What are you looking for in a story? If your looking for action (shounen style), an adventerous tale, and some drama with a little romance then you've got Arata Kangatari.

The Story: The concept itself is rather interesting: Two boys of the same name 'Arata' (but different surnames, and differing personalities) accidently switch worlds, but the people of their world see them as 'them' even though their looks actually differ. What makes it even more interesting is that the communication from one world to the other isn't entirely cut off. Thus forcing the author to strike a balance between the characters and occurances in both worlds, and giving the story multilayers.

The tale starts in the fantasy world where the reader isn't certain about whos who and what's what with little time to get used to the characters when it intermingles suddenly with the 'real world' - now if it's a little confusing, or off-putting, give it a couple of chapters- it gets much better. Each 'Arata' is faced with their own challenges in the 'other world' as might be expected, but things get even more crazy when another person from the fantasy world switches places- on purpose! The action in the story follows a shounen style so to speak- meaning you get the calling out of names/techniques, the 'power-ups' and big bad enemies/bosses. The plot may seem simple enough- real world 'Arata' needs to save fantasy world's princess- but becomes a bit more complex as the story continues, and with the introduction of new characters the plots in both worlds thicken.

The Art: Anyone who knows Yuu Watase's works knows her art. Perosonally I enjoy her art style, so I suppose the 'art' side could be considered a little biased. It is clean and detailed, though from time to time during the fight/power' scenes it can be a little hard to tell what's going.

Characters: Both worlds contain characters with various personalities and motivations, and most importantly, depth. The interactions between characters are sometimes comical, sometimes serious, but always interesting. In general, real world 'Arata' is serious and introspective with a sense of justice, while otherworld 'Arata' is rather wild, boisterous and carefree. With the variety of characters that surround the 'Arata's there's bound to be one the reader sympathizes with if not one of the 'Arata's. Another nice thing about the characters is they slowly begin to grow, even the side characters. Also, the characters 'switch sides' so to speak. Not everyone who starts off as friends/enimeis remains so. But don't get too attached- one interesting aspect is the reader really doesn't know the fates of the characters. Watase isn't afraid to kill some of them off, so you if you're expecting light and fluffy 'everyone lives, yeah!' don't. There's character insights and drama enough nicely woven into the action and plot.

Arata Kangatari is an adventure story that sometimes seems to move slow, sometimes fast. New characters are often getting introduced and with their variablities begs the questions: are they allies, are they enemies and will they stay that way? The plot may seem a bit predictable at times (aka 'must beat next enemy'), but it's always fun to go along with the story and figure out how the character is going to get past the next obsticle. The story (as of this review) is unfinished so who knows where the plot will twist to next.