Before I dive into the review of Shonen Now! I would like to thank the author, Giovanni Micolucci, for sending us a physical copy of the deluxe edition. As can be deduced from the title, this manual allows you to play adventures inspired by manga and shonen anime; for example, Naruto, One Piece, Dragon Ball, or My Hero Academia.

In case you are interested in purchasing this manual; you can find it on Amazon in physical copy in both the standard edition and in the deluxe edition with the print on demand (PoD) mode, priced at about €15 and €33, respectively; or the only digital version can be found on DriveThruRPG for $17.12, or about €17.

• 

A Manual Truly for Everyone

I would begin this review of Shonen Now! by saying that it is wonderfully suited for novice players and masters. The first 100 pages or so are loaded with valuable advice for all those who will sit at the gaming table. The author explains how to create a game world, move the story forward, create a party, and manage players; it also contains a concise but clear section on safety mechanics and how to set up a Declaration of Intent and a zero session.

This manual shows in detail how to compose an adventure; from a simple one-shot to a beautiful long campaign (which the manual calls a Chronicle), with all routes in between. The explanations are clear and understandable even by the most novice role-playing novices.

Review of the Aesthetics of Shonen Now!: Environment and Readability

A unique feature of VasQuas editions’ manuals is that they are printed using Amazon’s print-on-demand service. As a big fan of the quality of the materials, I was pleasantly surprised; the paper is indeed excellent, durable and above all opaque. The cover has a soft touch that I am not crazy about, but it’s qualitatively well done. Moreover the binding is solid and better than many bindings of this type; it is a glued binding, a very good compromise for this price range.

The colours and images show up well for a matte paper printed with so many colours. However, it is a small compromise to have a readability of the texts above that glossy paper can only dream of.

The classic font and the matte paper make the readability of Shonen Now! very good, even for a dyslexic like me. This manual is also full of illustrations that make it a pleasure to leaf through. The only sore point is the layout of the written portion, which comes very close to the concept of a “wall of text,” in as the images are almost all full-page; perhaps integrating the two elements more would have benefited the final product.

• 

Fantastic Heroes for Fantastic Adventures

Let’s continue talking about how characters are created. First of all, an archetype is outlined by answering five “questions” (or rather, key points); the manual presents various examples of pre-made archetypes but encourages players to personalize them or create new ones.

1. “Who you are” indicates identity and a general idea of your abilities and your role within the story. This also includes outlining a character, such as “the wise summoner.”
2. “Traits” describe the Protagonist’s personality, his or her behaviour, reactions and interactions with other people and his or her surroundings. Each archetype possesses three.
3. “Special Essence and Secret Power” represent the peculiarity of the Protagonist, highlighting his or her power’s extraordinary abilities. The former is the unique strength, natural or supernatural, that sets him apart. Shonen Now! shows us how to build a Special Essence consistent with the setting and provides a series of examples of the basic techniques coupled with it. The Power Secret Power is the pinnacle of the character’s power, the culmination of the character’s abilities. Through advancements, one can obtain more.
4. “Description and Style” details a visual description of the character, specifying his or her distinctive traits.
5. “Past, Nemesis, and Dream” recount the past and the challenges that the character has faced, his main antagonist and his future dreams and plans. Shonen Now! explains step by step by step how to compose these three elements consistently with the setting; they too are created narratively to archetypes.

Following the points provided by the manual is necessary to create characters consistent with our setting.

• 

 

Review of the Other Details of the Character Creation of Shonen Now!

After laying the foundations of the character, the manual goes on to the creation of his equipment, his special item, and his bonds.

Equipment is handled in an extremely narrative way; if it character makes sense for him to have an item, he will have it.

The special item, on the other hand, is an item of any kind to which the character is attached to. In the case of a boxer, it might be the master’s gloves; for a scholar, it might be instead an ancient tome. It has mechanical relevance during trials.

Bonds should be created with PCs and NPCs significant to the character. A particularly important role is that of the mentor.

• 

 

Review of Shonen Now! Mechanics

The mechanics of Shonen Now! are derived from Cthulhu’s Abyss, another role-playing game by the same author.

Each character has a Rank, which indicates their power relative to the game world; a Ardor Gauge represents their will and determination.

The game system uses only 2d10 and a list of eight questions in the manual. Based on the answers to these questions (which touch on elements such as Bonds and companion help), the character gains bonuses; temporarily increases his or her Rank or adds a die to the roll, so he can choose the two better ones.

Also, in the case of a conflict, the difficulty is based on the rank of the opponent; assisting this is a table found both in the manual and in the play aid provided by the author.

In investigative checks, on the other hand, the difficulty is always fixed and represents the number of clues collected or the skill with which one solve the puzzles.

The Ardor Gauge, as in a video game, charges following the character’s nature and temporarily raises them in Rank. When it is full, the character gets one last action with such a power that it is out of control, and then leaves the scene losing their senses and the Rank increments that brought them to this climax. During a conflict, it is possible to either increase or decrease the level of the Ardor Gauge, to increase dynamism and tacticism.

• 

 

Can a Manual Be Infinite? This One Potentially Yes

An interesting detail that struck me while making the review of Shonen Now! is the author’s philosophy. Giovanni Micolucci has a very commendable ethic regarding his manuals. Once the manual is purchased, the acquirer will receive numerous updates and digital content. I feel compelled to congratulate him on this initiative, which shows respect and gratitude for those who believe in his projects.

Here are the additional digital materials made available:

• Seinen Now! presents the rules for being able to explore the genre seinen with its seriousness, dilemmas and maturity.
• Ascension is a setting that requires the board of Seinen Now! to be played properly. In a time futuristic and technological age, angels have begun to fall from heaven by becoming demons. To counter this threat, the Elysum (the organization established to defend the Earth) sends in handpicked pilots to pilot the Seraphim, some robots in the style of Evangelion or Pacific Rim. This expansion offers various ideas for playing a Chronicle, providing new examples for building archetypes consistent with Ascension.
• Fallen Children is an adventure designed specifically to become familiar with the mechanics of Shonen Now! In the world of Eon, five Clans have unique powers granted by the fragment of a celestial gemstone: the Stone of Light. Each Clan, custodian of a fragment, has developed the ability to control a fundamental element. The fall of the Stone of Light changed everything; the fragile balance was been broken. Now, the Five Clans and the Dark Clans are facing a new reality: competition for control of the fragments and the expansion of their territories.

• 

 

Conclusions of the Review of Shonen Now!

I conclude my review by stating that the manual was very interesting to go through. Shonen Now! has exceeded my expectations and the insights it gave me have put too many ideas in my head to be able to play it in one lifetime.

The manual is quite well written, especially for novices to the RPG; the only section that was a bit more cumbersome was the section on character creation, but with a little bit of effort one can easily overcome this obstacle.

I recommend Shonen Now! to all fans of the Shonen and Seinen. No matter whether you are a novice or an old player seasoned, this manual will allow you to experience an authentic experience in full Manga style!

 

If you enjoyed this review of Shonen Now!, keep following us to discover more role-playing games!