Being on this website since 2016 prior to its ink drops, name changes, and novel integration. I ran into some great works! Some of which I'm happy to tune in when its updates, and some that are fun to read in big bulks. And sometimes, you just get those works where you know SOMETHING BIG'S gonna happen, but you have to wait, even through a long hiatus.
I will admit, at first I jumped into this not knowing what I was getting into. I'm not much into manga or anime like I used to back when it was fresh and new to the West, so the manga-style just hasn't clicked much as it used to, with maybe a few exceptions here and there. And then I caught wind of Royal after playing with the busted search engine here.
The prologue's got some intriguing coloring. The dark-ish, yet homey color scheme mixed in with some good angles on each panel really works out. But that's not to say that the black-and-white pages are any slack either. Color designs are what you'd get from a manga from the 2000s. Like the kinds of webcomics/animations you'd get in newgrounds. For what it is, I think that's what helps its charm. Though, I will say, that the artist really knows how to do some angles, paneling, wording, and character placement.
While you've got the snarky, brash, and unapologetic Oliver, you've got this clumsy, polite, innocent, kind guy in Junior (or Jr) for short, as he's just trying to get through the day without messing up. I really like dynamics like that, and even like to write that on my own too.
The story starts off with the two brothers, Junior and Oliver, starting what seems to be a new year of college. And things seem to go easy at first, but it doesn't take long for the brothers to run into some lesser folk that already want them dead (i.e. When Elliot threatens to steal Oliver's Soul). What may slightly confuse some readers is the lack of knowing what this school's about, why it's here, who made it, and how do some of these students have magic powers and some don't. As much as most stories nowadays will tell you everything all at once in the first chapter, other ones are more willing to hold back until later on. Though, I will admit, I had to take a second read once I got to one of the more stranger sections of Royal in the early first chapter. Then again, we are following both Jr AND Oliver, so there might be some secrets that these brothers are hiding that we just haven't seen yet. And chapter 2 gets even more weirdly intriguing once we get introduced by the looovveeelllyyyy Ms. Sweet. Though, I will say that HER being a sex ed teacher was a bit on the nose. If she was like a history or physical education teacher or something, that would have made it funnier. Imagine the fanservice. (I'll have to keep that in mind now).
What the first chapter DOES do well is setup Jr. Who is he, exactly? Why does he think everyone thinks he is a monster? What did Jr do exactly, and where will he go from here? What constantly happens to Jr that he finds himself in this trouble? And from what I can tell, it feels kinda like that song by The Fixx. Y'know, this one here:
And Chapter 2 finds him getting into some scrupulous, succulent trouble with the Sweet Lady, which hopefully will be continued very soon. I want to know what she's searching for DANG IT!!
PROS
* Nice Main Characters
* Very stylized coloring and shading (especially in the prologue)
Jr is very kindly and likable and mixes well with Oliver's jackery
We get to follow the brothers equally throughout the story
I love those action scenes, and the sense of mystery
This, I could/would classify as an action series, with a sense of comedy and mystery throughout. I wanna know about this school in some later chapter and/or at least the people who enroll in it, like Jr.
Chapter 1 opens up pretty good, and chapter 2 follows along quite nicely.
CONS
* I wish there were some more colored pages like in the prologue. NOT THE ENTIRE COMIC, but maybe some one-off pages.
* The immediate jump into action may throw some readers off a little
WISHES
(The Burrito Queen needs to give me Ms. Sweet's number so I can hire her.)
Y'know. I happen to have another weird town and school that's got some strange paranormal magic lurking about. wink wink, nudge nudge.
BONUS
I will say, I am getting small vibes of this song whenever I read some of Royal:
FINAL VERDICT
I give this comic 7 and a half Sexy Jr's. out of 10 (7.5 out of 10). A real good comic with lots of promise, potential, and could even be open to some real good ideas when the time is right. But for now, what we have is good enough to satisfy that action itch with a sense of underlying paranormal mystery.
Reviewed by Mr. Toontastic