Motomi. Volume 18 Cover Art Cropped, Queen’s Quality, Viz Media.
Queen’s Quality (+ QQ Sweeper) – Information
Author of Story: Kyousuke Motomi
Chapter Count: 25 volumes, 107 digital chapters + epilogue chapter
QQ Sweeper (prequel): 15 chapters / 3 volumes
Status: Completed
Content Warnings
These content warnings do not reflect the contents of the review below, only the literary work itself.
- Explicit depictions / imagery / dialogue of SI
- Lots of depictions of insects of all kinds
- Torture
- Blood, violence
- Body horror
- Topics of dying, death, loss of loved ones
- Bullying
- Abuse, experimentation
- Very brief mentioning of SA
- Drowning, deep water
- Nudity, sexual humor
- Suggestive content / imagery
- Abandonment
Spoiler Disclaimer
This recommendation post may contain small plot spoilers for review purposes. Any major spoilers are hidden by default and are able to be revealed via click or tap.
Queen’s Quality & QQ Sweeper – Plot Summary
This review actually is actually for two series that make up one big story! Firstly we have QQ Sweeper, a 3-volume / 15-chapter manga series that is the start of this unique story, and then the much longer sequel of 25 volumes, Queen’s Quality.
(At the time of this post, the 25th volume has yet to be released in English, but the entire series and its prequel can be read digitally). So, let’s jump into the summary of this wonderful series…
QQ Sweeper starts with the female lead, Fumi Nishioka, who is a poor high school student with no family to support her. After being abandoned by her guardians, she begins sleeping at her school in the oldest building—specifically in a unique club room with a large, mysterious door. This special room is kept by Kyutaro Horikita, a boy who cleans around the school.
After a series of strange occurrences (fighting with other students who trashed the club room and being saved by Kyutaro) Fumi finds herself entering the large door. She walks into pure darkness, only continuing to do so because she hears a classmate calling for help.
When she finally finds her classmate in this strange place, it seems he’s being consumed by darkness and… bugs!? One large insect attacks Fumi, but luckily she is once again saved by Kyutaro, who shows up in the nick of time. He clears away the bugs with some help from Fumi, and they return to the club room.
It turns out they were in their classmate’s consciousness, and clearing those bugs away actually cleared the darkness from his mind. The bugs represent a person’s bad thoughts or feelings, and Kyutaro is part of a group whose goal is to clean those thoughts from people who have become “infested.”
After all these crazy events, and with nowhere else to go, Fumi decides to join this bug-killing / cleaning task-force (known as “sweepers”). This exciting development is just the start of a fantastical and action-packed story!
You may be thinking… this sounds so strange. It is, but the story is really good and very unique. I really like the idea of “cleaning” someone’s mind, and the way the story approaches mental health. It’s really unique!
Actually, this entire story focuses on human nature—our emotions, our self worth, our desires, our identity… All of these are wrapped up into a really cool and interesting dark fantasy shoujo. I have a lot to say about this series, so I hope you’ll enjoy this Queen’s Quality review!
Motomi. Volume 1 Cover Art, QQ Sweeper, Viz Media.
Why You Should Read Queen’s Quality
Plot:
The plot of this series is really interesting. If you enjoy action, drama, and dark fantasy, you may really like this manga. There’s a wide range of topics—fighting “bugs” with teamwork, understanding other people’s struggles, the weird fantasy of entering other people’s consciousness, and so much more.
There’s a lot of build-up to bigger and bigger conflict, so the characters have a lot of training and growing to do first. I always enjoy this sort of build-up for manga characters!
It’s fun to see them start out weak but grow strong with hard work and each other’s support. They have to face a wide variety of opponents in this wild, adventurous story—things may start out simple, but it eventually grows into a much larger trial.
This manga series also has a very meaningful plot. It portrays and explores a lot of different aspects of life—good vs bad, negative emotions, hardships and sadness, self esteem, love, parental love, and much more.
Many of these emotions are personified throughout the story, in some cases acting as an antagonistic element fighting against the characters, or in other cases being the strength they use to fight back.
