When I asked one of my friends what "DearS" was about, he told me that "DearS" was one of those series that is made to please "adolescent teenage fantasies." After reading the book I have to acknowledge that my friend (for once in his life) was right. Granted, there is nothing particularly WRONG with trying to appeal to perverted men who haven't been laid yet, but there is a way to make a series that does this and make it entertaining, and then there's a way to do this and look bad at doing it. "DearS" definitely leans more torwards the latter. The story of "DearS" opens with a bunch of aliens called DearS landing on Earth and deciding to try and fit into society. This won't be a very big problem though, as DearS, it turns out, are very intelligent beings. They look very similar to humans, with the only difference being that they wear collars and are from a different planet. The DearS decide that one of the steps to fitting into the human society is to go to high school.

The protagonist of "DearS," a young boy named Takeya, doesn't trust the DearS. He feels that the DearS are untrustworthy, that they have no place being on Earth, and that they are, more than likely, up to something bad. I have to side with him on suspicions, seeing as how I would think going to high school would be considered a MAJOR step back for such intelligent beings! Then one day at school, Takeya's sexually charged teacher (and I mean REALLY sexually charged teacher) announces that a DearS will be coming to their school to get an education. Takeya, of course, doesn't like ths idea of a DearS coming to his school on a daily basis. On the way home from school however, Takeya runs into a DearS who gets attached to him and follows him home. Takeya would get rid of this DearS (which he nick names Ren), except that this cute little female DearS is dumb as a brick and won't leave. She can't read, she can't speak, and she doesn't really do much of anything except stare and look puzzled all the time while walking around half naked (sometimes completely naked). Of course, since Takeya IS the hero of the story, he's not supposed to be perverted, so he does everything he can to be gentleman and not take advantage of Ren, and by doing this all of his friends make fun of him for not taking advantage of Ren's ignorance more. Aside from a couple of nameless boys Takeya hangs out with, Takeya has a standout friend in the for of his lifelong (female) friend named Neneko.

Neneko doesn't find the DearS odd or threatening in any way at first, but you know that sooner or later there will be a love triangle conflict between her, Ren, and Takeya, seeing as how Ren is beautiful and Neneko is not, that Ren has long hair and Neneko wears glasses, and so forth. Seriously folks, it's not hard to smell the conflicts coming a mile away with this one. Ever since "Chobits" became a huge success I've read more and more stories that involve a cute female alien who winds up with a teenage male "master," and the concept isn't getting any fresher with each new interpretation. Like other series of this genre, "DearS" has a cast of kooky characters that are meant to funny, but don't really do anything but get on your nerves most of the time. Takeya himself is a particularly frustrating character because of how much of a jerk he is to everyone. He hates the DearS for no real reason other then the fact that they are popular, when Ren comes in he treats her like garbage, he doesn't appear to get along with Neneko very well, and all throughout the series you can't help but wonder how the guy has any friends at all. It's hard to think of a more unlikable lead in a role like this. You have to wonder why Ren wants to hang around Takeya in the first place (the official reason for Ren liking Takeya is, so far, pretty weak). Another character that ends up making this series uncomfortable is Takeya's teacher, who is neither funny or interesting, but instead creepy. One scene that stands out in particular is where the teacher is teaching her class while in a bikini and telling her class to look at her naked skin and make her feel good.

I don't care who you are, that there's just plain creepy. Another creepy scene involving her is when she gives out a wrong answer to the class. When a student corrects the teacher, she goes off about how she made a mistake and must be punished, and then spends the next couple of panels waving her butt in a 14 year olds face begging him "spank me! Spank me! I deserve to be punished!" This behavior borders on sexual harassment, yet everybody in this book seems to be too stupid to realize this. It's also strange that the DearS would want to waste their time with high school. It is common knowledge in this series that these aliens are super intelligent, and FAR smarter then Einstein ever was. How else could they build a spaceship that could come to Earth. Quite frankly, high school has nothing to offer them, and it almost gives away the fact that something is not right with these aliens. It doesn't help matters that, aside from these few story set-ups, nothing really happens in this book. Instead of creating good characters and a decent story, the author is content to just show Ren in odd poses with no clothes on, the teacher acting naughty, and Takeya wondering if he's the only smart person on the planet (sadly, the answer to that question is yes). There isn't any real depth in this series, nor is there supposed to be I guess. The artwork is also mediocre, with poor character designs, okay sets, and a bunch of squiggly shaped characters most of the time just taking up space. This series is not easy on the eye's (except when Ren is walking around in a skimpy suit of course).

I guess you can figure out that I'm not recommending this series. I know some people will point out that if this is the first manga they've read with this particular dues ex machine, that they might find this to be pretty funny and original...and I agree, they probably will. Regardless how cliche a series is, and regardless of how many times the jokes have been done before, someone will always find it funny and original. With that said, that same person will eventually read more series that are about the same thing as this series, and eventually they will find one of those series that is ten times better, and they will wonder what they ever saw in this series to begin with. You see I've already read "Chobits," and that series is not only about the same thing as "DearS," but it's one hundred times better too. "DearS" feels tired, true, and like a McDonald's hamburger. It's familiar and you know exactly what you're getting, but sometimes it just isn't enough. "DearS," like that hamburger, is also familiar, but it's just not enough anymore.

- -Review By Kevin T. Rodriguez- -