Rocopon is a mix of Sakamoto Days and Assassination Classroom, and it’s a bloody blast.

The titular Rocopon is a goofy alien who crash lands on earth. Initially, the novelty garners attention, but after it wears off, the public learns that he’s just a lazy being. Trying to be relevant (and after a string of PR mishaps), Rocopon is transferred to the Department of Murder. This branch of defense gets to dispatch the irredeemable bad guys fatally. Turns out, a super powerful alien is the best person for the job!

Needing a partner to help him, the Department of Murder also hires Mei, a disillusioned cop hardened by past failure. Together, the duo gets embroiled in some deadly conflicts as Rocopon unearths a despicable crime syndicate.

What I enjoy about this series is how it doesn’t pull any punches. Sure, Rocopon (like Korosensei) acts like a silly little alien, but he can efficiently kill if needed. His opponents are ready to drop him like a bad habit too, so these battles are always high-stakes. He isn’t opposed to cutting up his adversaries like minced meat, which cements the contrast of his innocent demeanor.

I enjoyed the buddy comedy elements with Mei and Rocopon. However, the first few chapters take some time to get used to everything. Rocopon himself can feel like a nuisance, which thankfully lessens as the volume continues. Once the story proper starts up however, it becomes an adrenaline rush.

If you’re looking for a stylish and gory action series, check out Rocopon right away.

Amusing graphic novel about an alien who arrives on earth one day and becomes a lethal assassin, despatching violent criminals that the government can’t deal with.

The only issue is that the alien is lazy, lazy and lethal and he needs to be inspired to work. However there are many enemies around and so his law enforcement bosses assign him a supervisor who will not stand for any nonsense. As he finds out she isn’t the only challenge he will face.

This is drawn really well and I enjoyed the dry humour. Lots of fights and action and it is entertaining.

Copy provided by Kodansha Comics via Netgalley in exchange for an unbiased review.

Rocopon is the only alien on Earth and is an assassin for the government. However, after announcing how he was helping, he has failed to do anything but spend money. He is hit with the realization people don't care about him now since he hasn't done anything and now he is actually working on taking care of criminals/groups. He runs into an individual who he saves and five yeats later she becomes his partner.

I like the partner, Mei, over the main character at this point of the story. I'm assuming we will see Rocopon change a bit with having a partner later on, but hopefully we see more character development. The fights are over pretty quick and throughout volume one it didn't seem like there was going to be a main "villian/target" but at the end one seems promising. I'll give this series a shot in volume 2 to see if it's one I want to continue.

This was a fun setup and a breezy read for the first volume, but I can see it getting out of hand or bogging down in the future. The problem with having an overpowered protagonist is that the enemies have to get increasingly ridiculous, and this is a well worn plot now in manga. I'm not sure if the creative and cute concept will make up for that plot drawback.

This was a great first volume! I really like Rocopon and I'm excited to see where the story goes. I'm hoping that we get to learn more of his background at some point. The art style was really cool and nicely done throughout the book. Can't wait for the next volume!

4.5|
Pretty job, feels like a mix of One Punch Man and Assassination Classroom. I enjoyed the witty exchanges and conversations with the characters as well as their personalities. Its a pity that it has only 2 volumes, though it has such potential to become something amazing.

An alien crash-landing on earth would usually be a worldwide cause for concern, but in the 8 years since Rocopon's arrival in the city of Tokyo there's been little to report nor worry about in terms of his plans and activities. Used to lazing about and only doing things to comeback his boredom, Rocopon soon experiences a change in careers when he is government-sanctioned to clean up the worst criminals the city has to offer..

I loved the concept of Rocopon being a laid-back spy/hit-man! His funny animal-like head reminded me of a certain yellow alien teacher from 'Assassination Classroom', but his calm and laid-back nature was straight up Saitama from 'One Punch Man'. No human is strong enough to defeat Rocopon so he becomes the perfect being to undertake the government's criminal clean-up tasks. That is of course, until he meets his match..

I'll admit it took me a while to get through the volume, simply because of the amount of word-dumping from some of these characters, but I'm somewhat intrigued to pick up volume 2 after that ending! Who could the mysterious newcomer be? Is he also an alien like Rocopon??

I loved Rocopon's character in itself and found his humour pretty funny - but it would be interesting to see if he gets his memories back at some point, because I'm curious about his alien planet. He's also got me craving bubble tea now..


