DNA² Review: Time Travel, Accidental Womanizing, and the Grandfather Paradox as Romantic Comedy

What if the worst thing you could do for humanity was be too attractive?

Quick Take

• Peak early-90s Shonen Jump romantic comedy energy: absurd premise, beautiful art, surprisingly fun
• VIZ only published 4 of 8 volumes in English — the story is incomplete in English
• Worth reading for Katsura's signature style, even if you'll need fan-translations to finish

Who Is This Manga For?

• Fans of Katsura's other work (I''s, Video Girl Ai, Zetman) who haven't read this one
• Readers who enjoy time-travel comedies without the hardcore science
• People who want early-90s shonen romance at its most confidently silly
• Anyone who can accept an incomplete English release

Content Warnings & Age Rating

Age Rating: T (Teen) Content Warnings: Fan service, romantic comedy situations, mild action violence

Standard for early-90s Katsura — nothing too extreme by modern standards.

Yu's Rating

Category	Score
Story Depth	★★★☆☆
Art Style	★★★★★
Character Development	★★★☆☆
Accessibility for Non-Japanese Readers	★★★★☆
Reread Value	★★★☆☆

Story Overview

Junta Momonari is a high school student with a unique problem: he is violently ill around attractive women. This should make him incapable of romantic relationships. Unfortunately, there's a future timeline where Junta somehow overcomes this — and goes on to have so many children and grandchildren that his genetic line eventually accounts for 100 billion people. He becomes the "Mega-Playboy," the ancestor of most of humanity.

Karin Aoi is a DNA Hunter from the future, sent back to inject Junta with a DNA-altering bullet that will suppress his reproductive potential before the Mega-Playboy gene can express itself. She misses. Or rather, she hits the wrong person. And then the complications begin — because the Mega-Playboy gene has already partially activated in Junta, creating a second personality who is everything the original Junta is not.

It's a genuinely clever setup for a romantic comedy: the protagonist is competing with an idealized version of himself for the affection of the girl from the future.

Katsura doesn't take any of this seriously, which is the right call. The comedy is fast, the romance is sweet, and the time-travel logic is treated as a delivery mechanism for awkward situations rather than a puzzle to be solved.

Characters

Junta Momonari — Earnest and dorky in his original form; smooth and terrifyingly charismatic as the Mega-Playboy. The contrast between the two is the engine of most of the comedy.

Karin Aoi — Competent professional who keeps making rookie mistakes around Junta. Her growing affection for him tracks believably from exasperation.

Ami Kurimoto — Junta's childhood friend and the object of his genuine feelings. Her position in the love triangle is the story's emotional grounding.

Art Style

Masakazu Katsura draws women like almost no one else in manga. Even in 1993, the character designs are striking — expressive, beautiful, and full of personality. His action sequences are also strong. The early-90s Jump art style is here, but elevated.

Cultural Context

DNA² was serialized in Weekly Shonen Jump at the height of the magazine's dominance — the same era as Dragon Ball, Slam Dunk, and Yu Yu Hakusho. The romantic comedy genre was evolving rapidly in Jump at this point, and Katsura was one of the artists pushing it toward more sophisticated emotional territory. The "genetics as destiny" premise was partly a reaction to the period's pop-science interest in DNA and heredity.

What I Love About It

I have a fondness for this kind of early-90s energy — the specific confidence of manga that knows exactly what it is and executes it without apology. DNA² is ridiculous and knows it. The premise is paper-thin scientifically and completely irrelevant to whether the comedy lands. Katsura just draws beautiful people in funny situations and makes you root for the dork to get the girl, and he's been doing this at an elite level for thirty years.

The Mega-Playboy personality is a neat trick too: it lets Katsura draw Junta as his idealized self while keeping the awkward real Junta as the emotional center. The tension between who you are and who you could be is underneath all the comedy.

What English-Speaking Fans Say

Mostly noted in the context of Katsura's body of work — it's not his most celebrated title but is fondly remembered by fans who read it in the VIZ translation. The incomplete English release is a consistent source of frustration; readers who wanted to finish the story needed fan-translations.

Memorable Scene ⚠️ Spoiler Warning

The moment where Junta, as himself (not the Mega-Playboy), manages to protect Ami through sheer determination rather than charisma is the scene that makes you understand what the whole story was about: not the genetics, not the time travel, but the question of whether the version of yourself that you're comfortable being is enough.

Similar Manga

Title	Its Approach	How DNA² Differs
Video Girl Ai	Romantic comedy with a supernatural premise	DNA² is lighter and faster-paced, prioritizing comedy over emotional depth
I''s	Earnest high school romance	DNA² adds sci-fi absurdism that I''s lacks
Urusei Yatsura	Alien-meets-boy romantic chaos	DNA² is more focused on a single love triangle than Takahashi's sprawling ensemble

Reading Order / Where to Start

Start from Volume 1. Note: VIZ Media only published 4 of the 8 Japanese volumes. You'll need to find fan translations to read the complete story.

Official English Translation Status

VIZ Media published volumes 1-4 in English. The series is complete in Japanese at 8 volumes, but the English release covers only the first half. Consider digital fan translations for the complete story.

Pros & Cons

Pros

• Katsura's art is beautiful and expressive
• Clever central premise with a lot of comedic potential
• Fast-paced and fun — doesn't overstay its welcome
• The love triangle has genuine emotional stakes

Cons

• English release is incomplete (4 of 8 volumes)
• Story is not particularly deep — all charm and execution
• Fan service may feel dated by modern standards
• The Mega-Playboy personality can be annoying rather than charming depending on your taste
• Resolution requires tracking down non-English materials

Is DNA² Worth Reading?

For Katsura fans, yes. For general readers, it's a pleasant 4-volume comedy that stops before its conclusion — decide accordingly. The art alone is worth the time.

Format Comparison

Format	Pros	Cons
Physical	Katsura's art in physical print is excellent	May be out of print; incomplete in English
Digital	Easier to find	—
Omnibus	No omnibus available	—

Where to Buy

Read the first volume. If it doesn't hook you, put it down. It'll hook you.

Start with Volume 1 →

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