dicking around. I don't care about the prophecy. I don't care if humans and normals ever get along.

All I want is to see Kaoru harass her friends, Shiho saying terrible thinks with her loveliest face, Hyoubu giving Magi more heartburn, etc. (Aoi and Minamoto can get run over for all I care)

That's right, I stayed for absurd slice of life. I love when charterers have awesome powers and only/mostly use them in mundane and not productive ways.

The following is my opinionated complaints for the series: skip the rest of you want.

The biggest downside of this series is Minamoto. I'm not okay with 10 yr old girls trying to get into his pants. (Obviously meant as gratification for readers identifying with him). I'm so tired if this boring stock character: Mary Sue, tortured but innocent, average looking but brilliant, I'll fix your life with my kindness BS type Mary Sue (yes I called him a Mary Sue twice. Come up with ONE real character flaw and I'll recind my statement). I'm generally not okay with his existence in this series at all and it would be better without him (IN MY HUMBLE OPINION).

The fact that this series seems to be written by a pedo for pedos makes me sad because it's really good otherwise.

Also, anyone saying this is not lolicon can take a smack in the face for every panty shot of an underage girl in volume 1 and we'll see how how many stitches you need.

... Last updated 5 years ago

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Pacing Issues

by TheIro
9 years ago

Rating: 5.0 / 10.0

The main problem with this manga is that the author doesn't know how to pace the story properly. The story by itself is pretty decent, the characters are fairly well written, the art is pretty well drawn and cute, but its the execution that's sorely lacking. Namely there's not much tension going on even in the most important battles or the buildup leading up to it.

Part of the reason is that the author goes too quickly from one panel to the next. In scenes where the action should be stretched out is often reduced to a couple of panels. Sometimes you'll even have "epic" battles finished in one or two panels when clearly there should be more action illustrated. Even in supposely emotional story scenes, the author just goes over things too quick. Where more time should be spent on characters expressing their emotions, but you would have characters crying in one panel then punching someone's lights out in the next. The transition is just too jaring.

This problem is also exasperated by the presence of a not very funny 4-com gag manga or omake right between the chapters. So you could have a sad moving scene but before it finishes, you'll be reading some totally non related gag manga, before finally going back to the said sad scene. This process just ruins whatever tension or emotion the scene had in the first place. The author should of only added the 4-com gag manga at the end of each arc instead of every chapter! Or even ban it altogether (they're filler material that don't add much to the story anyway).

If you're looking to read this manga, I'd advise you to stick to watching the 2 animes instead, they're both much better executed and allow the story of this manga to be told as it should be. I really loved watching the animes, its a shame the manga did not live up to its counterpart. In hindsight I would of been better served if I'd ignored the manga altogether. (Yes even though it goes further along the story!)

... Last updated 9 years ago

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Bait and switch

by kaply
11 years ago

Rating: N/A

This manga has great characters, comedy and a main storyline. What really kills this series is the fact that this has essentially become two series in one. The reader is forced to go through multiple past arcs with Hyoubo which has very little to do with the main characters of this series. I would estimate that since the Hyoubo arcs have been introduced, about 50% of the chapters have been devoted to the character. I'm all for developing characters in the story, but not to this length. There doesn't seem to be a reason to delve this far into this characters history to explain why he's doing what he's doing. The author really needs to get back and focus on the main characters.

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One of the Best

by Suxinn
12 years ago

Rating: 9.8 / 10.0

OK, so I don't really understand how this happened, but Zettai Karen Children has become, hands down, my favorite, ongoing, long-running manga. Seriously, I don't understand how ZKC does it. I remember when I first started this back when it only had 40 or so chapters scanlated and reading it only because I had nothing else to do. Then, somehow, it got better and better until it finally reached the threshold of "excellent" and then managed to stay there for 300 chapters. How did that happen?

Don't be fooled by the seemingly ridiculous premise. ZKC is a comedy, but it is also very character and plot-focused. Plot-related details mentioned in the first few volumes are still mentioned even now, 300+ chapters in. While it might not seem like it at first, Shiina Takashi really knows where he's going with the storyline, and while it is certainly slow-paced, he also somehow manages to make even the fillers interesting and worth reading.

