“In an age when superpowered defenders from each country have brought peace to the world, Japan's representative is a timid young girl known as “Shy.” She may be embarrassed by the mere thought of slipping into spandex, but she'll prove that despite it all, she still has the heart of a hero!” (Yen Press)
Shy superheroes are few and far between and even more of a rarity to have an entire series built around them. This is because being shy is not an overly heroic quality to have, especially when a character is tasked with being the ‘sole hero' for all of Japan. Admittedly, whether this angle works or not in Bukimi Miki's “Shy” is debatable, with the first volume showing promise but not entirely selling the premise. However, there is an abundance of other reasons that the action/comedy manga works and has the potential to become a fan favorite.
Notably, the comedic elements of “Shy” are exceptionally well executed, that is, as long as the reader does not mind stereotypes often being the butt of the joke. The hero of Russia, for example, is constantly drunk and enjoys trying to expound wisdom to Shy while in a drunken stupor with lines like “you can't get babies and children drunk” or reflecting on the limitations of her powers and worldly desires to share a drink with everyone. Comparatively, the British hero is a snotty leader of a rock band with penance for violence. While these are the only heroes introduced thus far, Bukimi Miki excels at using exaggerations and caricatures that skirt bad taste to deliver some riotous dialogue. This extends to the protagonist “Shy” who also embodies a typical archetype of a shy girl, the “oh no, how embarrassing” type. As the action in the first volume is light, the focus on humor teases that the tone of the series will remain light and entertaining, embracing the silliness of its characters.
For a debut series from an upcoming mangaka, “Shy”, undeniably, shows a knack for comedic timing. The rest of the story is not lacking, yet, it is too early to tell if other elements will be able to maintain excitement or offer anything overly unique or memorable in the superhero genre. Undeniably, Shy is an intriguing character and her interactions with others show her to be truly heroic, with her shyness coming from general uncertainty about how others perceive her. As an initial impression, Shy is an endearing and well-constructed character, but whether this carries through to subsequent volumes is difficult to quantify in the initial volume.
The art style of Miki is defined and detailed, with each hero having a unique presence and identity. The facial expressions and costumes, in particular, have a wide range of motion, which expresses movement and action with clarity. Consequently, action sequences are immaculately executed, which is ideal for a superhero comic that leans heavily on a traditional representation of the genre. It is unfortunate that this release was not given a slightly larger format or color pages with such a stunning visual presence, but hopefully, “Shy” sees enough success to warrant this in future volumes.
As someone who is on the fence about superhero titles and often critical of the genre, “Shy” was a pleasant surprise that won me over with its sharp comedic wit and defined visual direction. This is made further impressive by this being Bukimi Miki's debut series as it shows the maturity of an experienced mangaka. Unfortunately, the future of “Shy” is hard to predict, but it is a series readers should definitely check out and a creator that they should keep their eye on in the future. For collectors, they may want to wait for a few volumes to see how the story develops, but there is enough entertainment in the inaugural release to also warrant grabbing now and collecting as new volumes come out.
