By Thea Srinivasan

I think controlling people’s will is a really cool power. Of course, there are side effects to having this ability. One thing is for sure, I would have a hunger for power, I would also get bored way too easily and I would destroy the lives of everyone around me. Mind control is something fun, but it shouldn’t be given to people unless they know how to use it correctly. Unfortunately, when someone has too much power, their body and mind may not be able to handle it.

Queen’s Quality is about Fumi Nishioka, an orphan who lives with a family and has amnesia. She has a special ability that allows her to control people just by her will. But as she uses it, she loses control of herself. Enter, Kyutaro Horikita, or Q for short. He is her best friend who is quite awkward and has a tendency to become cold toward Fumi from time to time. He is a “sweeper”, a person who destroys spirits that can trouble a person’s mind. His job is to protect Fumi from these spirits and make sure she doesn’t lose her sanity to herself as she uses her power.

The characters are quite average in this manga. They aren’t bad, but they certainly aren’t memorable. Fumi is a stubborn girl who wants to do some good by learning to control her abilities. But Kyutaro is her polar opposite in many ways and together they balance each other out. Their personalities are cute, but when it comes to their capabilities as people, Kyutaro outshines Fumi in an instant.  Fumi’s ability to control people outshines her as a person and I find the development of her powers to be more interesting than her actual personality. Kyutaro is another guy with pent-up teenage angst trying to be an adult, but he ends up becoming awkward. It’s sweet that he is willing to do a lot for Fumi, but the guy needs to have his own needs as well. I understand that shoujo manga has its troupes, but it shouldn’t derail a character and set up unrealistic expectations for readers considering its main audience is teenage girls. The side-characters aren’t memorable, but Kyutaro’s grandmother has a hilarious personality. When she shows up in scenes, she has my attention and knows how to put a man in their place. The other side characters have decent personalities but aren’t worth mentioning because they take on the usual archetypes.

The world itself isn’t too bad, but it isn’t designed with the greatest intent in mind. I really like how there is a discipline that allows people to control the spirits without having resort to violence. It kind of reminds me of Inception, where the only thing a person has to do is use their mind. But at the same time, I wish there could have been more action or effort in eliminating these demons. If the battles are within the realm of the mind, there should be more active. I like how Fumi’s mind becomes a darker place as she loses control of herself to her powers. It makes her mind eerier and quite dark to be in.

Finally, the art style is quite average. It follows the usual stuffings of a shoujo manga and the character designs are average. They aren’t bad nor ugly, but the characters and background are quite plain. The creator luckily has kept some artistic focus on the background, but I wouldn’t call it special by any means.

Overall, this manga isn’t too bad. The romance between the two characters isn’t extreme as other shoujo manga, but the dynamic is nice enough that it keeps me entertained. The world the creator has made isn’t bad, but there are a few elements that need to be worked out to make it logical and to keep readers engaged. Finally, the grandmother in this story has enough personality to kick anyone’s butt and make sure everyone doesn’t end up like idiots. This manga is for the person who likes to keep their battles inside their mind and likes to see how power manipulates a person inside and out.

Score: 3/5

Queen's Quality vol. 1
Viz Media