— Thank you so much to Netgalley and Kodansha Comics for providing the eARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was so fun. It was at first a bit strange a main character with a big cat head but then it get really entertaining with Rocopon being an assassin working for the government. I liked it and I will be following this new manga.

Love the action sciences and the relationship between the two main characters. A fun and quick read.

2/5

It breaks my heart to put such a low on this one because I had very high expectations, but this was really not for me, sigh

I tried to likeit , probably way too much, and the only thing I still think was awesome was the concept.
I can't deny how creative and unique this was. This sort of alien with this strange form was immediately a favorite element, but unfortunately the whole story was a miss for me.

I found myself super bored while reading it and kept losing interest while going forward with the pages. I can totally see tho how it got such high scored from the majority of the community.

Unfortunately this genre is not my cup of tea, and to make me like it, it has to be super duper well done, and this wasn't for me the case...

This was so exciting. I love a good assassin. Rocopon is so cool and he’s an alien. And things are starting to get crazy and I’m super glad to be invested in this story! Can’t wait for the next one.

Whoa, this was a little crazy but I kind of loved it?

Rocopon is basically an assassin for the Japanese's Government. But that's not all, he's actually a Alien. That's right, this cute big headed, little face thing is serious business. And this volume flip flops between outright comedy to brutal action in seconds. Heads get ripped off, stomachs explode, and more. But it keeps this light hearted feel and tone that I actually enjoyed a ton. Don't take it too serious and enjoy the wackiness of it all page by page!

Thanks Netgallery for an advance review copy!

What would happen if a verified alien crash landed on Earth? In Rocopon 1, the alien is welcomed, made an honored citizen and chooses to call himself Rocopon. But soon the alien is last week’s news. He appears to wander aimlessly around the Earth. However, Rocopon has a secret. He is an undercover hitman for the government. They call him the Righteous Assassin. The Righteous Assassin has an online fan base. But Rocopon doesn’t care. He wants to stop killing but what other job could he do?

The artwork is simple pen and ink with no coloring at all. The plot is intriguing at first but after the umpteenth fight scene, it all seems repetitive. If you want to read about a disgruntled public servant, give Rocopon 1 a try. Otherwise, this comic is a miss for me. 3 stars.

Thanks to Kodansha Comics and NetGalley for a digital review copy of the book.

Rocopon reminded me of Assassination Classroom to some extent. The series is just three volumes long, which is odd, since there's potential for more. It seems this was originally published as a web series too. Rocopon is a weird alien that basically has the body of a human, but the face of a cat combined with a balloon? He's lazy, since he's just so good. Occupation? A contract killer for the government. The beauty is that he can kill people (aka he's allowed), since he's an alien. Thus his job is to do whatever his superiors make him do and he gets a helper too, the female police he saved five years prior. The manga is very bloody and the heads look awesome when cut in two. I enjoyed both the violence and the movement, since they both look great.

The art in itself is good, very rough and masculine compared to Rocopon's face. There's humor and stoic expressions, but overall there core plot seems to not exist. That's a shame and since the series is so short, I have hard time believing we'll actually get any. Still, great massacre and humor!

Like Koro-sensei before him, alien Rocopon is deceptively doofy. After crash-landing in Shibuya eight years ago, he was recognized as Japan's official resident alien...and then five years ago, he was given a special assignment to the Department of Murder at the Ministry of Defense. The logic is that because Rocopon isn't human, it's not a crime for him to kill humans, and therefore he's the perfect guy to carry out government-sanctioned assassinations. But, dammit, killing people's a lot of work, and Rocopon just wants to do his own thing!

This is an utterly bizarre sci fi action piece that's probably closer to a 3.5, but definitely enjoyable. Rocopon's character design, with his buff human body and giant round cat head (with small features) lends some absurdity to the proceedings, and his laid-back personality forms a large part of his charm. He's mildly horrified when Mei Hibino, a pure young cop he saves, is irrevocably changed by her encounter with the Department of Murder, but then he's "mildly" something about just about everything in life. The "good" folks over at the Ministry of Defense don't seem to care all that much about anything but what Rocopon can do for them, and there's a sort of lackadaisical quality to every character interaction in the book. But it works better than it doesn't, and if you like your assassination tales with a hefty dose of insanity, this is worth a try.

