Law of Ueki - A review by Eli Straussman

Law of Ueki is a great comic by Tsubasa Fukuchi. It is about Kosuke Ueki who has taken part of a competition for the talent of blank. Now this means that if he wins the contest, he get any wish he wants granted, be it to destroy the entire world or to have a slice of pizza. Accompanying his mission is his witty friend Ai Mori (Amori for short), who after much snooping figured out Ueki's power. His other companion is his teacher and coach, Mr. Kobayashi. These two characters are very much alike. They are both space cases who don't adhere to all the rules and help anyone and everyone in need. Amori is a nervous wreck who looks out for Ueki at every turn.
The plot goes something like this. Middle schoolers are given powers (I.E the ability to turn CDs into razors, to turn hair into a drill) and a King Candidite. The real purpose of this contest is to choose the new king of the celestial world, because the current king has gotten bored with his job. The King Candidates give the kids their powers and teach them how to use it. Then the kids fight and the loser loses his/her power and the Candidate is no longer running. Also if you win a battle you get a talent. These talents are meant to help you win other battles. More fights you win, the more talents you get. There is a catch though. If you use your power on noncontestants, then you lose a talent. Ueki got the power to turn trash into trees, and when he starts of he has 8 talents (very few compared to other contestants).
Now the comic starts off pretty shaky, the art is very sketchy and the plot jumps pretty badly, but once you get to volume 4, it’s great. The drawing is more solid, and Mr. Fukuchi finally gets a grip on the plot. I recommend this book a lot. The Library contains volumes 1-7 and 10-13. Check it out now.