Aro Hiroshi あろひろし

Most of Aro's stories have a clear, clean appearance with a surreal quality. This could also be said of his characters, tone, and attitude. He uses hentai with its double meaning of 'metamorphosis' to describe weird backgrounds, assorted personalities, and other strangeness. His humour-oriented stories usually share the same universe in that characters from one series can encounter characters from another series. Made his debut in 1980. {NAS}

In late 1994, Aro and Yano Kentarou started the quarterly manga magazine Comic Will together.

His studio is called studio Paranoiya.

(Aro Hiroshi is a pseudonym, he always depicts himself in his manga as an alligator, real name: Tamogami Yoshihiro 田母神よしひろ)

See also:
<http://www.geocities.co.jp/Hollywood-Miyuki/2401/>

Morumo 1/10
ＭＯＲＵＭＯ１／１０
serialized on Shounen Captain Comics, 1985-87
2 volumes @ Y370
[ 01:8609| 02:8707]
shounen captain special edition 2 volumes @ Y550
[ 01:9410| 02:9411]

A combination of the superhero, comedy, and love story genres. Morumo is an alien girl raised on earth. She is 16.3 meters tall at age 16 and weighs 43 tons. She looks human (with pink hair); if you are far enough away, her proportions look human. She occasionally takes a shrinking serum that reduces her body by one-tenth in size. The story engages in an interesting pseudo-scientific discussion about the effects of shrinking and the consequences. {NAS}

Yuu & Mi [You and Me]
優＆魅衣
serialized on Shounen Jump Monthly, 1986-89
8 volumes @ Y360
[ 01:8603| 02:8606| 03:8609| 04:8703| 05:8709| 06:8802| 07:8810| 08:8902]
jump comics selection 5 volumes @ Y600
[ 01:9508| 02:9509| 03:9510| 04:9511| 05:9512]

The title "Yuu & Mi" is a pun on the English phrase "You and Me". Aimu Yuu (remark: his name sounds like "I'm you") is a boy who just moved into the equivalent of a boarding house.
Everything is not as it first seems, even the boy. Living in the same room is a ghost (female) named Mi. The series is a combination of love, humour, and a general parody of anime and manga. There are a lot of weird characters in this manga.

TRA:(E)

Futaba-kun, Change!
ふたば君チェンジ
serialized on Shounen Jump Monthly, 1991-97
8 volumes @ Y390
[ 01:9106| 02:9110| 03:9207| 04:9212| 05:9307| 06:9407| 07:9507| 08:9704]

A high school hentai slapstick romantic comedy. Futaba changes gender when he gets excited. But it's not only him. His family is filled with gender-changing people. His father is also his mother, he has a perverted older sister. As Futaba-chan he is quite popular with his classmates which causes of course a lot of problems. Meanwhile Futaba-kun tries to begin a relationship with his friend Misaki. The story becomes really hilarious when even Misaki (a normal girl) begins to change gender because of a blood-transfusion she got from Futaba-kun. If you like Ranma, try this one out for a change. Just a little warning: this series is more "daring" than Ranma and depicts more nudity (still innocent, though) and treats some themes that Takahashi would never have touched. Reportedly, Aro Hiroshi has said that he wanted to show "how a guy would really react to having a girl's body". It also differs from Ranma in another aspect: it has an actual resolution of the story, and a surprising one to boot. Yudzuki Hikaru's "Boku no Shotaiken" was a big inspiration for this series according to Aro.

The last tankoubon contains a few special stories.

See also:
<http://otakuworld.com/dov/fkc/>

TRA:(E)Ironcat
Click to buy English translated volume 1 at Amazon.
Click to buy English translated volume 2 at Amazon.
Click to buy English translated volume 3 at Amazon.
Click to buy English translated volume 4 at Amazon.
Click to buy English translated volume 5 at Amazon.
Click to buy English translated volume 6 at Amazon.
Click to buy English translated volume 8 at Amazon.
TRA:(X)v1-8

Hantaa Kyatsu [Hunter Cats]
ハンタ―・キャツ
serialized on Shounen Captain Comics, 1992-96
shounen captain comics special 5 volumes @ Y550
[ 01:9309| 02:9404| 03:9503| 04:9512| 05:9610]

A semi-parody of the trouble-shooter genre. Basically, it's about 3 women with inhuman capabilities who solve cases. It is derived from, and an improvement over, his earlier work Sheriff. One of the members is also from Sheriff. The names and titles are: Mei the cyberqueen (super hacker), Akira the iron fist (great strength, very athletic, has scars all over her body), and Hikaru the quick (unmatched pick pocket, has super speed, can grab a fired bullet from the air and steal bullets from guns without the user being aware; when she was younger she was in Sheriff and was a thief, but she reformed).

