When you think of Shōnen Jump, you naturally think of titles such as Dragon Ball, Bleach, Naruto (and Boruto), Jujutsu Kaisen, Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba, and One Piece. But there is one title that brings that some well-deserved humor and that is Shuhei Miyazaki’s Me & Roboco.
The year is 20XX, and there are Ultra-Capable AI-Powered Robotic Maids called “OrderMaids” available to buy, their tremendous versability and being cute made them a worldwide hit. Ten-Year-Old Bondo wants to have his own OrderMaid just like the other kids, so he begs his mom to order one for the house. The day finally arrives when he opens the door and meets his new OrderMaid, but there is something different about her, wait, she has knees like that Sayian, Nappa?! Chaos ensues as Bondo’s world is about to be turned upside down as this clumsy maid brings in humor, surprise quizzes, and crazy antics with her! The First Volume contains Chapters 1 through 9 but the one negative factor in this was that it’s a Digital Only title.
In an observation that not only that the gags can be wholesome but it is mainly focused on Roboco’s shortcomings but it also has an abundance of making witty references to Shonen Jump Titles like Jujutsu Kaisen, Bakuman, Dragon Ball Z, and Doraemon. If you’re not familiar with Doraemon, which is surprising that this series isn’t as popular in the US as it is in Japan, India, and Spain. If anything, this is a not-so-subtle parody of Doraemon for example:
- Doraemon is a robot from the future, befriending a boy who is struggling with getting good grades and has Two Bullies at School. Me & Roboco has Rondo two Passively and Aggressive Friends, Roboco’s compliment of weird gadgets and abilities, and other goofs.
But if the reader is not familiar with that sort of comedy, then it will fall flat and feel more random than being clever. Like the mention of Roboco having “Nappa Knees”, if someone never read the Dragon Ball Series that joke would be worthless, but since the U.S. readers are more familiar with the Dragon Ball Series than Doraemon. Another thing that works well for this Gag Manga is that it has a good balance of characters that make it worth reading like Gachi Gorilla and Motsuo Kaneo, Bondo’s Mom. Each one has their random gags or moments that keeps the humor going and the reader entertained.
To be honest, this is one of the best gag titles I have read in quite a while. It has a great balance of parody comedy, slapstick, random Shonen Jump References, and good punchlines even if some do fall flat at times. Shuhei Miyazaki has a good formula going on with Me & Roboco and speaking as a current reader of this series it is on par with another well-known comedy/gag title, Hideaki Sorachi’s Gin Tama. You can catch Me & Roboco on Viz Media or Shueisha’s Manga Plus.
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