エンペラーといっしょ

EMPEROR TO ISSHO

MANGA

STATUS
COMPLETE
VOLUMES
4
RELEASE
August 23, 2017
CHAPTERS
44

DESCRIPTION

One day something emerges from high school girl Kaho’s refrigerator—an emperor penguin, the largest of all penguins! When this emperor joins the household, fun and wacky antics with family and friends ensue!

(Source: Viz Media)

Note: Includes 6 extra chapters.

CAST

Emperor
Kaho Minami
Reina Nishiura
Kousuke Kitano
Ryou Minami
Azusa Kitano
Kazuki Tougou

CHAPTERS

REVIEWS

AnotherBadger
72/100
Put that penguin back where it came from, or so help me
"Why did everyone just accept this bird that came out of nowhere?! Are you trying to tell me that I'm the weird one here?"
- Minami Ryo, Chapter 20
What is there to say about this short series that hasn't already be said in its synopsis? Thinking of a way to extend this review without it repeating the same key points over and over again will be difficult, but hey, I love a challenge.

Emperor to Issho is cute, it is fun, and it is as ridiculous as the premise implies. I can’t say if the characters have an appropriate response to a penguin appearing in the fridge because I am 99% that won’t happen to anyone else. (I am holding out on the 1% because things have been a little weird lately and I don’t want to tempt fate).

When I first read this short story, I wasn’t expecting much. It was late at night and I wanted a light read before bed. But as I read about a penguin who was probably living its best life, I found a smile making its way across my face. That is the kind of story Emperor to Issho is. You don’t read it for any grand statements about life or morality, you read it for the story about a penguin who ends up in a completely different part of the world.

It takes the mundane elements of life and, rather than moulding them into something new, it keeps them mundane. There are no illusions about how little impact this penguin has on the wider world, instead it is about how it effects the people in its immediate vicinity. And this is a nice approach to take.

Watching a small group of people become connected to a penguin, who I am sure is related to the penguin from Wallace and Gromit: The Wrong Trousers, is heartwarming to read. It feels happy and cosy, so if you are in a bad mood then give this a try; it might just make you smile just a little bit.

The short and episodic nature of the story means that it isn't trying to make anyone take it seriously and this works in its favour. It fits perfectly into the 'slice of life' genre despite the more ridiculous elements that are present in it. I really hope that if a penguin was in these specific circumstances then it would be treated in a similar way.

The lack of overly grand moments also makes Emperor to Issho a more human story than I thought it would be.

The art itself is pleasant to look at; conveying the comedic moments well while not overloading the panels with too much imagery. It reflects the series’ comfy feel. The colouring works to also emphasise the emotions of Emperor; sacrificing neither its stoic appearance nor the understanding that the reader has. There is something about fictional penguins that make them the best blank slate.

Overall, Emperor to Issho is a fun, short series that somehow ends in the perfect way.

Just don't go in expecting any answers as to why there is a penguin in the fridge.
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MegaWeebis
60/100
This manga has a penguin in it.
Emperor to Issho is wonderful, yet wholly unremarkable. It is unique, yet ordinary. Charming, yet standard. It is a manga full of personality, sincerity, and creativity, yet there is nothing particularly special about it, save for one aspect. Based off of what little I've written so far, your mental image of Emperor to Issho might be one that is uncertain - uncertain of its quality, its style, and its nature. Though there is one thing that is certain:

This manga has a penguin in it.

For a brief introduction, Emperor to Issho is about a high school girl who finds an Emperor Penguin squished into her fridge and decides to adopt it, with most chapters focusing on life with a penguin, which is native to Antarctica, in your average Japanese home.

Emperor to Issho basks in the warm glow of the ordinary. Despite its unrealistic premise, the manga, for the most part, is extremely grounded and merely consists of a penguin doing penguin things, with some goofy off-beat antics as would be expected with a comedy slice-of-life manga. Emperor, that being the penguin, is in most aspects a completely normal penguin who is also a pet, with the majority of the cast quickly accepting the sudden existence of this penguin. The manga being so ordinary helps to convey a feeling that I personally found really cosy, and coupled with its adorably simple art style, I think this characteristic works in its favour.

I believe it's also worth mentioning that the manga is also generally pretty funny. The scenarios it sets up are, as you'd expect, pretty normal and follow suite with what one would expect from a comedy manga with a penguin (Besides Emperor being materialised within a fridge). There are some clever gags here and there which have gotten some chuckles out of me, but there's just something about this goofy looking penguin standing around minding its own business that is infinitely funny to me. I love this little fella like you wouldn't believe.

What may be its greatest strength is how secure the manga is of its own identity. Emperor to Issho is a manga about family life with a penguin. It never strays away from what it originally intends, providing the reader with a nostalgic feeling of comfort. It is a short and sweet manga, and one that may not take up a lot of vacancy within your mind days after you finish it, but its just an adorable read that will leave you satisfied once you finish it, like a nap after a filling lunch.

Emperor to Issho is exactly what it needed to be. It doesn't break the mold or reshape the genre in any way, it's just a cute little manga about a funny penguin. It doesn't shy away from being heartwarming, yet it never becomes overbearing. The author wanted to show how adorable emperor penguins are, and he succeeded. Leave all your worries behind, don't sweat the details, and just enjoy this regular old life with Emperor. Some things don't make sense, but who cares about any of that when you have a pet penguin?

Thank you for reading.
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