Tottemo Shounen Tankentai
とっても少年探検隊
published by Shuueisha, 1985-93
2 volumes @ Y390
[ 01:8510| 02:9303]

The story of a bunch of explorers on a fantastic school campus. Each member of the team has their own special feature or quirk. The school is vast, a kind place that might be considered heaven to Calvin of Calvin and Hobbes. While I do not have all the original stories to compare, I have noticed that Aro decided to add extras to the last story (the story of Noah's ark and the Tower of Babel). The extras are pages 186-187 (Yukari eats Babel Parfait and finds out why people refer to these places as tourist's traps when she gets the bill), 189-193 (a golem attacks and is destroyed by Cleo), 197 (this is hindu mythology (?) of a tortoise going through the heavens with elephants on its back, which supports the Earth (not to sure if I remember these religions correctly)), 202-203 (the impressive effects of the pieces of Babel crashing into the Earth). 204 (primarily the addition of Cleo to the scene).

Project A-ko 3
プロジェクトＡ子
anthology
published by Rapport, 1988
1 volume @ Y580
[ 01:____]

No Synopsis.

Unkai no Tabibito - Wanderers in the Cloudworld
雲界の旅人
published by Tokuma Shoten, 1987-(?)
Animage comics special 1 volume @ Y680
[ 01:8903]

Volume contains act 1-6.

Unkai no Tabibito - Wanderers in the Cloudworld
雲界の旅人
republished and published by Tokuma Shoten, 1987-(?)
Shounen captain comics special 2 volumes @ Y550
[ 01:9212| 02:9502]

Volume 1 contains act 1-6, the same that were published in the Animage special of 1989, volume 2 contains act 7-10.

4 Spirits Plus 2
４Ｓｐｉｒｉｔｓプラス２
anthologies
published by Rapport, 1989
7 volumes @ Y800
[ 01:____| 02:____| 03:____| 04:____| 05:____| 06:____| 07:____]

Each book focuses on a certain theme. The most unusual deviation from his usual stories is the one in the 5th volume (horror), called TakaraMono (Favorite Thing). He draws it in his standard style which only enhances the unearthly effects. It is a story about a girl who was playing with another girl and was accidentally responsible for her death, a ball fell in the path of a truck... The girl is plagued by visions of the dead girl and balls, whether or not it is real is unknown. The mixture of heads (the dead girl's head was severed by the truck) and rubber balls is very eerie. The ending is like something out of Psycho. I was impressed, as it is not a genre that he is noted for. The "space" volume has a story called Calling. It had an interesting design for spaceships. By the way the name of the woman's "boyfriend" is "Flipper". {NAS}

Sheriff
シェリフ
published by Shuueisha, 1989
2 volumes @ Y370
[ 01:8910| 02:9004]

No Synopsis.

Boogie-Woogie Alligator
ぶぎうぎアリゲーター
published by Shuueisha, 1983
1 volume @ Y600
[ 01:____]

Collection of 10 short stories. The first three from the title.

Para no iya gekijou
ぱらのい屋劇場
Short story collection
published by Shuueisha, 1988-
5 volumes @ Y600
[ 01:8911| 02:9103| 03:____| 04:____| 05:9809]

No Synopsis.

Fuuin [Sealed]
封印
published by Rapport, 1991
1 volume @ Y500
[ 01:9108]

Contains six stories.

Omisore! Tora Buribbon
おみそれ！トラぶりっ盆
published by Shuueisha, 1984
1 volume @ Y?
[ 01:____]

Contains 10 stories, the first seven from the title.

Omisore! Tora Burikko DX
おみそれ！トラぶりっ娘
published by Shuueisha,
serialized on Super Jump, 1992
1 volume @ Y800
[ 01:9204]

Contains some of the old omisore-volume and a few new stories.

Takaramono [Treasure things]
published by Rapport, 1993
1 volume @ Y500
[ 01:9303]

Contains six stories.

Battle Angels
バトル・エンジェルス
cooperation with Yano Kentarou
published by Rapport, 1994
1 volume @ Y800
[ 01:____]

No Synopsis.

Muteki Eiyuu Esugaiyaa
無敵英雄エスガイヤー
serialized on Jets, 1993-94
1 volume @ Y520
[ 01:____]

No Synopsis.

Trick Ster
published by Fujimi comics, 1987
1 volume @ Y900
[ 01:8810]
republished by Kadokawa Shoten, 1995
1 volume @ Y900
[ 01:9503]

No Synopsis.

Koi wa Furan
恋わ芙蘭
published by Rapport, 1996
1 volume @ Y500
[ 01:9601]

Contains four stories.

Migawari Akushidentsu
みがわりアクシデンツ
1 volume @ Y520
[ 01:9903]

No Synopsis.

Okkiku Naare
おっきくなあれ￥
1 volume @ Y?
[ 01:0010]

No Synopsis.

Majikaru Yankii
story collection
1 volume @ Y505
[ 01:0211]

No Synopsis.