Kamikaze Kaitou Jeanne

So, Kamikaze Kaitou Jeanne? To be honest, i adored this manga, and I reckon it was a LOT better than the anime; concidering the plot was slightly different, I preffered the manga's plot.

The story itself had me flowing tears the last couple of chapters, and I adored the "happy ending" {although... it... I dont know... it wasnt really THAT good an ending... if you only read until the last battle is finished... but I still adored it to bits}. I reckon it had a pretty unique, but not overly original, plot which a lot of people would enjoy ^^ Put probly girls more than boys... ^^

The art is adorable, like all of this mangaka's art is. I dont know what more to say? Flowy hair and big eyes, I suppose =O Very very pretty =)

The character development is amazing {in my opinion}, you got to know pretty much all of the main characters past, and you get an explanation as to why they are the person they are in the present day. {Except for maybe the main character, who seems like the toughest person there... yet the one with the harshest past.} Still you get VERY attached to each and every character, and you start to understand what brings them all to do what they do because of how they are developed.

Overall, I really enjouyed this manga, and its a very good cry =3

I remember liking this more when I was a teenager. I liked the idea of Jeanne d'Arc reincarnated into modern times. Perhaps, I'm being nitpicky, but I feel like there was not enough research done on the subject before the author created this.

The manga has little to do with Jeanne d'Arc itself. The premise would have worked better had the reincarnation plot thread been removed and a fictitious reincarnation been used in place. Maron has no connection with Jeanne other than simply being her reincarnation, the history is downright atrocious, and once actually borders on offensive (I'll get to that later).

Chiaki is not a likable hero to me. His "courtship" of Maron crosses the line of sexual harassment at times. Other than being the handsome love interest and having a twist in his allegiances later on, he's also very bland.

Chiaki's rival in love is written worse down to his name. Noin is an incorrect spelling of a German number not French name, and the person he's supposed to be based on is actually Jean de Metz, Jeanne d'Arc's loyal knight. Yes, the names are changed, but the fact that Jean de Metz is reduced to being an attempted rapist that sells his soul to the devil is just...disrespectful. Rather than reincarnating Maron's love interest from the historical figure of Jean de Metz, the author choice to change the name and literally demonize him. This further disconnects Maron from the historical character she's based on.

The Adam and Eve stuff was cringe worthy and felt like a cope out to prove that Maron and Chiaki belong together rather than building on the characters relationship. Chiaki was never hinted to be a reincarnation of anyone of importance. So, this further just felt like it was throne in at the last minute.

I feel like the idea could have been something great had the author took time to review the history of the character she was writing and sewing threads of history into the book instead of writing soap opera dribble. On the good side, the art is absolutely beautiful and maybe the only reason I actually liked it as a teen.

Final note: It's not that using history cannot be done. Rose of Versailles has proved that you can weave historical figures into storytelling and create a fantastic story.

Art: The art is very nice.
I like Arina Tanemuras style.
The cuteness of it.

Story: The story is okay. Not too good. I think I liked it more at a younger age than now when I am older. Some cute moments here and there.
The story in itself ain't the best.

Characters: I'm loving Fin and Access alot. Mostly Access. He is just too adorable. Can I keep him for myself? I like when the main characters are transformed.

It's worth reading if you like Arina Tanemura's art style.
I can recommend to at least read it through.
The story about Fin and Access is very touching.

First of all, I love both the anime and the manga but I have to say I consider the anime better.

Story 9:
Kamikaze Kaitou Jeanne is a special manga, as it has a lot of meaning and pure feelings behind it. The love described is an ideal love. It is adorable and capitvating, just like the plot itself.

Art 10:
The art is beautiful, expressing perfectly the emotions of the characters, which are moving.

Characters 9:
The main character, Kusakabe Maron, has a complex personality. Throughout her adventures, she becomes a model for the reader, due to her courage and pure heart. Maron herself teaches the reader a lesson of life, of how to think and act in order to protect the ones important to you. I read in a book that in order to be able to become virtuous, you must follow someone's example. She is realistic, she is not perfect and that's what makes her an ideal character.
Why didn't I give a ten at the characters section? Well, despite Maron being very well portrayed, I was a bit disappointed with the other characters (except Chiaki).
In some cases, they suddenly change their attitude, so it doesn't seem that realistic. Also, in order to keep the optimistic feeling, it doesn't completely show their reactions, which in my opinion should express more sadness.

Enjoyment 10:
The entire manga gives an unique feeling of optimism and happiness. It is heartwarming, combining serious scenes with comic ones harmoniously.

Overall: 9
Okay, it got me laughing, but in some cases comedy wasn't put in the right place.
(It's my opinion, especially because I'm not fond of comedy)
However, I believe everyone needs such a story from time to time, in order to give them some more courage and optimism.
If you are looking for a lighthearted story with cute romance and optimism, I suggest you to read the manga. And, if you want something deeper, with intense feelings and "darker" characters, the anime is for you. Don't worry if you think you miss some details which the anime skips. You can always read the manga (or the last chapters) if you really wish yo know everything about it.

Okay, so this is the first time i've written a review before. I will try my best to make it as realistic as possible so here goes!
Story: 9
At first glance Kamikaze Kaitou Jeanne may seem like a typical magical girl manga with an adorable heroine and adorable side kick, saving the world from evil. hey, theres even an annoying love interest thrown at you upon reading the first few pages of the story. But before you put the book down because of this, read on further. Even with all those typical aspects of the story, the plot manages to remain entertaining and goes at a decent pace. The story gets more involved as you keep reading and soon you begin to discover the beauty behind Maron's actions and even the good in the hearts of the supposed villains. The story has so many twists to it that it propells me to read forward. i learned more about each character and about the villains with every painting Jeanne stole. each mission was completely necessary to the development of the plot and there was almost no filler in the story. Along with there being plenty of action there was also a fair amount of romance mixed in. The character's relationships were portrayed beautifully and enhanced the meaning behind the story. all of the details come together to help move the plot forward without leaving anything out.
Art: 10
all i have to say is that Arina Tanemura is just amazing. The way she drew the characters clearly expressed all that they were feeling. They were drawn so that it was easy to tell which character was which. The costume choices were well designed as well and incorporated the essence of each character. if the art were drawn by anyone else the story would feel a lot less amazing than it is.
Character:8
The characters were all unique from one another and were all well developed within the 33 chapters. Even the less important characters were developed somewhat. It was hard not to love any of the characters that Tanemura Arina created.All of the things they loved and worked towards became important to the story instead of being made into random facts. Each character's struggles and achievements add something new to the story and as they mature and learn you find yourself learning with them and sharing in the things they feel. Although the lesser characters could have used a little bit more development, the 2 leads (Maron and Chiaki) as well as the angels were almost perfect in that aspect.
Enjoyment:9
The story's engaging plot and quirky cast of characters drew me in and i found myself laughing and crying along with them. The art made a big impact on the humorous scenes as well as the more serious ones and made me feel the expressions. Besides, who wouldn't laugh at all those adorable chibis?
Overall:9
i give this story a 9 because if you look past some of the glaring stereotypes in this story you see the true potential this story contains. The endearing relationships and interesting characters moved the story along much like how Maron's strength pushed her to keep going even when she felt like the pressure of being a Kaitou was too big. This story is probably more directed towards girls but there are elements of the story suited for everyone. I would recommend this story to anyone and everyone, especially people who think that magical girls nowadays are a bit boring and too weak. So i would advise you to not put this story down until the very end because even if it is not the greatest story in the world, it is certainly a treasure worth reading.