by Whitney Grace
Staff Writer
Ririchiyo Shirakiin is tired of living in her family’s shadow, so she moves to Maison de Ayakashi-an apartment complex for rich tenants. The Masion de Ayakashi is also noted for its secret service and its residents having supernatural ties. Ririchiyo doesn’t want a secret service agent trailing her and watching her every move, but her parents hired Soushi to be her guardian and companion. Following Ingrid Bergman’s classic line, Ririchiyo just wants to be alone and she kicks Soushi out the first minute they meet. His loyalty is comparable to a dog, even though he is a fox spirit in disguise. Ririchiyo eventually relents and a less-than-happy relationship is formed.
Inu x Boku SS is setting itself up as another paranormal romance in an Odd Couple-esque fashion. Ririchiyo falls flat with “poor little rich girl” syndrome and Soushi is loyal to a fault. Each character has her or his own demonic form, but it plays little into the storyline and is only added in to give a static manga more spice. The entire first volume is used to set up character relationships and jokes that are tired before the comic is even open. It is only on the last page do things pick up with a mysterious dark stranger, even though that is a clichéd convention as well. Art does little to capture the attention as well with too cute, too small shojo girls and boys that defy beauty.
This manga is repackaging a formula that really has hit its peak and needs to be left alone for some originality to rejuvenate it. That being written, this is only the first volume and the idea is still clever enough to warrant a peak at volume two to see if the series improves.