I’m worried that since this “manga” isn’t originally from Japan (I believe it was first published in Spain) that it’s not going to be on anyone’s radar, and to me that would be a huge shame.
I picked up this one-shot up on a whim last weekend after I saw it in my Amazon recommendations and have already read it twice. Alter Ego is definitely a cut above the piles of other exceedingly mediocre girls-love mangas that have been recommended to me of late; the artwork is excellent, the characters are well written, and the pacing and story beats are well placed and feel genuine. Outside of a couple overly convenient coincidences (probably necessary setup in a story this short), I can think of nothing else to complain about except the sadly short duration of this great story. While it makes me sad to think I won’t ever get to see any more of Noel and June, I’m extremely pleased with how concise this story was - even though there aren’t anywhere near as many pages as a typical manga, Alter Ego uses each of those pages extremely well, concisely telling a compelling story of rage at a great loss transforming bit by bit first into confusion and then into a freeing, wonderful love. Ahh, now I want to read it for a third time 😅 Also, since the story is so short, artificial “story inflators” like the dreaded added secondary love interest aren’t needed here (not like they ever are, but it sure seems like many authors think they are 😑).
And hey, while it might be short, it’s only one volume, so it’s easier to get into! 😄 So if you’re a fan of romantic girls-love stories, please pick this one up. You won’t regret it.
If you’re still here, I think I might talk a bit about Alter Ego’s wonderful characters - particularly its main, Noel. I’m actually kind of mad about the cover the English publication chose to go with; just inside the front cover are a slew of wonderful color panels I think would have been much more representative; I’ve included a bunch of them here. I think it’s easy to think of Noel as a simple “tsundere”, and I’m guessing that’s what the cover is trying to portray, but I think she’s much more interesting than that simple title would suggest. First off she’s our protagonist, and we get to know her inner thoughts, so thinking that she is a “tsundere” just for the sake of being one becomes very challenging - Noel is a smart, observant woman, both in terms of logic and in emotion, but I think that core has led her to be a bit obsessed with being in control over every aspect of her life. This means she isn’t very “care-free” and tends to overthink things. As a character, I love this kind of thing as it means her strengths lead logically right into her faults, both being evident throughout the story. She’s thorough and determined but also easily confused and frustrated. Watching her go through those stages is kind of thrilling. Noel’s friends and family have in large part figured out these aspects of her personality, and will frequently tease her - which of course always elicits a blush and an angry look. I suspect this is the part of “tsundere” that people must enjoy, because, well, I certainly enjoyed it here. But to me, the best part of Alter Ego is that we get to watch Noel carefully and thoughtfully pivot on the way she feels about things - her attitude towards her “rival” June, of course, but also we get to wonderfully watch her slowly come to the realization that her behavior towards her “first love” has probably caused more harm than good. And of course, as soon as someone like Noel realizes something like that, she has to take action to rectify it, and those were some of my favorite scenes.
In the end, I think Alter Ego is a story about letting go of the things you thought you needed to survive; and in the process, finding life in a place you never expected it. Corny? Maybe. But it makes for a damn good story.
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