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Mai the Psychic Girl - Perfect Collection #1
Mai the Psychic Girl Perfect Collection, Vol. 1
Mai, the Psychic Girl, known simply as Mai (舞?) in Japan, is a manga written by Kazuya Kudō and illustrated by Ryoichi Ikegami. The main character is Mai Kuju, a 14-year-old Japanese girl with powerful psychic abilities. She is being pursued by the Wisdom Alliance, an organization which secretly strives to control the world. The alliance already controls four other powerful psychic children, and it has hired the Kaieda Intelligence Agency to capture Mai.
368 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1985
2 people are currently reading
200 people want to read
About the author
Kazuya Kudo
93 books4 followersJapanese Profile: 工藤かずや
Kazuya Kudo is a Japanese novelist and manga author from Ueda City, Nagano Prefecture.
Kazuya Kudo is a Japanese novelist and manga author from Ueda City, Nagano Prefecture.
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Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews
August 29, 2017
This was one of the first manga I ever read. Before Buffy, my model for a kickass female lead was Mai. Mai daydreams during class, worries about being noticed by boys - oh, and she has telekinetic abilities that a shadowy secret society wants to weaponise in their pursuit of world domination.
The story might be somewhat basic and dated in places, and, as others have mentioned, there are some unnecessary and inappropriate moments of fan service, but Mai the Psychic Girl is unique in several ways. The realistic and impressive art style generally stands apart from the exaggerated, cartoonish designs that so often populate the genre. It also has that idiosyncratic 80s/90s aesthetic - not too refined - which adds to its nostalgic charm.
But above all, this manga grapples with issues of female adolescence and Mai's difficulties in getting to grips with her superpowers (and all the responsibility that entails), making it one of my most important discoveries as an 11-year-old.
I've selected this as one of 10 books that have influenced my life in some way. Please check out my blog, Inky Squiggles, to see the others!
The story might be somewhat basic and dated in places, and, as others have mentioned, there are some unnecessary and inappropriate moments of fan service, but Mai the Psychic Girl is unique in several ways. The realistic and impressive art style generally stands apart from the exaggerated, cartoonish designs that so often populate the genre. It also has that idiosyncratic 80s/90s aesthetic - not too refined - which adds to its nostalgic charm.
But above all, this manga grapples with issues of female adolescence and Mai's difficulties in getting to grips with her superpowers (and all the responsibility that entails), making it one of my most important discoveries as an 11-year-old.
I've selected this as one of 10 books that have influenced my life in some way. Please check out my blog, Inky Squiggles, to see the others!
April 11, 2022
I read Mai: The Psychic Girl as a kid, and it is very likely the first ever Ryōichi Ikegami's series I'd ever read.
The main character is Mai, a young girl with a developing psychic power, when the adults around her start noticing her power, many of them (including but not limited to agents from USA and USSR) would try to use the girl for their own gain. Would Mai use her power for good or for ill?
The main character is Mai, a young girl with a developing psychic power, when the adults around her start noticing her power, many of them (including but not limited to agents from USA and USSR) would try to use the girl for their own gain. Would Mai use her power for good or for ill?
May 3, 2022
All I knew about this series was that Tim Burton and Sparks were gonna make a musical film based on this back in the 80s, which sounds so cool (we’re talking about 80s/90s Tim Burton, of course, not post-Mars Attacks). Now that I’ve read it, it sounds even cooler. Like Jodorowsky’s Dune levels of ‘this would have ruled if it happened’ (and also possibly accelerated the general appreciation of manga in America)
Anyway, Ikegami never fails to impress with his art. Narratively it’s a fun action romp, feels like a Spielberg adventure. I hope they reprint this sometime. I also hope current Tim burton doesn’t attempt to adapt this. Maybe just have him on as a producer and let someone else helm it.
Anyway, Ikegami never fails to impress with his art. Narratively it’s a fun action romp, feels like a Spielberg adventure. I hope they reprint this sometime. I also hope current Tim burton doesn’t attempt to adapt this. Maybe just have him on as a producer and let someone else helm it.
December 10, 2012
The most important thing I read when I was 14.
December 2, 2021
#ThrowbackThursday - Back in the '90s, I used to write comic book reviews for the website of a now-defunct comic book retailer called Rockem Sockem Comics. (Collect them all!)
From the July 1998 edition with a theme of "Manga Month!":
INTRODUCTION
It's manga month!