Overall, the plot of this manga portrays these emotions really well and I just really enjoyed the messages shown throughout. There’s a lot of meaningful messaging about being kind to others, controlling negativity, and loving yourself. It feels very suitable for a shoujo series.
To add to all this, there’s a lovely slow burn romance that builds over the course of the story—and this romance is so sweet. Sure, it’s a bit cheesy… but I love cheesy! I think the romance is so soft, sweet, and adorable. It actually plays an important role in the characters’ development, so if you prefer a romance that’s really integrated into an interesting plot, this may be the read for you!
Queen’s Quality is one of those romances that first forms a strong connection between the characters. Although their romantic feelings develop quickly, Fumi and Kyutaro first form a unique bond as “sweeper” partners. They often have to trust each other during dangerous times, and rely on each other to heal and recover afterwards.
They are there for each other during emotional hardships too, which really creates a meaningful emotional connection between the two. It’s a romance where you can feel their bond before the actual romance even begins, and I loved every bit of it!
When the romance does become more official, it’s so stinkin’ sweet. Kyutaro is a doting lover and you can feel the emotion radiating off of the couple every time they interact. It’s very wholesome and lovely to read.
I also want to note that there are no love triangles or drama in terms of the romance, so if those sort of things really irk you, you can read Queen’s Quality without worry!
Outside of the lovely romance, fantastical action, and meaningful messages found in this manga, there’s a bit of comedy to truly balance the series out. Most of the comedy is silly and lighthearted, so I enjoyed it for the most part. There’s quite a lot of sexual humor in this series, which isn’t really my thing, but others may enjoy it. The series does a great job of leveling out all the darker topics with a mix of silly jokes and super sweet romance!
Characters:
Although the plot of this unique series is really interesting, the characters really help boost the vibe of the story. Fumi has her own share of problems and struggles, but she is a positive girl who does her best in everything.
She’s strong, sincere, and silly at times. She’s got a goofy personality that really makes her feel like a normal girl despite the crazy, life-threatening adventures she experiences. She works really hard to be useful and not inconvenience anyone—sometimes to a fault. She can be a bit impulsive at times, but she has good intentions. I really like her!
Her character goes through quite a lot of dangerous and heart-wrenching trials throughout Queen’s Quality. Not only does she take on physical tasks, but she is often forced to overcome a lot of emotional tests, too.
Even though her character has immense growth as the series progresses, the essence of her character doesn’t really change. She still experiences fear, sadness, anger, and more—but matures to handle these emotions better.
Next, we have the male lead, Kyutaro. Kyutaro is one of my favorite ML types: the head-over-heels type! I thought at first he’d just be a total tsundere, but Kyutaro is surprisingly and delightfully sweet, gentle, and caring. He can be a bit immature at times, but it’s actually kind of endearing.
I really enjoyed his character when it comes to the romance too, as he is often very cute and has a face that tells you exactly how he feels. He cries often—and not just out of sadness. I really liked this about his character! A crybaby ML can be really refreshing sometimes.
Overall, Kyutaro is a very expressive character with a lot of different emotions that are frequently explored throughout the series. He’s shown as a strong and protective character, but often shows a more vulnerable and weak side of himself, too.
I feel like shoujo male leads don’t always get this sort of focus, so I really loved this aspect of Queen’s Quality. If you like needy MLs with a lot of emotion, this will be the romance for you!
Kyutaro isn’t just the love interest, though. He plays a pretty equal role in the story compared to Fumi, the female lead. The entire story revolves around them, their relationship, and their individual battles or accomplishments. They work together very often, but we also get to see each character mature individually, too, which is very nice.
Outside of these main two characters, there are many other really kind and likable characters. But the spotlight truly belongs to Fumi and Kyutaro!
Art:
QQ Sweeper started in 2014 (in Japanese) and so the art style definitely starts out with that classic 2K shoujo style. I know that isn’t everyone’s favorite, but it makes me feel nostalgic—I really like it! I love the way the characters’ hair, eyes, outfits, and expressions are drawn.