You have every right to stare at an alien. In a world filled with humans, it’s easy to be captivated by something that’s otherworldly. But what happens if an alien overstays their welcome due to a lack of societal contributions? And what if it’s because the alien can’t talk at all about how it contributes to society? Rocopon demonstrates this dilemma in ways both standard and unique.

The titular character is a cat-headed alien. He has no idea where he came from, but it seems like the world has welcomed him with open arms. Unfortunately, said arms are in danger of closing, as he’s given nothing to humanity in the eight years it’s been living on Earth. This causes a major headache, as the reason why Rocopon’s contributions haven’t hit commoner ears is because of what he’s tasked with.

Basically, Rocopon’s an assassin. He’s tasked by the Ministry of Defense to take out the most dangerous criminals in the world. From other hit men to yakuza leaders, Rocopon uses his alien skills to kill in the name of good without making too much of a fuss. Now eight years after his arrival, Rocopon’s about to be given something he desperately doesn’t want: a partner, and one that he’s very familiar with.

What follows is something very much in the buddy cop formula. Teaming up with Rocopon is Mei Himeno, a policewoman whose life he saved years back. No longer the cop seeking a peaceful solution, Mei is now a balls-to-the-wall support agent who’ll take down targets by any means necessary. But that doesn’t mean that she’s lost her sweet side, as she’ll gladly takes any Rocopon merch that’s handed to her. But with Mei now in his life, Rocopon’s daily routines will go from being somewhat-exciting a classic episode of 24.

There is a good balance of humor and action in Rocopon. The alien’s reaction to him not being cared by the public is pretty funny, as it’s clear the people think he’s overstayed his residency. Then there is the design of Rocopon himself, as he looks just like a human with a giant cat head. He’s not exactly intimidating, but perhaps this is what makes him the perfect assassin. After all, who would want their life taken by someone looking like a mascot character?

Sadly, it’s when Mei enters the picture when the manga suffers from a lack of creativity. Her arrival is a good twist to the narrative, as it gives Rocopon reason enough to become more motivated at his job. But c’mon, how many mismatched buddy cop stories have there been since the 1970s? Whether it’s Clint Eastwood, Denis Leary, Burt Reynolds, Mel Gibson, or Tom Hanks at the helm, every one of these mixed tag-team adventures results in the same damn outcome!

How long will this series go for until Rocopon goes from, “I don’t need a partner!” to “I’m glad I have a partner like you by my side”? Will it be a movie-length’s period, or will it take as many chapters as it does a first season of a TV cop drama? Although the action is pretty impressive in this manga, it doesn’t do much to bring something fresh to the buddy cop formula. Even with the twist towards the end of the volume, the moment feels like it would result in an “Oh, they’re doing this already” reaction than a “Oh, I didn’t see this coming!” one.

Rocopon has a very interesting premise, but it lacks proper execution. The premiere volume does a decent job setting up the scenario, but where it lacks in is creativity. A story that follows a cat-headed assassin should be brimming with uniqueness. Instead, Rocopon seems like it needs to work harder before this series overstays its welcome.

Thanks Netgalley and Kodansha Comics for giving me Volume 1 so promptly!

Rocopon definitely gives that “Saitama” feel when it comes to whopping bad guys azz and cracking jokes at the same time. I definitely missed that kind of humour since it’s been ages that I’ve read a “non serious” hero. I even liked the fact we have a badass FL sidekick whom I didn’t expect she was gonna be apart of the team honestly.

Definitely people who like the “superhero” genre would enjoy this one like myself!

Thank you to Netgalley for the copy for an honest review

I really enjoyed reading Rocopon volume 1 😊 and would highly recommended it. I can’t wait for volume 2

Rating: 4 Stars

This graphic novel was a lot of fun to read. I really enjoyed the characters and story line. I can't wait to add it to my library's collection.

Rating: 4.25 leaves out of 5
-Characters: 4/5
-Cover (+art): 5/5
-Story: 4/5
-Writing: 5/5
Genre: Comedy, Action, Thriller, Fantasy
-Fantasy: 4/5
-Comedy: 4/5
-Action: 5/5
-Thriller: 3/5
Type: Manga
Worth?: Yes

Want to thank Netgalley and publishers for giving me the chance to read this book.

I was iffy about this manga but honestly I really enjoyed it. I loved the characters and the balance between comedy and action. The ending of this volume had me wanting some answers. And truthfully? I could see this as an anime.