Viz Communications has been America's major importer/translator of Japanese comics for about a decade now. Eight months ago, Viz launched one of its boldest titles, PULP: MANGA FOR GROWNUPS. As the title suggests, PULP is an anthology which features adult-oriented stories: more complex and more sexual than your standard manga imports. (Alert: You're going to see a plethora of nudity and sexual content warnings in this month's column. Obvious white-outs and obscuring speed lines lightly censor most stories, but this is pretty racy stuff, folks.)
I like the idea behind PULP, though the execution has been a little sloppy. In my reviews below, I'll try not to punish the Japanese creators by remarking upon the barely adequate lettering and extremely stiff dialogue imposed upon their work by Viz's production staff and team of translators, but I want my audience to be aware that PULP does not contain the top-of-the-line Japanese to American adaptation seen in the likes of LONE WOLF AND CUB or even MAI, THE PSYCHIC GIRL which is reviewed below. I hope the quality of PULP's adaptations improve, but I am happy to have access to the material regardless.
This month, Viz is collecting several of the more popular serials from PULP into trade paperback format. If you have a little money left in your budget after buying all of DC Comics #1,000,000 issues, here a few collections you might want to consider.
FROM THE BACKLIST
MAI, THE PSYCHIC GIRL Volumes 1-4 (Viz Communications)
Hey, guys, (and I know most of you are guys) don't let the title throw you off. Sure, MAI, THE PSYCHIC GIRL is about a teenage girl with psychic powers. No, she doesn't have large breasts. No, she's not a "bad girl." As a matter of fact, she's a good girl in a good book.
MAI, THE PSYCHIC GIRL is a good, old-fashioned adventure tale about a girl who discovers she has telekinetic powers and must confront the agencies and villains which try to capture, manipulate, and destroy her. If you've read Stephen King's "Firestarter" you already know the gist of MAI, THE PSYCHIC GIRL.
What makes MAI, THE PSYCHIC GIRL unique and desirable is the magnificent art of Ryoichi Ikegami and the solid script by Kazuya Kudo with translation by veteran comics scribe James D. Hudnall and Satoru Fujii. While Mai is an interesting character in her own right, her adventures are made more thrilling by the high caliber opponents she must face, especially her cold-blooded but enthralling nemesis, the German psychic girl named Turm Garten.
MAI, THE PSYCHIC GIRL does contain a significant amount of nudity, but no sexual situations. Indeed, Mai's clothes are torn during a climactic battle with some psychic boys and she spends the last couple of chapters topless. I have mixed emotions about the repeated nude scenes of the adolescent heroine. For the most part, they are unnecessary, though tastefully executed. The topless finale is especially handled well and actually serves the plot. Still, the nudity seems exploitive and borders on pandering to pedophiles. While the target audience in Japan for MAI, THE PSYCHIC GIRL was teenage girls, here in America many parents would probably find it unsuitable for their children based on the excessive nudity. I give MAI, THE PSYCHIC GIRL leeway on this issue as it is a drawn fiction. If this were a movie or done in still pictures featuring a real adolescent girl I'm sure there would be justified outrage at its release.
Grade: B
From the July 1998 edition with a theme of "Manga Month!":
INTRODUCTION
It's manga month!
Viz Communications has been America's major importer/translator of Japanese comics for about a decade now. Eight months ago, Viz launched one of its boldest titles, PULP: MANGA FOR GROWNUPS. As the title suggests, PULP is an anthology which features adult-oriented stories: more complex and more sexual than your standard manga imports. (Alert: You're going to see a plethora of nudity and sexual content warnings in this month's column. Obvious white-outs and obscuring speed lines lightly censor most stories, but this is pretty racy stuff, folks.)
I like the idea behind PULP, though the execution has been a little sloppy. In my reviews below, I'll try not to punish the Japanese creators by remarking upon the barely adequate lettering and extremely stiff dialogue imposed upon their work by Viz's production staff and team of translators, but I want my audience to be aware that PULP does not contain the top-of-the-line Japanese to American adaptation seen in the likes of LONE WOLF AND CUB or even MAI, THE PSYCHIC GIRL which is reviewed below. I hope the quality of PULP's adaptations improve, but I am happy to have access to the material regardless.
This month, Viz is collecting several of the more popular serials from PULP into trade paperback format. If you have a little money left in your budget after buying all of DC Comics #1,000,000 issues, here a few collections you might want to consider.
FROM THE BACKLIST
MAI, THE PSYCHIC GIRL Volumes 1-4 (Viz Communications)
Hey, guys, (and I know most of you are guys) don't let the title throw you off. Sure, MAI, THE PSYCHIC GIRL is about a teenage girl with psychic powers. No, she doesn't have large breasts. No, she's not a "bad girl." As a matter of fact, she's a good girl in a good book.
