I think Princess Ai is the first thing that I’ve felt compelled to read because I blogged about it incessantly before it came out. It is based on a concept from Courtney Love, Ai Yazawa did the character design, and DJ Milky co-writes the series with artist Misaho Kujiradou. Princess Ai is published in Japan in the magazine Wings, and then translated into English for Tokyopop. I was curious about the manga just because the idea of Courtney Love being involved in a comic in any way seemed a little wacky. I really liked Paradise Kiss so since Ai Yazawa was involved in the project I was interested in reading it.

Princess Ai wakes up with amnesia in a Tokyo alley. She has no idea who she is, other than her name and the knowledge that she’s read about Planet Earth before in books. Her fashion sense (punked out lingerine, never wearing a dress without attacking it with scissors first) is pure Courtney Love. Ai has a precious jeweled heart-shaped box that seems to be a link to her past, and it flashes to warn her of danger. Shortly after she wakes up, she walks around Tokyo feeling lonely and isolated, and a pick-pocket steals her heart-shaped box. The pick-pocket is quickly tackled by a sensitive young man named Kent who takes Ai along when he goes to work at the Shinjuku University Library.

Ai and Kent seem to share an immediate bond, and when they get to the library Ai asks him the type of vague reference question that tends to drive librarians insane, “Where can I find a book with illustrations in it?” Kent supplies her with art books and encyclopedias. Ai tears through the books trying to find an image that will bring back her memories.

Ai navigates her way through Tokyo very well for a princess alien with amnesia and occasional narcolepsy (she always seems to pass out near Kent, who lets her crash in his apartment). She gets a job as a singing hostess at a club, and attracts the interest of a top talent scout. There also seem to be some shady characters from Ai’s home planet/country/netherworld who threaten Kent and Ai.

Ai doesn’t hesitate to take action when she sees something wrong, although her typical solution to problems usually involves punching people in the face or rocking out. I ended up being pleasantly surprised by the manga, it was much better than I was expecting.