The characters are also really incredible because they age in real-time. (Yes, no time skips!) And there are simply so many characters that it's amazing that the mangaka can keep track of them all. But, he does, and despite the crazy character count, I even remember all of them. ZKC is really one of those stories in which there is no "one-off" character. All characters reoccur. And it's really interesting to see Shiina Takashi use all of them to his advantage.

So, in short, ZKC is difficult to start at the beginning, but once it passes a certain point, it becomes an absolute joy to read every time a new chapter comes out. I don't really know whether this manga is for everyone, because I'm still in awe at how much I like it, but I do know it is worth trying out, even if it's not really the type of manga you usually read.

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Good, could have been much better

by kill-chan
12 years ago

Rating: 8.0 / 10.0

This series requires serious dedication: the first few volumes are not so great despite the interesting turning point in the first volume. It improves significantly only after vol. 8, but still there are some WTF moments mixed with unnecessary loli service and rique innuendos.

It reaches around 16~25 , when the girls FINALLY grow up and the author decides to pushe the loli aspect to the side in favor of plot, mystery, action, romance and all other good stuff... then WW2 flashbacks came one after the other and that's when the series threw all the popularity away. Sad.

... Last updated 3 years ago

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Hmm

by Rankre
13 years ago

Rating: N/A

Like others said, this is a story that actually kinda amazed me with how well and how far it was able to carry itself in terms of development. The main cast is ever growing and are mostly not neglected even through 26 volumes, which is nice - and the characters actually age - there has been no real "time skip" - so watching that process is also fun.

It still does retain its humor after all these chapters and its very fun. Plot-wise, there is a general plot that builds up, but very very slowly. Its not a bad thing per se, since characters get lots of development but this is a lot more lighthearted and the story moves slowly (and so far, surely) toward how things will conclude. I like it and its a good read. Anything that has a character that inspires a love or hate emotion is a plus imo... (that means the major btw).

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A rare gem

by renecop545
13 years ago

Rating: 10.0 / 10.0

Zettai Karen Children is one of those manga which on the surface seem just like any typical shonen manga, with superpowers, a troubled protagonist, and happy-mushy overtone. The basic story premise is this: Minamoto, a genius researcher, must raise 3 problematic girls (Kaoru, Aoi, Shiho) with strong psychic powers. From the first few chapters, this manga seems like a comedy manga with a bit of action thrown in. However, once you start reading past the first couple of chapters, the plot begins in earnest: a prophecy by a clairvoyant predicts

that Minamoto (one of the protagonists) will kill Kaoru (another protagonist, Minamoto's current student). This prophecy comes as shock not because of its content, but mainly because of the rest of the manga before this point was mostly humor. And this event defines Zettai Karen Children: the lighthearted tone continues throughout the rest of the story, but interwoven within this are moments of drama and tragedy that serves to remind us that that while all the merriness is going on at the surface, the plot is moving towards a inevitably catastrophic finale. Character develop is also another strong point of this series; we get to see Kaoru, Shiho, and Aoi grow up from immature little girls to fledgling adolescents ready to spread their own wings. Supporting characters receive a lot of development as well. You will never feel like a throw-away character was introduced just for the sake of forwarding the plot (As with what happens in Bleach). Overall, this is one of my favorite reads, and deserves a place among side such classics as Rurouni Kenshin, One Piece, Monster, and Mahou Sensei Negima!

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almost perfect

by Famas
13 years ago

Rating: 10.0 / 10.0

Wonderful and rather unique series. Some say it's "japanese x-men" but unlike them it's heavily humour-based with little violence. How author manages to make it funny for 26 volumes is beyond me but I still smile. It has it's sweet moments too. Oh, and it's one of those rare childcare mangas where you can see characters actually grow with time, physically and mentally.
The art is meh but gets really better with time, and it's very detailed for a weekly series.

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It would've gotten a 10...

by FormX
14 years ago

Rating: N/A

Hyoubu is one of the biggest dooche I've seen in a manga... pisses me off everytime he appears.
If you don't count him then this manga is a good read, especially the plot and character development. Romance isn't tagged but it's there, and the ecchi isn't in your face.

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Great read

by AuraBlaze
15 years ago

Rating: 9.0 / 10.0

Characters are interesting and the art is very good especially later on. Character development is there and the author really seems to care about his work. Anyways definitely read it!

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