“When a struggling manga artist finds a buxom girl who's the spitting image of his own series' heroine nude on his doorstep, it seems like a dream come true! But sadly, his drawings didn't suddenly spring to life—the girl's a gahi, a tentacled yokai who eats artwork and turns it into suits of skin, which she then wears like a glove. “Ruki” is hooked on the taste of his pen, and will do anything to get more! Is this girl(?) a worthless freeloader, or could a formless entity actually be the perfect model?” (Yen Press)
In what has to be one of the most masturbatory self-inserts in manga, Tirotata creates a lewd series where a mangaka houses a monster that transforms into his sexual desires based on the drawings she consumes. Want a busty housemaid? Perhaps a busty catgirl? Well, protagonist Kurehito Haga can draw it and make it come to life in front of his very eyes — emphasis always on busty, with the bigger the better. There is no mistaking what “Gahi-chan” is and who it appeals to, but whether it is successful as a series and whether Tirotata has sinned by injecting himself and his own fantasy into the work instead of trying to appeal to a broader audience is subjective.
However, there is no denying that “Gahi-chan” has charms beyond its hyper-sexualized characters and absurd premise. Notably, the book is brimming with energy and is in a constant state of motion that gives the haughtiness a gleeful tone that is easy to get swept up into. This constant forward momentum also gives the humor a complimentary, silly vibe that matches the absurdity of the premise. The titular ‘gahi-chan' (Ruki) is a chaotic figure whose drastic fluctuations between moods and energy levels will make her instantly endearing to those who love characters with an anarchic edge. Essentially, every page is bursting with bosoms and walls of text that give the book an enjoyably frantic pace.
The art, beyond its fervent obsession with big bosoms, is equally playful and chaotic, with a slight tinge of grossness that actually helps keep the title from becoming too self-absorbed. Notably, Ruki's transformation as she sheds her skin to reveal her tentacled true form is a disturbing contrast to the bubbly female forms the monster normally takes–though arguably this can still be an extension of the mangaka's sexual fantasies. Sadly, beyond the depiction of exaggerated forms, the manga does little else to impress with scarce backgrounds or greater world-building, though those coming just for big-breasted ladies will have their fill.
It is difficult not to make jest of titles like this, especially with how unapologetically self-indulgent “Gahi-chan” comes across, as catering to the creator's own fantasies. However, once one digs past the initial silliness of the premise and looks at Tirotata's ability to please and tease his audience with over-the-top humor and overt sexual characters, the manga proves itself to be gleefully entertaining. The inner juvenile will be pleased once they peel off the plastic wrap, indicating smut within, to find a story that hits those absurd notes and lewd beats that make mature manga an enjoyable deviation into light-hearted perversion.