I just think the style is well-detailed, and I like the “sharp” look it gives. At the same time, the romantic moments can feel so soft and gentle.
This more “sharp” style sort of rounds out a bit at the series progresses, but it feels pretty natural—it isn’t a sudden change or anything. Additionally, the change isn’t super strong. For the most part, the series has a very consistent art style!
One of the biggest artistic elements I enjoyed throughout QQ Sweeper and Queen’s Quality is how the character’s emotions are portrayed. The characters will have a certain look in their eyes, a scrunching of their nose, or maybe the way they are holding back tears—something about the faces these characters make just hold so much feeling!
The environmental art in this series is very well done too. We see a lot of different and unique rooms, homes, classrooms, outdoor settings, and the strange place known as “the inside” (the inner conscience of a person).
The background details are very clean, and when there isn’t a background added, it doesn’t feel out of place because the focus is put on the characters instead. Overall, the series has a good balance in terms of background or environmental art.
And let me just say… I like the character designs. I know a lot of people are tired of this sort of dynamic (light haired FL + dark haired ML) but it feels like a classic for me. I never get tired of it. I wouldn’t mind more unique or creative styles too, but I can’t lie and say I dislike this familiar trend, haha!
Speaking of designs, this manga sort of has its own magical girl moments—mostly in terms of outfits / fantastical powers, rather than the traditional transformation sequence. They vary greatly, but I really enjoyed seeing each one (they all have their own unique charm). They get better and better as the series continues, so look forward to it!
Similarly, the “darker” or “evil” beings also have interesting designs. They often embody a messy, creepy, and sort of unclear form that really suits the type of emotions they are meant to be made out of. The darker creatures and insects we see throughout this series really help give it that dark fantasy vibe, in addition to some of the blood, body horror, and other creepy elements sprinkled in here and there.
Overall, the Queen’s Quality series has a very nice art style that always delivers! No matter if a scene is supposed to feel impressive, sad, frustrating, disturbing, heartwarming, or sweet—this series always portrays it nicely.
Motomi. Volume 6 Cover Art, Queen’s Quality, Viz Media.
Any Cons?
While I really enjoyed QQ Sweeper and Queen’s Quality, the story does have some downsides to it. Let’s jump in…
Firstly, this series can be a bit tiring to read, especially if you like to binge a lot of chapters. I think this is because the story is a little text heavy with all the lore and world-building—sometimes the events happening in the story can be hard to keep up with.
Instead of introducing the fantasy elements beforehand, this manga keeps a lot of things secretive or confusing on purpose. After all, the characters are discovering everything at the same time as you.
It gives the reader a bigger moment of revelation for a lot of the large events in the story, but it can be a little confusing at times. There’s a lot of characters with various relations, and when you mix in all the magical fantasy elements it just makes everything a little more difficult.
Because of this, I think the plot could have had better organization or pacing especially in terms of all the lore. Sometimes it felt as though things were being made up along the way, as the reader is given no previous information about it. Even the characters often seem confused about what’s going on around them.
I don’t want this to discourage anyone from reading this lovely, adventurous story—but maybe just prepare yourself for a text-heavy and lore-heavy story!
I also think that the pacing and organization of the story made it a bit difficult to relate to the characters at times. What was supposed to be a dramatic, emotional revelation often felt underwhelming due to the lack of information given beforehand.
For example, (warning, major spoilers ahead) I didn’t really feel too upset when the backstory of Kyutaro’s parents was revealed. Sure, their sacrifice was sad, but those two characters were barely referenced beforehand. I felt very neutral when Fumi cried over her “teacher” (Kyutaro’s father). That relationship was not really explored due to Fumi’s memory loss—I’m not even sure what he taught her in order to be called “teacher.”
Overall I think the climax of the story could’ve been handled better. It dumps a lot of lore and different character backstories onto the reader all at once, and it was overwhelming to read.
