Of all the licensed manga I’d end up having on my shelf in print I never expected it would be To Love Ru Darkness, probably the best ecchi title I have ever read. Given the tendency for overseas publishes to shy away from sexual materials, I have to commend Seven Seas for establishing a new line ‘Ghost Ship’ for this release and others.

The manga is being released very regularly, in good quality print and, most importantly is fully uncensored, well-translated and includes all the bonus art pages from the Japanese release. I’ve purchased the first 7 volumes and the 8th one is on its way. Even though I had read it before online, I find it’s well worth the re-read.

The art by Kentao Yabuki is truly on a level all of its own. Being an outright ecchi story, most of his drawings accentuate the tantalising naked bodies of the female cast. He’s unbested at drawing breasts (and doesn’t make them way too big), but perhaps more importantly, his faces, hair and expressions are all extremely beautiful and rich with luscious detail.

I am especially weak to his drawings of Momo who has become one of my all-time fabvourite waifus.

The background plot regarding aliens, biological assassins, etc is fairly trite and inconsequential, so do not going in expecting riveting story. However, the character development and flirtatious dialogue in pursuit of a harem is pretty fun to read and can definitely keep you engaged. I get a real kick out of Momo trying to mastermind getting the other girls to join the harem plan.

Some of the many bonus illustrations in the volumes so far:

Overall, this is a classic manga if you like ecchi and a flawless release from Ghost Ship. It’s absolutely worth the purchase.

I can’t wait to see what else Ghost Ship gets.