MAI, THE PSYCHIC GIRL is a good, old-fashioned adventure tale about a girl who discovers she has telekinetic powers and must confront the agencies and villains which try to capture, manipulate, and destroy her. If you've read Stephen King's "Firestarter" you already know the gist of MAI, THE PSYCHIC GIRL.
What makes MAI, THE PSYCHIC GIRL unique and desirable is the magnificent art of Ryoichi Ikegami and the solid script by Kazuya Kudo with translation by veteran comics scribe James D. Hudnall and Satoru Fujii. While Mai is an interesting character in her own right, her adventures are made more thrilling by the high caliber opponents she must face, especially her cold-blooded but enthralling nemesis, the German psychic girl named Turm Garten.
MAI, THE PSYCHIC GIRL does contain a significant amount of nudity, but no sexual situations. Indeed, Mai's clothes are torn during a climactic battle with some psychic boys and she spends the last couple of chapters topless. I have mixed emotions about the repeated nude scenes of the adolescent heroine. For the most part, they are unnecessary, though tastefully executed. The topless finale is especially handled well and actually serves the plot. Still, the nudity seems exploitive and borders on pandering to pedophiles. While the target audience in Japan for MAI, THE PSYCHIC GIRL was teenage girls, here in America many parents would probably find it unsuitable for their children based on the excessive nudity. I give MAI, THE PSYCHIC GIRL leeway on this issue as it is a drawn fiction. If this were a movie or done in still pictures featuring a real adolescent girl I'm sure there would be justified outrage at its release.
Grade: B
June 7, 2020
Riprendere in mano questo manga dà strane sensazioni. la prima volta che venni a sapere della sua esistenza, in Italia erano arrivati già da quasi dieci anni gli anime, ma non i manga. Ne parlava Castelli in una rubrica, non ricordo se la posta di Martin Mystere o un Almanacco del Mistero.
Mai è una ragazza di 14 anni, con incubi, e un potere che possiamo chiamare telecinesi, che ha ereditato dalla defunta madre. Il padre è un uomo misterioso, all'apparenza un dirigente di alto livello aziendale. Ma i poteri di Mai vengono notati dalla Wisdom Alliance, una società segreta internazionale con sede sui monti Giuras, versante Svizzero. Il capo dell'organizzazione ha un aspetto che ricorda molto Fu-Manchù, ma con una benda sull'occhio stile Nick Fury. Cercano di "acquisire" la ragazza tramite Kaieda, un anziano Giapponese maestro di più arti marziali che controlla la più potente organizzazione spionistica del Giappone. Iniziano quindi diverse traversie della ragazza che fugge col padre fino a un monastero, passa sulla tomba della madre e poi tenta un impervio e pericoloso sentiero montuoso dove il padre precipita nel vuoto a causa di un gigante, e distrugge col suo potere un versante roccioso. Lei provoca disastri, ma uno studente universitario se la prende a cuore e la aiuta, e con lui altri suoi amici studenti.
I cliché sono tantissimi in questo manga, e devo dire che se nel 1985 quando uscì poteva essere innovativo, col senno di poi lo è molto meno. La storia è invecchiata, non male, ma nemmeno bene. Alcune pecche logiche oggi mi saltano agli occhi, venticinque anni fa no. Kazuya Kudo probabilmente era interessato più all'azione che a seguire una certa linearità.
Ryoichi Ikegami davvero bravo nei disegni. Nel complesso le 3 stelle ci stanno ancora tutte.
Mai è una ragazza di 14 anni, con incubi, e un potere che possiamo chiamare telecinesi, che ha ereditato dalla defunta madre. Il padre è un uomo misterioso, all'apparenza un dirigente di alto livello aziendale. Ma i poteri di Mai vengono notati dalla Wisdom Alliance, una società segreta internazionale con sede sui monti Giuras, versante Svizzero. Il capo dell'organizzazione ha un aspetto che ricorda molto Fu-Manchù, ma con una benda sull'occhio stile Nick Fury. Cercano di "acquisire" la ragazza tramite Kaieda, un anziano Giapponese maestro di più arti marziali che controlla la più potente organizzazione spionistica del Giappone. Iniziano quindi diverse traversie della ragazza che fugge col padre fino a un monastero, passa sulla tomba della madre e poi tenta un impervio e pericoloso sentiero montuoso dove il padre precipita nel vuoto a causa di un gigante, e distrugge col suo potere un versante roccioso. Lei provoca disastri, ma uno studente universitario se la prende a cuore e la aiuta, e con lui altri suoi amici studenti.
