OrcGirl: Critical Analysis
Typical of stories to convey a damsel in distress, there is usually someone out there deconstructing the trope into something new, and today I found one that does it very well!!!
Today I look into the work of Ami Mercury and her comic OrcGirl.
The story revolves around a young woman named Jenny Harper, 29 years old and working in a bank on earth, she relatively lives a modest life in her apartment and working the day in and day out the monotony of her life in regard to escaping soon after into her own fantasy. However, in the coming times of the start of the story, she finds herself sleepwalking and ending up in another world not our own. Somewhere very new and vibrant to understand at the very least. A place is entirely new and composed of beauty and tranquility. The story unravels that she is aware of this and the more frequently they happen the more she worries. You would think, this might seem familiar.
On contrary, this seems to revitalize a certain tone that is never cleverly taken in certain projects that i saw as of late. Most comics and isekai that I notice going this route usually have the person either too frolicky and happy to be somewhere new but then there’s the concept of worrying too much and going into a hyperventilated panic attack. What is done here is quite balanced in remarking the situation, jenny knows full well that there is something out of her control and while still wishing for answers and getting tested for any known ailment, there is still far more conceptualized ideas that there can be some joy into this as we get into her background.
We know that she comes from a doting, yet a very sweet mother. Again balancing the good and worrisome qualities that make us side with both and understand that a parent is merely worried about her child. At the same time, we get some new grounded realities when looking deeper into the story. Jenny herself when she’s at home as well as in public. Her love of fantasy, in general orcs, will become the staple of the story as we venture into her last torrid relationship with a man that we can assume was given the attention due to her breaking up with him. Right now for reasons unknown, we can hint it has something to do with the intimacy of their relationship as further down the line we get more concepts of her as a character, however, we do also see more of her from the perception of the humane side to that of something others perceive her to be.
In her remarks of trying to channel her inner urges for release, we get a notion of her character being into bulkier men that are strong, brave, and love to protect and hold. Also into people with a sweet spot to them as well as captivating her knowledge of understanding that things tend to happen for a reason, one way or another.
Jenny is a very interesting character, showing that in this reality; she's timid, shy, and shown to be a clutz to other people. She's worrisome and gets into the mindset of trying to survive in a world that is causing more issues than resolve for her. That is until she finally slips to the other side. A world unknown to us that refers to the earth as a legend and called Erda where she slips into and is greeted by less than savory characters.
The story takes a turn while we venture into new grounds of ideas with jenny, we don’t see her as the timid girl everyone makes her out to be by her own account. We see her as strong-willed and defiant in face of adversity. The minute she was shackled and taken as a prisoner for sale by a bunch of thugs, in fact, her heart goes without saying to the purest degree by giving water to an orc held in a cage that looked as if they were dying of thirst. And we get to the best part of the story's integrity, her time with orcs.
Now while yes there is a clear revitalized sanction that she loves the orcs and the big men that come her way. The formula doesn't ride out like a reverse harem in a manga series, on the contrary, there's so much more to see in this design.
The story dives deeper creating a dynamic of choice, to be set free or protected by orc culture as per the rules set by the orc king Vargan. The entitlement of the story revolves around him and jenny now named Ghorza among the orcs is now fitted as the pet to the king and as such contemplates the meaning of her life there. Remaining by his side and knowing full well that in a way, he offers protection and among other things a hefty one at that. Jenny is not in any form against this as she knows this is culture, and does show her domineering side, as Vargan doesn't push anything onto her, giving her the choice beforehand in order to establish trust.
The story reaches its update to show that Vargan himself goes against normalcy and revitalizes older traditions that even his grandfather never done. His character while strange emanates a strong entitlement of understanding boundaries and honoring the choices made by the people around him. Jenny showed no fear or begging when in front of a man who cleaved her captor in two, while also remaining prevalent what he knows in regards to this relationship. In a way, it makes the story more interesting to see two strong characters interacting in the complete opposite way. Vargan being a bolstering powerhouse of authority and honor and jenny being a person who will not submit until there's any other option or overpowered, and even then, stands her ground.
The world currently is being built so the environment right now can only be described as quaint and appealing from the tone i seen in earlier chapters. The bodywork of the characters really ascertains well to the story and flows with clear emotion delved by the characters themselves. I will also say the imaginative detailing of Jenny's inner thoughts also manifest a clear definition to themselves quite nicely, not distracting from the plot but also showing a clear picture in her head, going from the situation to her own thought process. The style changes from typical manga to a chibi styled centered around the comical endeavors implored by the cast. It's very entertaining and gives a chuckle when proceeding from one part of the story to another.
All in all, I love this comics' story so far and welcome more in coming chapters, it gives a vibe of an isekai meeting fantasy, also placing some slice of life romance in the mix. I hope the story continues to flow as well as it has and grasps the creative flow I see from Amimercury.
Please give the comic a shot, and while I know my demographic is part of the LGBT community, I think we can all agree, orcs are hot and need love too. Don’t deny the orcs their love
This is Creators United signing off and please be on the lookout for another review soon
Link to comic:
link to artist twitter:
