MANGA REVIEW | "Super Psychic Policeman Chojo" - Volume One
I’m having a bit of a conundrum when it comes to judging Super Psychic Policeman Chojo, the latest series from Samon the Summoner scribe Shun Numa. On one hand, its premiere volume is entertaining to say the least. However, considering its title and main character, I can’t help but feel like those elements aren’t used enough. In fact, it’s kind of funny that the titular Super Psychic Policeman Chojo is overshadowed by just about everyone else in this series.
The manga begins with the arrival of Chojo’s new partner: the rookie Nao Ippongi. Quickly, you find out that she’s not just a pretty face, as her life living at a dojo has given her some gorilla-leveled strength. As such, the pairing of a strong woman with a psychic would be a good balance. One’s the brains, and the other’s the brawn. But that’s not the case, as Chojo isn’t always the brightest bulb in the box.
Yes, he can read minds, and he can detect when situations feel off. But even with those skills, Chojo’s ego constantly deducts his IQ points, to the point where Ippongi also seems like the smartest one in the room. On top of that, Chojo’s skills aren’t used as often as a manga titled Super Psychic Policeman Chojo would lead you to believe. Be that as it may, when Chojo is focused, then he’s as competent as a law-abiding citizen can get.
Right off the bat, the manga goes into familiar territory. It starts with the yakuza threatening Nao and her family dojo, as they aim to take it over. Then there’s a gyaru who needs help finding her missing cat. Although these two plot lines have been done before, it’s how they’re executed that helps them to stand out. Whether it’s the sight of a cute cop girl making mince meat of two dozen yakuza or the plethora of cat poop jokes, these things aid in making Super Psychic Policeman Chojo entertaining.
Where it starts getting good is in a full-blown Yu-Gi-Oh! parody chapter. Chojo and Nao seek a serial card game thief during a giant competition, but the psychic is too immersed in the actual card game to do some real police work. Only when the card game “protagonist” arrives (with an equally hilarious name that can’t be spoiled here) do we see Chojo dive into cop mode. But as soon as his work is done, he’s back to tormenting children with his card skills, as Nao prepares to wallop him on the head for his jerk mannerisms.
Immediately after this chapter, the real star of Super Psychic Policeman Chojo appears: Cop-Bot. I don’t know why, but I have this feeling that Cop-Bot should’ve been the main focus of this series, with Nao being his partner and Chojo acting as…third banana? He’s cute, he’s law-affirming, and he even has some transformation skills that make him one hell of a weapon! Not only does he steal the show right under Chojo’s nose, but he delivers an impressive capture in a car chase scene straight out of both Initial D and Police Academy.
Even when Chojo’s old partner appears to attempt to bring him back to his old station, both Nao and Cop-Bot overshadow him both in presence and in usage. Only during a quiz battle between Nao and the old partner do we see Chojo acting more like a proper protagonist, as he says one quip after another to push his ex-partner down a few levels. I’m not saying that Shun Numa wrote a bad manga; I’m saying that the main focus of the series shouldn’t be the titular character!
Super Psychic Policeman Chojo has a very good premiere volume. The problem is the main guy doesn’t act like the main guy. Maybe in the next volume, Chojo will do a lot more with his skills and act like a proper Shonen Jump protagonist. If not, at least both Nao and Cop-Bot are there to do the heavy lifting this series needs in order to be both popular and profitable.
FINAL GRADE:
Promotional consideration provided by Chantelle Sturt of VIZ Media.
