Title: Legal Drug Volume(s): 4+ Author(s): CLAMP Format: Unflipped; Right-to-Left Publisher: Tokyopop MSRP: $9.95 Genre(s): Action Rated: Older Teen (16+)

"Legal Drug" is a problematic series in many ways. It's problematic because it has so many original, cool, and stylish things about the series that are easy to love, but the problem comes when you just feel like you've read all this before. I know CLAMP has always been one of the favorite manga creators out there of manga fans, and that many of the stuff they make is just eaten up by their fans, but every time I read a CLAMP series I can't help but wonder if I'm the only one who feels like many of their series are, for the most part, unoriginal works of art. Their stories remind me of Barry Manilow music: Manilow's music is nothing too original and nothing really artistic, but it is still loads of fun most of the time. Except in CLAMP's case their stories are more art then they are fun. "Legal Drug" opens up when a muscular, black haired man finds a thin, frail, blond haired male lying in the show on the verge of death. The black haired man (named Himura Rikuo) picks up the blond haired man (named Kazahaya Kudo), and before you know it the two are living together in a hate/hate relationship.

Since these two characters resemble every other male gay couple in other CLAMP series, there is a good chance that these two will wind up as a couple, despite the fact that these two share no chemistry what-so-ever (not that that didn't stop other male gay CLAMP couples). This crosses off "CLAMP Series Requirement #3," in which "all series written by CLAMP must have at least one male homosexual relationship." Of course, this series has two. The other gay couple is in the form of Kakei (their boss) and his partner (who I'm nicknaming Rei, since he wears sunglasses like Rei from "Kodocha"). Kakei is a skinny blond haired man who wears glasses, and his partner is a musculent black haired man who wears sunglasses. See, it's not the relationship itself that bothers me (much), it's just the fact that CLAMP can't seem to even seem to TRY to cover up their unoriginality! But I'm getting off topic here. Kakei may be Himura and Kazahaya's boss, but he is no normal boss. Instead of having a boss that pushes his employees to sell things, Kakei sends Himura and Kazahaya off to deal with spirits, demons, and supernatural artifacts (which, ironically, brings us to "CLAMP Series Requirement #6," in that "all series written by CLAMP must have a boss that deals with the supernatural"). Of course, it helps that these two characters have supernatural powers of their own.

Kazahaya can see visions of...something, when he touches someone. Likewise Himura also has supernatural powers, but to what extent those powers include is unknown at this point (though it does bring us to "CLAMP Series Requirement #2," in which "at least one character that is not a boss character has to have supernatural powers of some sort") At some point in time there are a couple of cameo appearances by characters from CLAMP's other underwhelming hit "Suki" that come out of freaking nowhere (this includes Hinata, the cheerful star of the series itself). These cameos cross off both "CLAMP Series Requirements #4 and #5" in one swoop, as in "all series written by CLAMP must have at least one mascot," and their newest rule (which was established back in 1995, with the release of "Miyuki-chan In Wonderland") "all series written by CLAMP must have a cameo appearance with characters from other CLAMP series." Finally, you have "CLAMP Series Requirement #1," in that "all series written by CLAMP must be predictable, standard fare that is easy to market to mass audiences around the globe." And that is EXACTLY what "Legal Drug" is: Marketable, cheap, easy to sell to the lowest common denominator fluff! For women there are handsome gay men to swoon over and cute, cuddly mascots that just make you go "awww" (despite the fact that almost all these mascots don't actually do anything in the series).

For men there are gorgeous women to get lustful over and fast, huge, epic action sequences to get caught up in. It's all very safe, all very predicable, and all easy to market. Even the art itself (which is beautiful by the way) seems like your typical CLAMP fare. It looks similar to a ton of other CLAMP series, but it's great to look at so you find it difficult to actually knock on it for BEING unoriginal! Of course, I would be a total hypocrite if I didn't acknowledge that some of this stuff works for me too. I can't say that I really liked "Legal Drug," but like so many of CLAMP's other series, this one too is like a drug itself (pardon the pun). I know it's bad for me, I know it can do nothing to change my life in any meaningful way, and yet I continue to read it anyway. It' a series where I'm having fun while I'm reading it, but finding myself extremely bored with the series when all is said and done. Since CLAMP is one of America's best selling manga artists (and an extremely marketable one at that), Tokyopop has gone to extra lengths to make sure that the "Legal Drug" books are of the highest quality. The translation is great, almost all of the color pages are left intact, and there the first and last pages of all the books are...well, I'll let you see what I'm talking about, and when you do see them you'll smile at what a nice touch it is. So with all this in mind, it really doesn't matter what I say about the series, because this series has enough marketability that people will buy it no matter what I say.

And who am I to say that the general public is wrong? Especially considering whenever I read a new series by CLAMP, the highlight of the series for me is usually when I finally get to the point in the story where I find out what the series freaking NAME means! Somehow the fact that the mystery behind the name is the highlight of this series for me too isn't that much of an encouraging sign. But like I said, the general public doesn't really care about the cliches, or the (sometimes) shoddy writing, or the fact that these series are supposed to be marketable instead of artistic, they just know that this series has something in it for them to enjoy. I find it funny, however, that American comics like Batman and Spider-man are criticized by manga fans for being "mass-media produced series that are meant to be nothing more then marketable," and yet everything that CLAMP makes is this exact same thing. Yet we are supposed to overlook this because not only is "Legal Drug" from Japan, but it's by the goddesses CLAMP themselves. Somehow I'm finding all this to be either sad or ironic. Maybe it's both.

- -Review By Kevin T. Rodriguez- -