Manga Review: Shugo Chara! Jewel Joker Vol. 1~ A Nostalgic Return and a New Chapter Begins

Manga Review: Shugo Chara! Jewel Joker Vol. 1 by Peach-Pit

Amu is now in middle school and tasked with going undercover as a transfer student at Arcana Academy to solve a mystery. Shugo Chara! Jewel Joker continues the story of Amu and the Guardians. A review copy was provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. See Anime Reviews.

When I started Shugo Chara, I felt like I was about to cry and had to put it down for another day. I don’t know why I was getting emotional. When I finally picked it up again, at first I was disappointed that she transferred schools away from the other Guardians, but as we learn more about the new school and the new characters, I’ve come around to the change. It makes sense for the story to move forward instead of repeating the same setup from elementary school.

The seamless recap is such a nostalgia lane. It’s like a knot of feelings tangled inside me seeing each of them again—the Guardians, the Charas! Ugh, I missed Ran, Miki, Su, and Dia so much! Even the X Eggs making an appearance made me happy. And of course, the character transformations! Although the story so far has mainly focused on Amu-chan, Tadase, and the new characters, I’m so excited to see more of everyone, okay, emphasis on Ikuto and Nagihiko. And the casual, calculated way they were inserted… oooh, they know what they’re doing. There’s also a new cat character who’s bent on making Amu-chan his girlfriend. I’m already looking forward to Ikuto’s reaction to that. Catfight incoming?

If my memory serves me right, there are about four guys who may be romantically interested in Amu-chan, and now possibly five. But I’ve always seen the reverse harem aspect as secondary to the story. The heart of Shugo Chara has always been about identity, growth, and the adventures of the Guardians. See more of Levels of Reverse Harem.

Overall, it feels jam-packed but in a good way. A lot of things happen and are introduced without being overwhelming. Visually, it’s quite busy too, but that’s what we expect from the iconic art of Peach-Pit that brought the coolness and spiciness of Amu-chan to life. The world-building of the suit-of-cards system—with four dorms and four arcana jewels—feels reminiscent of Harry Potter. But no complaints here, because it also means new top-notch character designs and new transformations. Now I want this to be animated so badly! I want to see the colors! The transformations! The fight scenes! And yes, if this ever gets animated… I’m expecting the full 51 episodes of Season 3. Though that might be a bit far off since the manga just started. We don’t mind waiting.

The only small thing that bothered me was how often they repeat that Amu is “on a mission.” But that’s honestly just a tiny nitpick. I’m just happy Shugo Chara is continuing, and I’m excited to see Amu grow into this next chapter and all the story possibilities from the groundwork that was laid.

Who were your favorite guardian/s and charas? Which ships were you sailing back then?

Shop the Stories (As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases)

Shugo Chara! 20th Anniversary Edition 1 (Vol 1 & 2) https://amzn.to/4eBPWIw
Shugo Chara! Jewel Joker 1 https://amzn.to/4lJVF1o

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