I cliché sono tantissimi in questo manga, e devo dire che se nel 1985 quando uscì poteva essere innovativo, col senno di poi lo è molto meno. La storia è invecchiata, non male, ma nemmeno bene. Alcune pecche logiche oggi mi saltano agli occhi, venticinque anni fa no. Kazuya Kudo probabilmente era interessato più all'azione che a seguire una certa linearità.
Ryoichi Ikegami davvero bravo nei disegni. Nel complesso le 3 stelle ci stanno ancora tutte.
July 28, 2013
Fantastic adventure, engaging characters, and above all, a super power story that doesn't feel like silly schlock... amazing art as well. A true classic and probably inspiration for many a story since.
August 17, 2008
Classic ESP story with great art.
February 16, 2023
It’s alright.
This was one of the first manga properly localized into English and given a wide release, and as such has had a large impact. We got close to a Time Burton movie with music by Sparks. Wild.
It’s easy to imagine back in 1987, before manga was a household word, when Japanese media was the sole provenance of the most turbo of turbonerds, when American comics fans would whisper to each other “Hey, did you know they have *Japanese comics* here?” between the aisles of the comic shop, that this would *blow minds*. There truly was nothing like this on the shelves.
But in Japan? This was nothing special. It was just another dark, violent manga about people with psychic powers at a time when that was the hot thing in comics. And to an American 30 years later who has consumed a fair bit of 80s and 90s anime and manga? Yeah, this is just another comic about psychic powers.
It’s not bad, mind you. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this first volume. I just have no real desire to read the rest, outside of idle curiosity for where the story ends up going. I had nabbed this from the library on a whim, and that’s probably how I’m gonna end up with the rest of it eventually.
Truth be told I was ready to put it down about half way through. The first half is really dry and dreary. Not even the inexplicable 12 foot tall Cro-Magnon the evil organization sends after our heroine could keep me interested (honestly he took me right off of the story, he’s *such* an escalation from the relatively grounded thriller action there had been up to that point I could not take it seriously). But then Mai is basically adopted by what I can only describe as a herd of frat boys half way through and I was back in. These guys are a delight and honestly are the main reason I have any real desire to come back eventually.
Just, uh, watch out for the full page spread of a nude 14 year old girl. That, uh, that was a little weird.
This was one of the first manga properly localized into English and given a wide release, and as such has had a large impact. We got close to a Time Burton movie with music by Sparks. Wild.
It’s easy to imagine back in 1987, before manga was a household word, when Japanese media was the sole provenance of the most turbo of turbonerds, when American comics fans would whisper to each other “Hey, did you know they have *Japanese comics* here?” between the aisles of the comic shop, that this would *blow minds*. There truly was nothing like this on the shelves.
But in Japan? This was nothing special. It was just another dark, violent manga about people with psychic powers at a time when that was the hot thing in comics. And to an American 30 years later who has consumed a fair bit of 80s and 90s anime and manga? Yeah, this is just another comic about psychic powers.
It’s not bad, mind you. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this first volume. I just have no real desire to read the rest, outside of idle curiosity for where the story ends up going. I had nabbed this from the library on a whim, and that’s probably how I’m gonna end up with the rest of it eventually.
Truth be told I was ready to put it down about half way through. The first half is really dry and dreary. Not even the inexplicable 12 foot tall Cro-Magnon the evil organization sends after our heroine could keep me interested (honestly he took me right off of the story, he’s *such* an escalation from the relatively grounded thriller action there had been up to that point I could not take it seriously). But then Mai is basically adopted by what I can only describe as a herd of frat boys half way through and I was back in. These guys are a delight and honestly are the main reason I have any real desire to come back eventually.
Just, uh, watch out for the full page spread of a nude 14 year old girl. That, uh, that was a little weird.
June 22, 2021
Re-reading a favorite from my young adulthood. (I was fortunate enough to get a complete set of the orginal issues at my Local Comic Shop for a great price!)
And wow! While I'm looking at it with a more adult eye and 30+ years expereince, but this immediately captivated me and brought me back to that time.
From the art, to the "flipped" format that used to be so common for translated manga, this is just a FUN read! No, it's not as nuanced as stuff that has come out since, but it doesn't NEED to be.
And wow! While I'm looking at it with a more adult eye and 30+ years expereince, but this immediately captivated me and brought me back to that time.
