Japanese Title: Murasakiiro no Qualia

 

Genre: Yuri Science Fiction Mystery

Length: 3 volumes

 

Positives:

• A surprisingly deep narrative of love across parallel dimensions.
• A nice contrast between the cute moments and the brutal.
• Unique abilities and concepts.

Negatives:

• Slow to start.
• Muddled narrative at points.

Yukari sees everyone as robots. Your joints are gears to her, your brain a complex machine, which gives her the ability to repair anything and anyone. Just by looking at someone, she can gauge their potential and ideal skills. She uses her power for the police to identify criminals based on the damage they cause to victims – think fingerprinting based on one’s mechanics of attack. Because of her unique perspective on the world, Yukari is a weirdo, though since she is cute, her oddness is seen as endearing. Her only friend Gaku is very protective of her, adamant that no one should discover her power.

This setup is deceptive, however. The narrative turns dark a few chapters in when one of the criminals goes after Gaku to use her as bait against Yukari, and that’s where Qualia the Purple goes from good to great. The science of quantum physics and parallel dimensions enters the mix, sending Gaku into a tale that dances through time and dimensions to correct ever mistake in her life. Qualia the Purple is in the vein of Steins;Gate meets Elfen Lied.

While the storytelling is muddled at points as it deviates on tangents and Gaku’s inner monologues can go on too long, Qualia the Purple is an excellent manga. This is a hidden gem.

Art – High

While the art is good and suitably dark when needed, it could have done with being a little less generic.

Story – Very High

Once the story gets dark, it is fantastic, unafraid to be twisted and full of surprises.

Recommendation: Read it. Qualia the Purple is a rare treat in manga.

(Find out more about the manga recommendation system here.)