It has been forever since I completed a manga, long ago and this has been a very beloved series of mine for the last eight years.
Last month I finally completed a long time series and it does feel amazing when you tick something off your reading list like that. Kyousuke Motomi I have been a fan of for a long time. Dengkei Daisy and Beast Master are the first titles I read by her and then the ultimate hook came Queens Quality and believe me the quality is there in terms of story and art. This series is one on the border line if I wanted it to get an anime because the story would be seen as really interesting but honestly it should be left as it is.
This series is split into two manga, a short three volume introduction called QQ Sweeper then going into the main story Queens Quality. I like the setup this way gives you a good introduction indicator if this series peaks your interest. Fumi Nishioka is plagued by amnesia her whole life and spending her nights in a room within the school to call home, her life is a fog. Kyutaro and Fumi meet under unusual circumstances being drawn into a dark space ridden with negative thoughts and emotions. Only Fumi learns Kyutaro the real role he plays in this scenario known as a “sweeper”, a duty to rid within people’s minds their rotten negativity and infestation of bugs that take over. The Kyutaro family have a history of being sweepers and are given the ability to travel into people’s minds and get rid of all the rotten and decay.
Potential is seen within Fumi and she is taken in by the Kyutaro family to become a sweeper and hopefully uncover her past and uncontrollable power.
Artwork That Hurts
Kaoru Mori if you have ever read her works, you know the artwork hurts. . hurts how good it is! And if you haven’t you need to get on that shit every page is pure gospel in my eyes. The same is said for Queens Quality . . let me use the pun “ The artwork is the highest Quality. Haha god I am so lame but the standard is there for this artwork hurting how good it is every page. Dengkei Daisy, a title I read seven or eight years ago, the quality of artwork from that to Queens Quality is distinctively obvious.
There was nowhere near the expectation that such artwork would strike fear into me which is where the quality shines through. The most distinct parts are the story’s negative parts inside the mind vaults of different people and the dark nature that lurks within, that part represented in different forms bugs, different creatures I don’t know what to call. Each negativity in someone’s mind takes on a different form and some pages have creeped me out, hauntingly captivating that I’ve had to put the book down a few times before continuing on. To make a reader do this sounds volumes, creating such a hopeless, despairing atmosphere through artwork alone is amazing. Fumi is a victim on many levels from love to suffering and expressing deep sorrow and regret, this side of her comes on when she finds out of her powers. A deep cavern of darkness wells up and expresses all her ugliness from the inside. This is my favourite thing about the artwork expressing the ugly side of human nature and our thoughts. It’s confronting the different shapes and ways feelings of negative and darkness are expressed in this manga and the artwork is the lighthouse beaming right through all the greyness.
The Ugly Inside And Light
The story in Queens Quality is solid and confronting, captivating also. Many elements are intertwined together but they all work in harmony which is why this manga has become a major favourite for me. Following Fumi as the main protagonist, a well-crafted female character, strong, full of empathy, kind, sweet, she is an easy fall within the first few pages. She is facing a few hurdles discovering her past, training as a sweeper, processed self-discovered powers and her feelings for Kyutarto. Lots of heartbreaking and tender moments occur throughout the story. You will always be on a constant high and low with this series.
The themes of facing inner demons and truths play a huge part in the element of the human psyche. Main artwork attach to these themes so well the different shapes and creatures as I mentioned before encapsulating the demented ugly that goes on in the human mind. Kyutarto and Fumi face not just their own insecurities but also of others of whichever mind vault they enter. Some of the scenes are confronting and exchanging words. They hit a place for people that easily you can connect with and for me what makes this manga a strong one. The things we do to feel heard, wanted and seen by people will go to extra lengths for and are explored a lot within the scope of human relation from one to another. Kyutarto and Fumi face everything together, lift one another up and have all the faith even with death staring at them in the face, it’s heroic to be the unbounding faith they have in one another.
There is trauma and deep themes detailed in the story, which may well be ugly but if you don’t mind that you’ll be in for a ride. While their heavy dialogue, Kyutarto and Fumi relationship brings light and truly is something warm and genuine. It takes a while to get here but once the pair do it’s a beautiful love that begins to bloom. The romance element breaks through the heavy parts and gives light and dark effects for the story. Without it you are in for a depression time honestly. Along with all this there is a colourful cast of characters and some great humor in the mix which I love especially the scenes involving Kyutarto family. The non serious moments light up the read entirely and appreciated a great deal.
Queens Quality is seriously undermined in my eyes and possesses everything from the everything manga package. I guess the only downer for me was how the ending went, it was what I expected and then not. That’s all I can really say on that but other than that this series has all the makings for an investing read you can’t put down. I just needed to give a deserved spill on it and glad I finally got around to doing that.