From the art, to the "flipped" format that used to be so common for translated manga, this is just a FUN read! No, it's not as nuanced as stuff that has come out since, but it doesn't NEED to be.
October 27, 2023
Notable for being the first manga to be translated into English, which set off a chain reaction that ended with anime taking over the world. It's fine. The story is a fairly standard sci-fi conspiracy thriller, which is not in and of itself a bad thing but it lacks the strong cast needed to make the whole thing fun. The main character is fine; the problem is everyone else.
If the story has a saving grace, it's that the art is quite good. The more grounded aesthetic lends the action and events a bit more heft.
If the story has a saving grace, it's that the art is quite good. The more grounded aesthetic lends the action and events a bit more heft.
February 17, 2023
Beautifully illustrated by Ikegami, with some very recognizable spots in Ueno Park (the statue of Saigo Takamori stood out) and Ueno station. The story is straighforward, and connects Japan's extensive pantheon of supernatural beliefs with a more corporate/world government kind of tale, the antagonist resembling James Bond's Spectre.
March 30, 2020
Superb! One of the dimmfirdt comics I got into way back whe it came out as a bi-monthly.
So glad to see the rest of the story. What a story. The art is on another level. The story arcs well developed. This is action packed but also character driven.
Enjoy!
So glad to see the rest of the story. What a story. The art is on another level. The story arcs well developed. This is action packed but also character driven.
Enjoy!
April 8, 2018
Alright
January 22, 2019
she has power and with help will control it
June 1, 2024
I've read hundreds, possibly thousands of volumes of comics and manga, so when I tell you Ryoichi Ikegami draws the most beautiful characters of all time, please understand I'm not fooling around!
July 16, 2025
I love the drawings and the story. So good!
June 30, 2013
This was the first manga I had ever read. I read it when I was twelve or thirteen years old, I believe. There are some fan-service parts with Mai, which is weird for me looking back on because she's a fourteen year old girl, so drawing close up's of her breasts and nipples while she takes a bath seemed to be unnecessary to me, and a bit creepy to be honest. It was totally irreverent to the plot.
Other than that though I really enjoyed this manga. It has a very strong plot line and some really incredible characters that I genuinely cared about. There are many moments that tugged at my emotions, and I even found myself crying at certain parts of the story.
I remember the read being very intense and not boring in the least bit. I could barely put the book down.
As I remember, there were some very violent parts of the book, including animal violence, so if that's a trigger I would advice you to not read this story.
In addition to the intense and sad scenes though, there are also tender parts, as well as funny parts. So the book isn't one big downer. It's got a nice balance between emotions.
The artwork is stunning. It's not like some manga where the art is so sloppy or disproportionate. It is beautiful and really powerful, helping the story progress along smoothly while creating wonderful visuals.
I'd highly recommend this story to manga and non-manga fans alike.
Other than that though I really enjoyed this manga. It has a very strong plot line and some really incredible characters that I genuinely cared about. There are many moments that tugged at my emotions, and I even found myself crying at certain parts of the story.
I remember the read being very intense and not boring in the least bit. I could barely put the book down.
As I remember, there were some very violent parts of the book, including animal violence, so if that's a trigger I would advice you to not read this story.
In addition to the intense and sad scenes though, there are also tender parts, as well as funny parts. So the book isn't one big downer. It's got a nice balance between emotions.
The artwork is stunning. It's not like some manga where the art is so sloppy or disproportionate. It is beautiful and really powerful, helping the story progress along smoothly while creating wonderful visuals.
I'd highly recommend this story to manga and non-manga fans alike.
August 19, 2012
I really enjoyed this, despite it not being in the proper manga format (flipped & read left to right). I would keep going with the series but was disappointed to find that our library only has 3 of the 6 books.
It is a bit dated now, with its more realistic manga style, but it fits with the story. There are some seriously violent scenes that bothered me, and I'm pretty desensitized. But I feel this speaks volumes about character development for me to feel so much for this little girl who can't control her power.
It is a bit dated now, with its more realistic manga style, but it fits with the story. There are some seriously violent scenes that bothered me, and I'm pretty desensitized. But I feel this speaks volumes about character development for me to feel so much for this little girl who can't control her power.
February 25, 2009
Yeah, it's silly, but it's entertaining - and what's wrong with that?
January 23, 2010
It is so cool!
April 23, 2013
This dynamic duo of Ikegami(art) and Koike(writer) I thought was unbeatable,viz. Comics did a great job in translation.
August 18, 2009
(B/B-)
Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews