A Different Type of Hair Band: Yui Kamio Lets Loose

You may think you've seen every incarnation of the Jekyll and Hyde trope by this time in your life. If you are a man of letters like myself, you've undoubtedly read Stevenson's original novel, you've seen the television series Hyde, and you've read years of The Incredible Hulk and nodded to yourself, going Hmmm, because you know the source material and can't help feeling pretty damn smug about yourself.

But how about a Jekyll/Hyde story where a hair band makes the difference?

That's the premise of Yui Kamio Lets Loose, a new serial starting in Shonen Jump.  It's set in a high school (surprise!) and details the life of a teenage girl with an odd relationship with her hair. The first chapter illustrates the personality differences between the two sides of Yui--when her chain hair band is in place, she's blonde, caring, gentle, dressed in white, and everyone adores her. When the chain slips off--or as in this chapter, gets caught or something, like a knife coming for her face--Yui becomes a brunette in a black dress and unleashes hell on those she believes deserves her vengeance. And these aren't comical beatings. One guy is so physically and emotionally scarred he hunts her down, for all the good it does him.

Running around behind Yui is her friend, Nao, whose purpose in life is to make sure that hair band does not come off. She is not that great at her job.

This being a comedy manga, of course one of the bullies her dark persona smacked up is attracted to the blonde Yui, and is horrified to learn her secret, especially after he told her his darkest secret of wanting to be a veterinarian. Which isn't something cool people want to be, apparently.

It's a fun, light read, offset by the violence Dark Yui can unleash. Yui Kamio Lets Loose is an odd mix of shoujo and shonen, which has been noted by many other more knowledgeable critics than I is perhaps a route Shonen Jump is leaning towards.  Regardless, I was more engaged with this than with the last few American comics I've read, so that's something, I guess.