Rather than relating to the characters and feeling their emotions with them, I was too busy trying to remember who was who, and who did what when.
It’s a very plot-heavy story with a lot of new fantasy elements revealed at every turn. It’s a great read—but it’s also a lot to take in.
I read this entire story in succession, but if I had read it earlier while the story was still being released, I would have had to reread it multiple times. Even still, I was left with a handful of questions about random details throughout the story.
There’s one last thing I’d like to mention: Although I enjoyed the romance in Queen’s Quality, it can feel rather mature or sensual at times, which can be a little awkward considering the character’s ages. There’s nothing necessarily wrong with these scenes but the vibe it gives can often be very suggestive, if that makes sense.
Especially when it comes to Kyutaro’s colorful imagination, haha (again, totally normal, but as an adult it feels a bit cringy to read the perverted thoughts of a character that is not even out of high school).
I was really hoping this series would show them growing into adults throughout their trials, but instead all of the conflict happens over the course of a single summer. They’re still in high school to the very end, which didn’t really feel necessary.
More In-Depth Review (Warning: Spoilers!)
One aspect I really liked about Queen’s Quality is that it has nice theme of mental health, self love, and overcoming hard times. We see many characters who struggle with hardships or negative emotions in the series and the way their emotions and struggles are portrayed feels very realistic and meaningful.
I really love the theme of cleaning to rid of the negative thoughts, as that is a very recognizable real-life method to handle stress. Many people clean to relieve stress, and having a clean home helps many people feel more in control.
Something as small as cleaning can make you feel accomplished, and I really like the way this manga sort of portrays that. Unfortunately, the literal cleaning aspect gets a little lost after the main climax, but it does get referenced at the end.
I also liked how open and raw the emotions of all the characters feel. Something about seeing Kyutaro cry so often made me feel like this series really understands what it means to feel your feelings. The overall vibe just felt very nice and refreshing to me, even though there are many dark topics and lots of fantasy elements going on.
The series recognizes that everyone has their own struggles or darker emotions, doesn’t romanticize them, and portrays them in an accurate and healthy way.
Outside of this really nice theme, the romance in this series is just adorable. I really love the soft and gentle care that Kyutaro gives Fumi, and how they have to care for each other in order to stay safe while working in “the inside.”
There are a lot of other aspects of this story that I really liked, too. It may be cheesy, but I adore the fact that Fumi wants to be like a princess and have her Cinderella moment, but instead becomes a queen.
It sort of signifies her overcoming her own battles, which is nice because I prefer this sort of development over the “girl is saved by her prince” trope. Instead, Kyutaro acts as her right-hand man most of the time and has his own individual battles, too.
Even while they support each other very often, it never feels as though they are fighting each other’s battles. I really like how the author did this. Not only does it delay the romance—creating a whirlwind of pining and yearning—but it also allows Fumi to have some development outside of an official romance.
At the same time, her relationship with Kyutaro is so heartwarming. Kyutaro accepts the “bad” part of Fumi (the black queen) and doesn’t fear this part of her at all.
It feels like a big metaphor for accepting and loving a person even with their shortcomings, flaws, or personal struggles. He’s accepted that part of her and supports her as needed.
I think this manga series had a lot of nice metaphorical moments like this, and overall I think that is probably my favorite aspect of Queen’s Quality.
Final Thoughts
QQ Sweeper and Queen’s Quality come together to make a really unique and fantastical story. Even though there’s a lot of magical/fantasy elements in the story, the main messages are still very relatable and meaningful.
This series tackles a lot of difficult and dark topics, but skillfully balances it all with love, friendships, kindness, and light comedy. It’s a very engaging and action-packed series, but still clearly portrays the importance of emotional health and supporting one another. All in all, I think this series is a great reading choice for any shoujo enjoyer!
Disclaimer: Many images used for this blog are for illustrative purposes only, are not owned by me, and are under ownership of the artist or publisher.
Images Credit: Motomi, Kyousuke. Queen’s Quality, Viz Media, 2017. QQ Sweeper, Viz Media, 2015.
